The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-09-02

paid. But it never will be, and poor,
patient Billy will probably sit out there
in the corridor till he dies.
Let us take glance at a half dozen of
these claims as they come at random out
of one of the many pigeon holes in the
claims committee room. H. w. Keyes
was an enlisted soldier from Wisconsin
After his discharge he was drafted in a
district of which he was not citizen
anG paid the $500 Communication money
Then he again enlisted and was priev-
ously wounded. Now he wants his 5000
back. Of course he ought to have II
and if he lives to be 200 years old NAV
get it.
John D. Thome bought at auction in
Louisiana during the war $4,000 worth
OF cotton. 1t was sold through the gov
eminent cotton agent in New York and
the money covered into the treasury,
Thome not getting a cent of it. Thome
was loyal. Concerning the charge that
he has not prosecuted his claim with due
diligence the committee reports:
1t seems that very shortly after the property
proof as to his ownership. etc.; that in 1866 he
sent on his papers containing his proofs to his
nephew, then a resident of Washington and law
yer; that he subsequently, but within the time
prescribed by law. placed his claim in the hands
of one Justin McCarty a lawyer practicing in the
court of claims for prosecution in the court, who
for some unaccountable reason neglected to pre-
sent his petition; that in 1869 he employed Henry
Sherman as an attorney to prosecute his claim,
and has been prosecuting it with vigor ever since
Here is n case which admits of no
doubt. Uncle Sam has for twenty-five
years had eight or ten thousand dollars
of Mr.. Thorne's money. And the
chances are Uncle Sam will keep it, too.
David d. Smith, carpenter and boat
builder, lost his chest of tools in the Fan
ME, sunk at Fortress Monroe. He wants
congress to pay him for the tools $410.25,
and he has thus been wanting for many
years.
In Kentucky White, Horton & Gar
rard had extensive salt works and wells
which Gen. Buell. destroyed to prevent
their falling into the hands of the ene-
my. The only doubt about the business
of the claim was as to the loyalty of the
claimants. On this the committee say:
All were believed to be loyal except Daniel Gar
rard. He was 50 years of age, and took no pains
to conceal his southern proclivities. But as he
was the father of Brig. Gen. T. 7. Garrard, of the
Federal army and of Col. James H. Garrard,
treasurer of the state of Kentucky, both true and
loyal men, the commissioner was of opinion that
the virtues of the sons should overshadow the fol-
lies of the father
Away back in 1649 William L. Martin
sold to Lieut.. Hawkins, for the use of
United States troops, herd of cattle
valued at s., 500. Lieut.. Hawkins was out
of funds and could not pay the bill. The
Indians attacked the supply train and
ran away with most of the cattle after
delivery, and then Lieut.. Hawkins be-
came insane, and so continued till
death. Therefore Martin wa never
able to get pay for his cattle. Senator
Spooner, of the senate claims commit
tee, thinks Martin has q good case. But
he has had a good case for forty years
and it is still unsettled. This claimant
asks Congress to pay him interest on the
amount of his claim, but as Senator
Spooner says in his report, Congress
never pays interest. Uncle Sam, sad to
say, is mean enough to enjoy the use of |
other peoples money for twenty-five or
fifty years without giving any recon-
pense therefor. 1t is difficult enough to |
induce him to pay back the principal.
Nathan Harris bought in Louisville, |
KY, in 1864, at government sale of |
condemned stores, blankets and other
goods amounting to the sum of s., 1861. so,
and took them to his store in Cincinnati. |
o., to be retailed. He was arrested and |
the goods seized by government detect
ives on the charge of unlawfully purchas-
ing them of soldiers; he was acquitted |
and his goods ordered restored by United |
States Commissioner Holiday, but in
fact the goods were neverrestored and no |
compensation was ever made for them. |
A quarter of a century of earnest effort
on Mr.. Harris part has failed to induce
the United States to return him his mo-
ney.
Uncle Sam, who we all know is at |
times generous and grand, can be as /
close in his business dealings as the bark
on tree. He can even be mean. An
drew S. Core thinks SO. Mr.. Core was
in 1854 collector of internal revenue in /
the wild, mountainous region of West
Virginia There were rebels and guerril- |
las and outlaws and moonshiners there, |
and in collecting the revenue Mr.. Core |
took his life in his hands from day to |
day. He collected what he could, but |
on settling up with the treasury depart /
ment was not only not paid his salary, |
but was required to pay 1858 out of his /
own pocket because some of his deputies |
had not turned in taxes collected by them. |
The claims committee very properly |
recommends that Mr.. Core be paid his |
salary and that the 1868 be returned to |
him. In the sweet by and by perhaps |
he will get it. Our Uncle Samuel is a |
tough customer