Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1892-12-02

MI @AAA ~A~SA
these circumstances, and dying, Barry
divided his possessions among the sew
eral persons who were present. Among
them was a diary, which the dying man
had kept when in the war, some letters
from his wife and a picture of himself
and wife, which he intrusted to one
Alexander Austin. To another he gave
his watch and 500 in money. And these
belongings were to be given to the wife
of the dying man when she could be
found.
Now it seems that Barry at the time
of his death had been drawing apension,
for the wound received when in the SER
vice. But as he disappeared in IA, and
the fact Of his death was not known
until fifteen years later, the department
stopped its payment, as soon as his adj
dress became unknown. The wife of
the dead man, with no relations but five
little children dependent upon her for
support, finally was forced to leave her
home in order to procure a living. She
wrote to her husband at Bismarck, of
this change, but he had then left the
city, never received her letter and so
lost her address. She, not knowing of
her husbands whereabouts, was unable
to receive his pension to add to the sup
port of her children, and not being able
to prove the fact of his death, was un.
able to procure a pension herself.
So the matter stood at the time of the
receipt of the letter from Chas. Peter
son in Chicago. And even with this,
the fact of the Barry who died alone and
desolate in Montana City, being the hus-
band of the woman who was struggling
for an existence in Washington, was not
fully established. The diary, which had
been given by the dying man to Alex.
Austin Gas stated by Peterson) would he
proof of his identity, but the finding of
a man, after fifteen years, in a country
the size of the United States, was. an
almost hopeless undertaking, and even
should he be found, the prospect of his
having kept for that time something
which had been entrusted him so long
before, war doubtful. Such we're the
difficulties which lay in the way of
proving Barry's death, and securing a
pension for his widow.
Mr.. Barrett wrote Peterson, in the
latter part of the fall of 1889, but re.
ceived no answer Time passed by.
Both Mr.. Barrett and Mrs. Barry had
given up all hopes of sitting matters to
the bottom. Imagine the surprise,
then, when last Thursdays mail brought
from Peterson afidavits of two of the
men who had been present on the
occasion of Barry's death, and when
yesterdays mail brought the affidavit of
Austin, and the Identical diary which
had been entrusted him for delivery
more than eighteen years ago. Alone
and unaided Peterson has found out the
whereabouts of Austin, and had secured
his affidavit and the diary. Knowing
the circumstances of the widow, he had
devoted himself to the task of aiding her
in the securing of a pension which was
justly hers, and on the letter, which con-
tanned the diary and affidavit, he wrote
II have done my duty as I promised the
dead"
The affidavit of Austin fully estab-
fishes the identity of Barry. The diary,
old, worn, and bearing evidences of a
quarter century of handling, contains,
written in ink, now faint and almost