Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1890-07-19
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
PERsoNATED A DEAD MAN.
History of the Most Remarkable Pension
Fraud on Record.

said Major Harry Phillips, recently,
"the most remarkable case that ever
came under my observation was that of
an Italian by the name of Giusetto He
was as keen as o razor, we'll educated,
but with nerve and audacity which
few men possess. A year after the close
of the war claim for pension was filed
for man named Jacques Rollinger, of
Springfield, o. He had enlisted as n
private in one of the Ohio regiments in
1862, and had worked his way up until
he had obtained a commission as Lieu
tenant His claim was on account of
rheumatism contracted in the service.
After proving that it was contracted in
the service and that it con tinued from
the date of his discharge up to the date
of the application, the question was
asked If he had been in the services pre-
| vious to his enlistment in the Ohio regi-
ment. To this he answered that in 1861
he had enlisted in the First New York
| Independent Battalion. Upon searching
the roll of the First New York Inde-
| pendent Battalion, his name was found
The records showed that Rollinger, on
January 30, 1864, had been transferred
to Company B, of the Forty-seventh
Regiment, n. Y. S. Volunteers, and that
at the battle of Olustee. on February
80, 1864, he was reported wounded and
taken prisoner by the Confederatos.
! They further showed that his name APP
| peared on the roll of the An
dersonville prison, and that he was re-
| ported as having died there on August
~, 1864 He was it was stated, buried
in the prison grave marked 1903. Upon
further search of the War Department
records it was found that in 1865 i man
claiming to be Jacques Rollinger ac-
companied by little boy, had present
ed himself to Secretary Stanton, the
then War Minister, with very plausi-
BILE story stating that he had been in
| the Andersonville prison, was sick
there, and feigned death in order to es-
cape; that he was carried out of the
| prison enclosure with n load of dead
men, all being dumped to the ground
together early in the morning. Watch
ing his opportunity when the coast was
clear of the guards, he crawled unob-
served toward neighboring
wood and finally escaped, reach
| ing the Union lines about
the time of the general surrender. Sec
retary Stanton was impressed with the
apparent sincerity of the man who read
| lily answered the questions concerning
the prison and its surroundings satisfac-
torily. He believed the story had the
death record Cancelled and caused all
the back pay and allowances to
be paid to the supposed Rollinger.
Shortly afterward the man filed n claim
for pension on account of disability re-
sulting from gunshot wound incurred
while in the service, which was subse-
quently allowed. A few years after this
pension was secured, another claim for
bounty, remuster and allowances was
filed in the Second Auditors Office at
Washington as being due Jacques Rol-
linger, of Company b. Forty-seventh
New York Volunteers, by party claim
ing to be the father of Jacques Rolling
err. Evidence was filed proving jacques
Rollinger's death and burial while Il
prisoner of war at Andersonyille. Ga.
About this time a pension and claim
agent, who did business at the New
York City Hall, happened to call at the
Office of another claim agent in that vi
cinity. Upon entering the office of the
second agent the first agent recognized
man present and called him by the
name of Giusetto. While conversing
together the second agent told the first
that the man he had accosted was not
named Giusetto but Rollinger, and that
evidently it was a case of mistaken
identity. He was positive of that be-
cause he was then engaged in prosecut-
a, lNlf s..
back pay and bounty due on account of
his son, who had died in the Anderson
vile prison. The first agent answered
that he could not be mistaken, for the
reason that he had already secured n
pension for the same man on account of
gunshot wounds under til name of Giu-
setto.
The two agents on comparing notes,
made up their minds that there was
something crooked somewhere, and re-
ported all the facts in their possession
to the authorities at Washington. The
secret service officers of the Pension
Bureau, upon searching the records at
Washington, found that Giusetto had
been member of Company A, Forty
seventh Regiment, New York Volun-
tceFS, JHdJ NolllHBcE WIS DOTH III
France, near the Italian border, close to
Giusetto's birthplace, and that while
both had been mustered into the Forty
seventh New York Volunteers, though
in different companies, they had become
warm friends, understanding each
others native language. They were
both taken prisoners at Olustee and sent
to Andersonville, where Giusetto, dur
ing their long and weary prison days,
learned all about the family story of
Rollinger. The secret service officers
also ascertained that Giusetto was the
man who personated Rollinger imme-
diately after the war and imposed on
the Secretary of War. 1t was also as
certained that through another claim
agent Giusetto had secured pension for
himself in his own name, for wounds
received when he was taken prisoner at
the battle at which Rollinger was cap
tured. Had he been conteDted with
the double pension he was re-
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