The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-12-03
OUR CORRESPONDENTS.
Replies to Questions On Variety OF Interesting
Subjects.

ITO Correspondents Write questions on a ssp-
araie sheet % paper give fJl name sIlj address
aud marx it Correspondents COlumn' NoHtten
ton VIII be paid 20 communications thai are not
accompanied wish fIll name and address. 81 writer
our reaiiers ARE requested 10 iuCio4e stamp for
reply 20 their inquiries. Postal cards viii be
replied To by ninl 0liV Replies 10y mail viii or,ii-
naTliy be made within a week. aTd Il u thl5 col
ANN within three wees5i
I'm J., Bridgeport Conn Il applied for Increase
Of pension Under act Of June g. 1890 July ~.
IS91 l WAS examined on the lsJh of February,
lsJl. Why - there such delay iu my cusr. and
how 'Oug before may expect To hear from its AH-
srsr While we are not, Of course, familiar with
The acts In your case. think 70 probable that
The cause Of delay Is that you already u re-
ceipt OF a small pension. The Pension Bugcsu, ~
q < neral rule. gives those who have
eel sed a pension some preference but they are
no " also acting on the former c.as4 Of claims and
y6u vii doubtless hear from yours To- % short time.
SubscrbcT.-IhTee yenrs ago ! fled q claim for
veteran bounty. One year ago 81 sned receipts iu
'lank for the siue, and returned en- since that
tnIe { have heard nothing iu The matter When
shozd expect 10 hear from its 1Is'rrr. Both the
second Auditors Office and the second mptrol-
Ter are very much behind in the adjudication Of
TINS pllss OF claims. aud "a viii probably be SIX
months or more before you hear of yoHr claim
4. r. SIMMER. Cal am now ilvtaE pre-
euiptIon land claim, Atter proving mp on my PEE
/ emptou, can i Eig on homestead ard hold my
timber culture under the present iawsf AnsWsr.
10 you have already made - tmher-culJure entry,
then you can still make q homestead entry. "a Do is
not necessary 70 1--we on timber culture claim.
We presume that you are aware. however, that the
timber culture law has been repealed and "a tim
r-culture entry cannot now be made.
r. q. ", 1HtEgrp, " Gan a soldier who en-
\ listed ia October, 1861, and who went home n
furlOugh la June. 1862. and deserted, have the
charge Of dcsertIOn removed dHstVer. The sol
der referred 10 cannot have his record amended
unless he establish 10 the satisfaction Of the
I War Department that by reason Of disability in
cured IA the line Of duty IN Tie service he was
unable TO return TO his command before 10
mustered ont Of the service.
o. a.. LOLA. EGH.-l. II a soldier leaves his wife
l lnya n
without first obtaining a dIvOrCeP 2 Can u wife
sell property decided 90 her in her own name with
/ out her husbands consent? AHstrsr. l. The alb
/ sence on the part Of the husband for more than
seven years rulscs n presumption Of DEATH pTOvid
ing BIO has not been heard from during that period
but this - not sufficient To Justify the wife IN
marrying without first obtaining "A divorce; and
she cannot, N our opinion, legally take such
step. 2. The laws on this subject vary widely in
/ the several States and we not familiar with
the laws Of your Stale. You can easily ascertain
/ by consulting some local lawyer.
T. C., Richmond, Ild-A soldiers widow now
receiving pension Of 3l2 per mOuth on account Of
the services aud death OF her husband IL totally
biEd and more than s. years Of age. Can she
ceive an iucreasef AHsCsr. As there j. no law by
/ which the widow or dependent relative OF de-
ceased private or non commissioned officer c1n
eeiye more than sl2 per month, the widow referred
l 10 cannot have her pension Increased.
X. O., Laurence, hGH-Duriug the war there were
/ large number Of men employed ia the Quarter
\ masters and COmmssary's Department vino were
not mustered into the United states service such
atelerSs mule drivers wagon masters, etc These
/ MEN were subject 10 the orders Of United States
\ officers and received their ply from The Govern
l meut but were not regularly enlisted and on leav-
\ ing the service did not receive discharges. Has
| this class any status for pension? Aus,Usr. Such
persons, not having been mustered into the United
l states service were merely civilian employees Of
I the Government, and therefore have status for
\ pension under existing laws.
~ x. g., BaIter Springs EGn-i. Did President
\ Cleveland sign bi.l admitting any Of the new
states into the Union? 2. What Is the origin Of
/ Halloween nights AHsUsr. !. No. The
states were admitted during the present admins
| trali0n. 3 la uglaud IL was formerly the custom
/ for the young people 70 indulge ia games and
amusements u every description the ewes Of all
holidays and Saints days and the lst Of NOvem-
| Der WAS ia the English Church oil Hallows' (aII
Saints day, the evening before, called all HallOws
eve. was always quantity celebrated The custom
has grown 50 widely IN modern times that all Hal
loween is perhaps better known than the Jay which
l gave IL it, name and celebration.
- w. b., SDtittt0n, PA person who came to
this country before he "a years Of age entered
the Union army after he became Of age, served
three years. and holds an honorable discharge. He
has never taken out naturalization papers nor de-
elared his intention To become a citizen. Can he
vote in Peunsy wanna his discharge papers?
4HsWeT. We are notfamiliar with the laws Of your
State on the subject. Any foreigner however.
| who served honorably in the late war can become
| a citizen OF the United States by merely fling q
petition setting fourth the facts with court Of
competent jurisdiction.
RI. H. Green1rood " Y-I am drawing a pen
sion Of S4 per month for severe deafness Of both
ears and Rheumatism. Am ! not entitled to 500 per
month for that grade Of disability? Answer. Yes
/ 3
Is specified ia yOur pension certificate.
L. O. T, Birmingham. - soldier went home
to vote during the war, and died In eight days His
widow drew pension for herself and two children.
One Of them, who il OF age and has some mental
Affection Is not capable Of caring for himself Can
he be restored TO the roll on account Of his disa-
| bity2 AusWsr. As the child Of the soldier was
over the age Of 10 June o. 1890 there IS no law
By which he could receive further pension.
q. "a. r., S. Louis. No.. Is there a paper pub
lished at the Soldiers Home at Washington giving
the names and designation Of service Of its in
mates2 9 The widow Of deceased soldier re-
Gently died, leaving pending in the Pension Bureau
a claim for pension under the act Of June y, 1890
| To whom does the pension, IL allowed, go? Can
il be used to ply her funeral expenses she having
died poor? 8 The dependent father Of a soldier
whose death was due to the service drew Sl2 per
month pension on account Of said son. Upon his
death the pension, of course, ceased. He left a
wife, the steP-mOther to the soldier, who was the
same as a mother to the soldier. having cared for
him from early infancy. Can she receive the sl2
per month? AHsJUer. ]. No. 2 II the widow lsft
any minor children the pension, II allowed goes to
I them; n not, then II could DC used TO reimburse
the person who bore the expenses Of the last sick
ness and burial Of the pcnsiOner, provided she did
not leave sufficient assets to meet the same. 8 A
step mother, as such, cannot be pen5ioned The
step mother referred to may receive the accrued
pension due the pensioner at the time Of his DEATH
but she cannot receive any further pension or ac-
count Of the services Of her step-son.
q. s. L.. North PrrsOHsfCid Ms-Pease give the
names OF the classmates % Robert II. Lee in the
Military Academy also the States from which they
were appointed, and their standing in their class
ARsger The following is a list Of the class Of 1920
Of which Robert T. Lee was n members Charles
Mason, ". Y, /: Robert F. Lee, Va. 2; William H.
Hartford, Ga, 3; j. A. = lard, Pa, A; james
Barnes. Mass, 3; q. Il. buckingham, Ohio 8; JO-
seph u. smith, ID. c.. !; John Mackey Ga, 8;
Charles W. Haokley, ". Y, o; Miner Knowton
Conn. 10; John @. Casey. ". j., N William r.
Mckee, Ky, II; Joseph b. Johnston Va. I3; John
r. Kennedy, Md. "a; o. Mex. Mitchell Ohio Is;
| Gustavus Brown. Ky, 10; sidney Burbank Mass
| II; William Hoffman, n. Y. Is; Charles Petigru
= C.. 10: Franklin T.. Hunt, n. j., 20; Lancaster r.
| Lupton ". Y. 81: Seth Eastman Me- %; Thomas
swords, ". v, %: AlbemarIe Cady ~ H. "A;
| Thomas A. Davies. n. Y, . Albert @. Blanchard
| Mass. 20; Chieab :. Howe. " Y. 2: Caleb =
Sibey, Mass, %, james ri. Wright, = G., % ;
George A. Sterling, Conn, 30 Joseph III. Paving
Pa. 81; Antics Snyder, Pa, 81; William f. War
Ind, 35; Jonathan Freeman. ". j., 80; John p
Davis, Me-, q; George X j. BOwdOin, Mass 50 ;
| Edwin X. Long, n g., 80; benjamin w. Brce
Ohio, 30; Robert w. Burnett, Ohio Al. James :.
Moore, Ca. -; Charles %. May VT. 81 TheOphilus
| H. Holmes, ". g., a. Edward r. Williams, Conn,
A. aud Richard Il. Screven, ). c., 49, II will be
seen that very few of the members Of this class at
tanned any high rank in the of the rebellion.
| j. r. FTceport Hl-YOu will probably hear from
your claim before very long There is always a
delay where an examination order il changed
| Your attorney IS not to be blamed for the delay,
which Is inevitable. and the only thing for you to
do - 70 wait patiently until you do hear from II.
" A. W., Portland, kGE.-L There Is law
1 by which citizen Of the United States acquire
/ a homestead ia the reservations OF the NeZ Peree9
| or Poncn Indians. Such reservations arc cOnsd-
cred the property Of the Indians. IL is absolutely
| impossible FOR US to make any definite statement
| as TO when the Cherokee Strip will be opened; but
IL is the intention Of the Government to open il for
settlement as soon as practicable and 10 is possible