Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-09-27

THE EVENING
q disposition. according to statistics. to lose
| their right legs much oftener than their left
| 1t should be mentioned that not merely the
veterans of the war. but all soldiers and Sailors
| and civilians we'll who lose a limb or the use
of il in the service of the United States are en-
titled to the bounty described once in Eve
years.
sHREwD But UNscRUPULoUs ArroRNEYs.
In 1870. when the law was first passed, shrewd
Washington attorneys got lists of all the Grip
| pied pensioners from the Pension Office and
| sent circulars to every one of them, saying in
each case: I'VE have ascertained that You are
entitled TO such-and-such money from tho gov.
eminent and we will obtain 1t for you on con-
dItion that, after you have received it, you will
remit to us 10 per cent of the amount"
Blanks were inclosed for the pensioner to fill
out with his application and voucher and in
struction was given that these blanks should be
forwarded 10 the Office of the surgeon general
here. OfcoGrse the Office receiving the blanks
! made out in due form suspected nothing, had
! the cases investigated according to the law and
paid the amounts. Subsequently the attorneys
wrote TO the applicants, saying that they sup
posed the money had been received by them
and requesting payment OF the 10 per cent
or course their cue was TO persuade the bene-
ficiary that they had exerted themselves per-
sonally in his behalf and got the cash for him.
tho fact being that the persioncr had only to
write to Washington On his own account and
receive his SIS or $50 without a
penny's cost to himself. By this ingenious
method three firms of lawyers in this city
cleared 100000 in percentages within one
month. But the surgeon general soon realize
what was going on and put stop to the BUSH
ness by the simple expedient OF adopting a new
form OF blank. Whenever one of the old style
was received at the Office after this il was sent
back to the applicant with one of the new-style
blanks. which had a notice at its top informing
the pensioner that he required no legal SER
vices to procure his money and had only to
inform the Office directly IN order to get his
cash at any time. OF course this cut the sharp
lawyers industry short off, inasmuch as il
would have been of no use for them to send out
copies of the new-style blanks, that exposed
their scheme.
FORTUNATE cRrPPLEs.
OF all the crippled veterans in the country
the most fortunate are those who are en-
ployed at the Capitol in Washington. Several
of them are on the employment list Of the
Senate, which never thinks Of dismissins
servants who conduct themselves properly.
Fourteen more serve as messengers for the
House of Representatives, and q law was
passed by the Forty-eighth Congress declaring
that they shall not be discharged save for
cause which must be reported to and APP
proved by vote of the House. These mes
senCers serve doorkeepers for committee
EOoins IOr the entrances 10 the House
when 1t Is IN session. Their duties are light
and they get 1880 year each, though they
do NO work between sessions
SOME OF THEM
OF the heroic fourteen Private 8. II. Decker
Is the most remarkable, inasmuch as he has
lost both arms. He lost them at Pcrryville,
Ky., by premature discharge of artillery, and
the accident entities him TO 500 month PEN
sion. At present he tends the doors of the
press gallery. Hugh Lewis, private, lost one
arm at tho last battle of Bull Run. in August,
1867. Private John Stewart lost one of his
arms by a musket bullet ut Charlottesville
his other hand being considerably damaged.
Fernando Page WAS compelled to relinquish
both legs by the explosion of shell. James
J. Mcconnell and John r. Whitaker have both
lost leg, the former at Stevensturg, Va, in
1868. and the latter at Richmond, n.y., in 1862.
J. W. White abandoned one of his arms at
Jonesboro while accompanying Sherman's
march to the sell. The missing arm of John
Rome was left upon u field of battle in the
Mexican war. L. S. Williams was mustered
out of the Army of the Potomac with one leg
less than he had when he entered It, Gen. W.
I. Fitch holds the courtesy rank of brigadier,
though one of his legs has been rendered en-
tIrely useless by O gunshot wound. Col.
William Irving was serving in the thirty
eighth Ohio regiment when he had one leg
shot of and the other permanently disabled.
Capt. John Ryan and Capt John A. Travis
u L
his entire lower jaw shot away at Fort Donel-
son. He draws $50 every five years as an
equivalent for an artificial arm. ANY one
would rather lose an arm than jaw. Seven
of the men on the manned soldiers roll in the
House have been appointed by republicans
and seven by democrats. On the Senate side
one OF the assistant doorkeepers. Capt. john
q. Merritt, lost the use OF his right leg by q
guushot wound received at the first battle of
Bull Run. Two other Senate employees lost
each arm in the late war; they are both
doOrkeepers at present. The former of the
two. j. G.. Ball, lost his arm at Blakely, Ala, in
1865, while J. NJ. Pipes suffered similar mis-
teer regiment Capt. Merritt, by the way, was
awarded a medal OF honor by Congress for
bravery on the field.
THREE SENATORS
lack limb apiece. Butler and Wade Hamp-
ton, both of South Carolina, have but two legs
between them TO represent the understanding
of the delegation from that state Both wear
wooden limbs. though In Buffers case you
would never suspect it. He lost his on the
field OF battle, while Hampton, who fought all
through the war without receiving wound
sustained an inglorious amputation on account
OF a kick by u mule. Berry of Arkansas lost a
leg in fighting for the confederacy at the battle
OF Corin,h
A few members Of the House have to get
along without a leg or an arm. Gen. Hender-
son of Iowa, Boothman OF Ohio and Laws of
Nebraska are each minus n leg on the repub-
lican side. They, together with Lynn of Min
nesOta, who has only one arm left, are entitled
to an artificial limb every five years from the
government. On the democratic side Gen.
Hooker OF Mississippi and Oates of Alabama
have each lost an arm and Stone of kentucky a
leg; but Uncle Sam does not provide them
with any substitutes.