Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-10-29
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
AN ORIENTAL PENsIoNER.

rhe Queer story of One Of Uncle sam
wards.
II will never forget" said former
clerk of the house committee on Invalid
pensions. lone case that came before
me for report The bill had been INTRO
duced by Hon. J. Proctor Knott Inc
applicant had been rejected at the PEN
sion office, then presided over by Bent
lev. who was as illiberal in the granting
of pensions as Raum is liberal
1.-THE applicant was an Oriental named
Mohammed Kahn. He had been
brought to this country in 1851 oy
GOODYEAR. Buchanan's minister TO Per
STA. and Goodyear dying soon after, he
was thrown on his own resources IN
country of strangers with a strange
tongue and strange manners. re-
cruiting sergeant got hold OF him ana
enlisted him in a Massachusetts, reRl-
ment soon after the first battle of Bull
Run. Being an ignorant man, the ser
peant thought he was an Indian and
enrolled him as such. of the Blackfeet
tribe, and gave him the name OF John
Ammahoe. He was sent to the front
and was wounded in one OF the battles
of Jackson's Italian campaign. lie
was separated from his command, and
a wounded colonel of Pennsylvania
regiment, installing him for negro
took possession of him. registered him
as a contraband, and made Of him
body servant The colonel got leave
of absence till his wounds were healed,
and carried Ammahoe with him to
Carlisle, Pa, where he remained for six
months. Deserving his master he en-
listed under the name of Mohamned
Kahn in Pennsylvania regiment, and
was severely wounded at Gettysburg.
He was then discharged, though by
some mistake he was borne on the rolls
of both regiments as a deserter. Half
dozen claim agents had tried to get
pension for him without avail lie
drifted from Boston TO New York, TO
Philadelphia ~ Washington, and at
last a score of surgeons had reported
that he was disabled by gunshot
wounds
Zone day he approached Mr.. Knott
and related his story. He claimed to
have blue blood in his VEINS, and as
serted that he had been of the house,
hold troops of the Persian emperor
having been recruited in Afghanistan,
whence came the finest cavalry of the
east He was an expert swordsman.
and the blood in his veins was of the
Hotspur order. Knott is man of gor-
geous imagination. and, no doubt, as
the poor fellow recited his pathetic
story, visions of the wondrous cline of
the sun rose before him. His mind was
carried back to the days of Tamerlane
and Saladin, or Solymanothe Magnifi-
cent and the Mamelukes, that nearly
wrested victory from even Napoleon's
columns He introduced bill
for Ammahoe's benefit, and it came be-
fore me- Daily he, along with others,
besought me 10 look into his case.
thought he was some worthless Ne
gro, too lazy to work, and put him
off.
One day, however, looked up the |
papers and soon became absorbed in |
the military history Of the fellow as it
was sent to the committee from the adj
jutant-g generals office. / asked him to /
relate the story of his life, He claimed |
that at home he was a nobleman, and |
that he was owner of vast estates in |
"Why do you not return !
there and enjoy your patrimony, in
stead of waiting here for a miserable /
pension? said l. He answered. 4 have 1
eaten hog and have got drunk and they
would execute me at home If / should /
return | made a favorable report on |
his case; the bill passed and he got his
pension. - Louisville Conrier-Jo Journal