Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-03-29
THE PENSION OFFICE.
The Investigation Of noings OF Some Of
the Employees Still 6oing On.

WAshiNGfoN, mach Se.-d. y. Lock
wood, = patent attorney Of his city,
forme l., chief clerk of the interior depart
ment, was the first witness called by the
Pension Office investigating committee to-
day. The witness told Of the request Of
General R.um, made to him for loan Of
money for few days. He could rot loan
the commissioner the money himself, but
took in to Mr.. Thompson, president of
the National Metropolitan bank. M.
Thomps0n refused to accommodate Con
missioner Rsum becsuse of some personal
feelir sgsinst him One commissioner on
account Of the ls,ter's refusal to promote =
clerk in the per SIGN { flee that he (1homI
SOM and other petsons. Including Senator
Plumb, asked him TO promote.
Mr.. Thompson sgreed subsequently to
lend the money TO MIR. Lockwood who IN
turn losned it TO the commissioner. The
commissioner disclsimed to him ~itness)
that ne had any feelings against MIR
Thompsen but said he would have a large
number of promotions TO make and would
consider the case. The loan WAS subs,
quently paid. The witness said it was no
part Of the cor siderAtion that ksnm should
promote the clerk referred TO for the loan
Of money.
John w. Thompson, presldt nj Of the
National MetropoiiIsn Bank, detailed the
eircumstsI ces Att ling the request for
losn. lie had told Mr.. Lockwood thst be
had no feeling in the matter; that he hsd
OF much conf ience in Rsum. that he ~ss
good deal OF = politician, lie witness
expire ssed TO the conn issloner the hope
that il it was consistent with his duty, he
would make the promotion. The witntss
refused TO give the name Of the lady clerk
whose promoiion he atksd for. She said
substqueut that she bad not been pro
led but bad been treated a little roughiy
by Green Il. Rsum, Jr
Mr.. Cooper asked Thompson il il wss
not his understanding that the glil was 10
be promoted. ri on receiving a negative
reply, Cooper asked the witness II he had
not said so TO him Cooper.
Thompson replied. No, you wanted t.
thin 40. but didn't say So
Witness stated tha, he had sai that he
had no COL fi1er CO in Gen, Ksun, bu. d,
cisred that he dIdn't seek to compensate u
brihe Rum TO secure the promotion,
William II Barker, formerly chief Of
the second divi.ion OF the pension off -,
WAS called 10 the stssd. j h. Engle. who
vss suhs, Quenily dismifsed from the otiice,
and VIM L Ford, we're hle assistants lie
suC CO eded Ford as thiet Of the division.
Witness had been in Office Tut few weeks
when SPECIAL Examiner Brooks brought
h N letter, whiCh be thought al the hma
was written by Ford, bearing on a CERTAIN
attegsd relation of Eugie IS three lsdies in
the { flee 81 charging that he had bottle
OF whi.key in a drawer of bis SIX. The
charges cOBtsi1ed 10 ihe letter upon inves-
ugaiinn ware found to BE- untrue Green
ID l.. q. Eh. IL ~
the person Who wrote The letter, but this
request was not agreed to and the three
ladies' referred Co ia the letter were subse
qusntjy pfomDted
Wnness stid that E6gle was regarded as
capable man, to sbom he was referred
for sdvice in official natter. He never
saw En2le under the influence of 9i1uor
witness had heard reports that Mr. Ford
abused his female clerks A female cierk,
said tat Ford deslr,d her to walk sIong
the street ~i'h him, but she refused. SUI
srque ntly Ford puI her ss harder work in
| the office thsn she had been doing He
(sitness) asked the mmissioner Tor the
transfer OF Ford to some other division ard
ths Cou mi 81 lDeI ! r )mited TO look ito the
| matter. but touk np sCtlOn On the request
There vas bad fet t.. g. witness sad, be
tween Ebgle and Ford, who bad not spok, n
to each otner for months.
Witness said st one time re had
| conversation with Attorney Lockw oil
in regard t, tie promotion Of q Mrs
Wilson. Fur her examination regard
ing Ford vas 10 ihe feet that be had fire.
que nIly reduced Mr. Sidell in his posiucn
IN the Office when the pitness was absent,
and Ford was IN charge. yhereupon tn.
witness would restore him when he re
turned.
Witness said he resigned his position in
the pension office TO accept one in the
treasury department. with = higher salary.
| Charges had been preferred sgsinn him
while 10 the pension ofiice to the effect that
| he had borro~ed money from the employs ss
| and had not returned il. The entire sum
| that he had not re u.nsd. had been found
| uron inves izslon ty the II terror depart
ment officials announced TO about $40. Wit
| ness said the charges for money loaned
| varied, dependiI z upon what the lenders
could get
As,istant Secretary Chandler, he said,
| had bic private secretary around among the
people 10 the ofice to have them svesr
hat he Baker owed them money. Il;
| was fur her developed that the witness re-
| signed from bis position in the treasury de-
| psrtment last Feb usry because the old
| charges sgsinss him we're reiterated by bis
| foes Witns 8, understo05 that it would be
warm for him IL he did not get out. He
| dsmanded an investigstioD.
Witness said ttas the entire amount he
| borrowed IN Wsshirgt' was s629, and he
had lost $1,000 in speoulstion. lie h.d
received, he Admitted, Information from
W W Dudley 10 regard TO stocks on
| which he acted. Witness ssid 3 person 10
the pension office fincluAing Rngie) had
spoken 10 him about Ford using tae flee
t-i sphone after business hours, one Of tbe
| persons 20 whom be ~cuid talk being w
| W. Dudley. Mrs. Fithisn once offered
him Barker money in return for pfomc-
! tor
Witness reported the mst;er to Green B.
| Rsum, Jr., ard Mrs. Fiihian vas not prc-
moIed- Witness said he borrowed $50
from = clerk named Donohue, whom he had
made section chief. Donohae getting the
| money from clerk named Morse. The
nete not beaBg paid, Doaohue wrote the
| witness letter during life hours. saying
| thst unless The money sss psId Immedis ely,
Morse would have BIN {bsrksrJ strestsd.
| Wines paid the monty sEd Immediately
| reduced DoBohus 10 clsrkship without
reduction IN salary for Iusub9rdi1s 1siion IN
writing such lessss during Office hours.
| After good deal Of qaessiohing the
/ witness said that Green B. kAum j.. prob
ably got paft Of the $50 ~ he and the -i..
neu we're borrowing money back and forth
Of saSh athar