The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-29
PENSION OFFICE INVESTIGATION
How Commissioner Raun Secured n Loan
Money Offered for Promotion.

WASHINGTON. March 2aAt the Raum inves-
tigation to-day G. n Lockwood. q patent at
torney OF this city and formerly chief clerk of
the Interior Department. told OF a loan he had
secured for Gen. Raum at the latter's request.
the Commissioner saying that he was in tenn
porary difficulty. He informed Gen. Raun
that he could not loan him the money him
self. but accompanied him to the National
Metropolitan Bank. Mr.. Thompson. President
OF the bank. refused to loan Gen. Baum tho
money because OF some feeling growing out Of
tho Commissioners refusal to promote n clerk
on Thompson's recommendation. but agreed
to loan it to him LOCKWOOD Lockwood said
that he had turned the money over to Raum.
who remarked that he had no feeling against
THOMPSON. and added that he would soon
have large number of appointments to make
and would consider those OF the clerk The
money was afterward paid by Commissioner
Raum.
In reply to Judge Payson witness said it was
no part OF the consideration that Raum should
promote the clerk referred to for the loan OF
money
Major W. F. Barker. ex chief clerk OF the
record division OF the Pension Office. testified
that he succeeded W. II. Ford. who was then
made an assistant Witness had heard from
employees that Ford was abusive to his clerks.
with her after office hours She refused to walk
with him and no put her at harder work in the
ness asked the Commissioner to transfer Ford.
but the request was meyer acted upon. ~,
Mtn9sS SAG nc c resigned ms aGG IN tine
in he Enee Asked there charges
Witness replied that the charges against
him were + that he had borrowed money from
pnrtment on Feb. Is because the Same old
charges w9Fe t by Pension ofs
ssd t Mrs FtRan him
ported the inatter to Green g. Raum. Jr.. and
she was not promoted He had borrowed money
maae seeton ehie ponasnae waS tho
money, from a clerk named Morse. Aitcrward
Donoghue wrote Witness letter during Office
money Morse would have him witness arrest
cd. Witness, said he paid tho money and i'm
tho desk: not in salary. Rowever His reason
for this action was that. he considered it in
suborainat I. to write him such letter dur
witness vii said that Green i. Ra,m. jr re-. :.
e ,,ied portion of the money he had bor-
Judge Payson asked the witness why he did
not report to CommissI9ner baum the fact
that Mrs than offered him nancy for pro
lis explanation the witness said that he owed
Mrs. F1thinn money. and that she had not yet
received tho full amount she loaned him.
Thomas Fawcett, o discharged employee OF
the Pension Bureau. testified that his conncc-
ton with the Pension ONCE begin in 1885 and
was severed on j use 30. S9l. he said he was
a. Democrat, and. according to Gen. Raum's
s s wss ss Ss n WIS asmssh
Of the Pension Office. He saw Commissioncr
Raum and asked why he was dismissed and
no was told because he had been seen in COM
pany with newspaper correspondents who were
attacking him ltaumL At ono time he was
reduced In position by the Commissioner, al.
though there WAS no complaint made about
his work. and lis assistants thought that his
labOrs deserved promotion. This reduction.
he thought, was because he refused to rccog-
nize John Raum tson Of the Commissioner as
IN attorney in a case In which there was n fee
Of SO involved, unless Raum obtained tho
consent of the attorney OF record.
Mr.. Fawcett snid that there were some lndi-
ana pension claims advanced lust before tho
election In 1890 He cited case he was brief
ing lone from Columbus. Ind.) to give status
to j. j. Dunbar. who. he was told WAS Con-
gresham Coopers opponent. II il ohscrva.
tons Of tie cases that came, under the CON.
nleted hles system, shows that "f the cases
plete. but the cases OF George T. Lemon cnme
UP SIN ling with n completed slip. Many Of
Lemons cases. he said. included some old
claims that had lain in tho Office for n long
time. The witness considered the completed
file as a detriment to business
MIR. fawcatt said he served in the war, hut
did not draw u pension. He now had an uppl-
cation for II pension. but did not know whether
lie would ever get 1t or not.