New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-30
PREYING ON PENSIONERS.
ANOTHER OF THE RICH MINES WORKED BY
LA ToURETTE, THE ALLEGED USURER.
LENDING MONEY AT ExoRBITANT RATES UPON
PENSION CERTIFICATES, IN DIRECT vIo-
LATIoN OF THE srATUTE-spECI-
MEN CASES.
MEN CASES
-yN TELEGRAPH TO TIE rHrsuvr.I

III fELE0RAPH TO TIE TRfBUNr-V
Washington, Nov 2g.-AttentiOn was called recently
in these dispatches to the operation OF usurer In this
city, one W. j. La Tourettc. who has been preyinG
upon unfortunate and mpecunious Government en-
ployes, and through whose agency delinquent debtor
In the Pension ONCE A. b. Hayward, FORMER union
soldier. WAS some time ago discharged IL appears
upon investigation that La Tourctte does not connne
himself simply to shaving notes on the approved lo
per cent month"; plan, but adopts methods Of usury
especially with Government pensioners both in and out
Of the Office expressly forbidden by the statutes OF the
United States. Section 4,745 Of the Revised Statutes
drawn to make Illegal the use Of pensioners
certificate security collateral for any debt and to
prevent absolutely the transfer Of any right, claim OF
interest in payments made it to another person.
The Law reads:
Any pledge mortgage sale assignment transfer of
right claim interest In pension which has Deeh'
hereafter be granted shall be void and OF no erect
and any person who shall pledge or receive as pledge
mortgage SALE assignment transfer Of any rght claim
or Interest In any pension pension certhae whch mas
been hereafter be granted issued or who shall
hold the same collateral security for any debt or promise
preext Of such security or promise, shall De
guilty Of misdemeanor and conviction thereof snail
be fined In not exceeding 500 and the cost OF inc
prosecution and any who shall retain the cerhcae
OF pensoner and refuse surrender the same upon inc
demand OF Commissioner Pensions United States
Pension agent other person authorized By the Com
missioner OF Pensions the pensione TO receive the
shall be guilty Of msdemeanor and upon convcuoh
thereof shall fined In sum exceeding 500 and the
costs OF the prosecution.
This law has not deferred La Tourette and others
Of his kind from holding such certificates as collateral
for advances, and after forcing needy pensioners 70
turn over their quarterly allowances In full, deduct
Ing interest the loans at rates varying from 10 TO
$50 per cent year. La Tourette's practice some
thing like this AS pensioners obliged to present.
their certificates to the pension agent before they can
my me he is or hand
every quarter day. Pension Agent Wilson's office
and remains there Just long the payments to
such pensioners he Is interested In continue. Each
OF the victims obtai1s his pension certificate from
La Tourette goes before Mr. Wilson and receives the
check for his quarters pension. He then indOrses
the check making II payable to La Tourette and hands
II TO the latterreturning the pension certificate
to him at the same time Later In the day, or upon
the day following, the victim goes TO the usurers
Office and receives his pension money less the interest
for the loans. In the rare instances in which the
pensioner pays the debt and interest," and does not
desire renew" the victim gets the certificate back,
but receives money with it. 1t is charged that
La Tourette has from 100 to $50 Of these unfor
tunates on his list, and at one payment of PEN
sioners IT Is said that less than sixty up to
this man within hour received the certificates and
subsequently returned them to him with the check.
Theodore F. Wilson, disabled veteran, clerk in
the Pension Bureau and Frank B. Wilson and Mrs.
among this noble army of financial martyrs The
cases of Theodore F. Wilson and Elizabeth Fulton are
peculiarly hard ones. Mr.. Wilson first got into La
Tourettes clutches in July, 1885, when he borrowed
s6 the amount of his quarters pension, surrenderns
his pension certificate as collateral security; on
September a, 1882 he received his certificate back
temporarily to enable him to present 1t to the pension
agent and draw his check whereupon he returned the
certificate to the usurer with the check Endorsed to
the latters order. receiving from him in subsequent
interview s24 out of the 1886. AS this one-sided
process has been continued since at each sue
cessive quarterly payment La Tonrette VIII nave
received by December no less than $50 interest
upon his original outlay of 1876. $3.50
The case of Mrs Elizabeth Fulton was stu more
pitiful one She a widow, and lived In cherries
single room. and her desperate poverty might nave
touched even hardened lender but La Tourette
took S21 from her quarters pension OF T36 IN one
Instance and s22 I'm another. II must be remembered
that the law which prohibits the holding Of soldiers
pension certificate by any unauthorized person appears
not only upon the statute book, but also upon the
certificates themselves. upon each Of which II Is printed
IN "A conspicuous manner So bold and open de-
lance of the law calls for some action ON the part
OF the Pension Bureau authorities.