Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-12-10
4 STATEMENT OF FACTS.

CIdTStu WIFI SelllHS LIS pCli0loIi w
fraud in the last Sundays issue Of the
Milwaukee journal, paper which
makes it a peint to misrepresent and
belle all those who differ with them in
politics. This Journal and those who
publish it, are thought the least Of
among publishers in the state of Wis
consin, regardless of party politics, than
any other paper or editor in the state,
simply because FALsEHooBs seem to be
their only stock in trade. Here is Mr..
Barnum's statement:
In jnstice tn ous friends and to show
all our readers how far from the truth
the Journal is, we will give a brief
statement of our pension claim, how
the pension was procured and all there
is Of it, In 1883 Charles Alden, pen
sion agent then residing at Tomah, now
of La Crosse, was in this city and took
large number of claims to prosecute.
In the line of his business he came to
our house, we then being sick and con-
fined to our room. In looking over
batch of papers for evidence in other
cases he came across the certificate of
the surgeon of old Pen, hospital, in
which it was stated how we came to be
in that hospital, and letter written to
Marcus Barnum, our father, by w. A,
Gordon, our old family physician, who
happened to be in Philadelphia at that
time and who visited us in the hospital,
and holding up the two papers he said
to Mrs. B., there is enough in those
two papers to secure a pension for your
husband" The next day he returned
and made out the application. He
attended to all the business and carried
the case through to a successful issue.
No politician Of any name or nature had
anything to do with it and we did not
then or now even know the politics Of
Mr.. Alden. The pension was granted
at $50 per month and we continued to
draw it until December 4th, 1890, when
it was suspended pending an examina-
ton brought about by political and
personal enemies.
In 1887, in October or November, one
Stephen Durkee, now residing at Scho-
field, few miles south of this citv,
made false and lying affidavit assailing
our pension. Notice was given us at
the time, but nothing further, so far as
we know, was done until last spring
when we were in Tacoma, Wash, a
notice came to us that charges were
pending against us and we must answer
them within go days. We complied with
the order, but as it takes time under the
great rush of business at the pension
department to adjust such matters, the
case has not as yet been fully settled
and it may take several months yet.
We have no fear whatever of the result.
Our pension case and our proofs are
plain and perfect. In no instance and
in no spot or place have we ever
swindled or attempted to swindle the
government And there is no man,
however preiudiced he may be against
us, who will come to this office and look
over the proofs now in copy here, who
will not be convinced of the rectitude
of our acts and the justice of our case
The creature, Stephen Durkee, who
made the affidavit that caused all of the
trouble, was not in the regiment, brig
AIDE or division with us, he knew moth
ing of our soldier service or our private
record. He lives over three miles from
us and has never been one of our asso-
ciates. In fact, he is too low creature
for any one with a small amount of self
respect to associate with. An Ubiquitous
beast, one who stole postage stamps OF
the government when he was post
master of his town, one who has har-
bored vile characters, and bears upon
himself a character as black as the devil
is wicked; a fit associate for the editor
of the Milwaukee Journal and, no
doubt, the author or instigator of the
Journals TRADE on us. It is only a
quc-tior, Of time when the Journal and
its pals in this section get their deserts
One of the happy results of the pub.
LEGATION in the Journal has been to bring
to us a large number of democrats who
freely and without solicitation positively
declare that they know part Of the
article to be false, believe it all to be
false and denounce in language plain
and pointed the author. What can be
gained or what the Journal expects te
gain by such publications is more thar
we know or can find out.
Milwaukee Sentinel:-Mark H. Bar.
mum, editor of the Torch of Liberty, in
Wausau, arrived in the city yesterday
to institute proceedings for libel agains
The Daily Journal. The alleged libe
was contained in an article published
last Saturday which charged him with
having obtained his pension through
fraud. He says the charge is grossly
and maliciously untrue, and he proposes
to vindicate himself in the conrts.
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