The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-05-23

Various Reasons FOR Asking FOR Share
or tho orent FUND.

NAfluua NouAonA Tor ASKING Tor snare
or tho 0rent Fund.
Tho oddity Of human nature has found
an apt illustration in some Of tile many
claims for pension that have been re.
ceived under the new law. Many men
have stretched their imaginations as
well as their consciences i their efforts
10 lo placed on Uncle Sans great and
rapidly growing pension roll They
alrge every disease and ailment known
the science of medicine, aud then urge
The claims with energetic persistoncy.
Some Of the causes alleged are as odd as
they are interesting. An ex-soldier in
Oaio wrote:
~ don't exactly know what disease /
am suffering from, but do know that
deserve n pension as am sun ring the
pains OF death all over my body
Another veteran in West Virginia
thinks he should receive pension be-
cause. as lie states it, during the war he
fe off % foot bridge, which resulted in
"a general breaking up Of his system.
a veteran Of the Fourth Wisconsin was
salNatod 10y reason OF an excessive use
of salt pork during his army c1reer, and
NOW ho applies for pension because he
"got salvation in the army, as lie puts it.
Under tho provisions of tho r. Gently
passed dependent pension law IL is only
necessary for the claimant to show that
he is iucapacilatcd from manual labor,
whether the causes are due to army
service or not, in order to have his name
placed ON the rolls. To show his inabil-
ity to perform manual labor the ailiia-
Wits Of neighbors are necessary reciting
that fact.
A veteran in Howard county, Nd,
sent the testimony OF aneighbor who no
doubt meant well enough, but did not
know how to express himself. Tie lat
ter sworo TO the statement that he had
known the claimant 10 years, and that
"ho would not work unless he was com-
PEELED TO. The witness of'course meant
to say hat claimant. while really unable
to work by reason f his physical inlir-
mites, was frequently compelled to ut
tempt labor in urler to sustain himself.
Tie widow of man who shouldered
mwslSet in the Pennsylvania Reserves
wanted pension, and was asked if Eer
uuHIUuQ WIS ever NuuluEus
"Oh, yes, she replied, "he received
an axe wound Of the right foot,
Being asked to explain the circum-
stances surrounding the wounding of
her better half, she said he cut his foot
while splitting wood. II was not during
the war this occurred, but in 1879, at
their home in Pennsylvania. The pen-
sion attorney wanted to know what
bearing such an occurrence could have
upon the pension law, and the widow
answered curtly;
SWELL sir, the axe he cut his foot with
is the same one lie brought home with
him from the war. 1t was an army
axe
A rather remarkable declaration was
made by Michigan veteran. Hestated
under oath that he picked up she'll on
the battlefield Of the Wilderness and
took il into his tent. While holding the
missile between his knees examining it,
the shell exploded, BADLY sllattering his
nervous system, but miraculously caus-
ing no other injury.
An cannoneer Of one of the regular
batteries claims that he stopped can
non ball with his abdomen, aud has
since been greatly troubled with ston-
achic disorders. The ball, he says. was
Il spent one, and came bounding along,
striking him squarely on the exterior of
the inner man and nearly knocking him
into the middle Of the following week.
One Gioranna, member f the we'll
known Garibnldi Guard, rectes in his
application for pension that lie was
"probed" by n rebel bayonet at the Bull
Ran fight, and a jersey cavalryman says
he was severed" by a rebel saber at
Spottsylvania Court House. These are
only Il few of the queer causes for PEN
sion that are daily received at the de
arlment. There are thousands Of
others equally queer Il Washington
Post