The National tribune., 1893-01-26
Our CORRESPONDENTS.
Replies 10 Questions on VARIETY OF Interesting
Subjects.


To oor-ssponden.s.-write questions on sep
arat sheet of paper, give full name aud address
and mark it Correspondents Column" NoStten- I
ton will be paid TO communications that are not |
accompanied with full name and address OF writer.
Our readers are requested to inclOse a stamp for
reply to their inquiries. Postal cards viii be /
replied to by mail only Replies by mail will ordi-
narily he made within week. aBd II ia this COL
umn within three weeksl
PGH. North CfeHsb,trg Pillow many Mexi- |
can pensioners there the pension roll now,
aud what part OF them reside in the South? 4It- |
On June 80 1892. there were l.. 25 survivors.
and 1882 widows of soldiers and sailors OF the !
Mexican on the rolls over two-thiTds of whom /
reside IN the Southern States.
s. C. Y. Franklin Gr0re W-l How long will 1t I
take a claim 60 through and be allowed after IL 1
has been put In the completed files? 2. Give me i
the routine of business il goes through from the |
time 1t goes on the completed files . Why does |
1t take some much longer than others? What !
mean by longer. Is from one to Two years longer !
ARswer. !. No person can answer thai question. /
because no two claims are alike. Oue claim might |
go through IN few weeks or months and another
claim might be pending for years. There are !
each case peculiar TO itself II the disability - not
obscure; If there is record Of service and disa-
bility a. the War Department; If the proof sub |
mited Is first class II there is question OF line
OF duty; IL medical examination shows ratable de- !
gree OF disability-in fact If there compiica-
tions, the claim will usually go through in n
reasonable time. But the other hand, II the
soldiers record s faulty, either to his service OF
disability; If the disability is obscure coDlDi-
cateU proof submitted Is DeS ana III any
one or more of various other matters Of fact exist
do not exist, the claim is and must be delayed
sometimes for weeks. months. or years. until all
things are Strengthened ont and harmouized. This
may not be the fault of the claimant 10 is simply
his misfortune that lie has not at his command as
good claim for himself as his neigiibor has. a
claim is placed upon the completed files upon the
statement oftbe claimant, or of his attorney, thSt
ii is complete When II is taken up for examina-
ton it may he found that it is complete and IN
some cases the Pension Bureau enters into CORE
spondence with the War Department. or with wit
nesses. or with other persons supposed to have
some knowledge OF matters relating 10 the clnini.
The character of witnesses may have 10 be inquired
into. ETC.. that the placing Of the claim
upon the com pleted flies Is indication whatever
that it is pete that it viii be allowed hence,
no person can say when any cltim, even though it
be on the completed flies, will 20 through. 2. A
claim, IL considered by the Examiner ready for
allowance. is submitted by him, approved, to The
Board of Review, which is say, six weeks behind
for legal action if tie action OF the Examiner -
approved, it goes TO the Medical Division for action
from medical standpoint. where, il approved. II
passes through various hands (bayiug been given
a rating in the msantiue) 10 the Certificate Divis-
ion, where certificate Is made ont sent to the
Secretary Of the Interior for signature and in due
time it is mailed to the Pension Agent, who sends
il TO the peusOneT with his vouchers. 3. You
will find your question answered in our answer to
your first interro2atory, from which trust that
you will infer that uo person can approximate the
time which Will eapse between medical exaini-
nation OF claimant, or any other event III claim,
and final action therein.
c. TIP, West Neto brighton, NJ vi. VIII there
be bill introduced in The Senate House during
this session of Congress making the rate for total
blindness 500? 2. If such bill is introduced, is
there possibility OF tt5 passing. AnSWer. We do
not know.
G. " M, Buckeye Cottage. Oh VIVA. Vice Pres
ident received the oath of Office two days before
the President? =. In what State was tile Ander-
souve Prison of the late rebellion? AHsgeT. /.
Nobody. 2 Georgia.
r. McG. Carrict, PA soldier who was wound
ed In action aud never applied for pension.
dies, leaving widow and one minor child. The
widow also dies without applying for pension.
Now the question is whether this minor child Is
entitled to pension from the date Of the death of
her father, and also whether the minor is entitled
| to the pension that her mother should have re-
ceived had she applied in her own name. ATts,cer,
The minors title to pension depends solely upon
the of the soldiers DEATH md whether IL was
| due to line OF dnty ami the service.
| Il. A. w., Eagle, Mclean the widow Of a soldier
have the time her husband served in the army de-
Quoted from the period of five years which she is
/ required to live n homestead. the same he
| would be entitled TO If living? 4nslger. Yes; not
| exceeding four years and provided her late hus-
band had not exhausted the privilege referred to.
j. r., Metal. PG-l Please let nue. know what
| city was besieged 504 days during the late of
| secession? 2 Why not Mcclellan reinforced
| before the battle Of Malvern Hill? g. What Cen
era carried Oft 1000 wagon-loads of spoils from
one State into the enemy's country? 4 What BAT
tie it said that 1000 Union men fell in twenty
! (20) minutes? AnstCer. 1. Charleston. s. C.. 2.
Because the troops were needed elsewhere. g.
| Gen. Lee upon his return from his raid into Penn
| sylvania He did not carry off that amount of
! plumber. A. Cold Harbor.
j. Dr. o., Mercer, Ms.-1. Did Congress alter the
time from five to three years in regard to allowing
artificial limbs Communication for the loss of the
use OF limbs in the military naval service of the
United States? Would the widow of Second
Lieutenant draw the same pension as the widow of
private? AnSUer. i. Yes act of March 3, 1891.
| A pensioner who has received arti-
| fetal limbs, instruments of Communication, need
oniy write to the Surgeon-General of the Army.
about the time the three years nave expired, Civ
| ing his name, pos,office address, and agency at
wich his pension Is paid, and his claim will be at
tended to 1githOst any expense TO him for attorneys
| UndnritS A
ers himseIf entitled to Communication on account of
the loss of the of limb, who has not heretofore
made All application, should write to the Surgeon
| General, making informal application, aud lac will
be furnished with the necessary blank to fill out
and return, when his case will be investigated and
| lie will be promptly informed to the result,
| WiB,out any expense to him for fees anything
else. 2. She would under the act of June 81 1890.
| because there is distinction made hereunder
between the widows of enlisted men and those of
officers; but under the general law. and providing
| she could prove her husbands death due to
! vice, the widow of Il Second Lieutenant would
| ceive pension OF SIS per month. while the widow
| of an enlisted man would receive Sl2.
! f. r. H.. DrfeId. Me- Please inform me IL
comrade applies for pension and Is granted. but
the applicant IL dead when the papers arrive. can
his widow draw hat was due him, under any cir
| cumstances? 2 am now drawing ga per month
for gunshot wound am also suffering from bad
hernia, which received In the service, but cannot
furnish any proof. Have / any chance under the
disability bill to get anything? Alst1er. !. Yes
She is entitled to the whole of it, and should imme
| diately make application for the same. She would
| have been entitled 10 complete MS claim ana re-
ceive the pension due up to the date of his DEATH
even if he had died before claim was allowed 2
| You cannot be pensioned under the of June q,
1880, because you already in receipt of q pen
| sion in excess Of S12. the maximum pension that
! can he allowed under said act
w. III. s., Sedgi0ick Ue-lf a soldier should draw
| two pensions, one under the old law and one under
the new. would the pensioner be blamed when
found out. and what would be the penalty, il any?
Apslrer. The unlawful certificate would be recalled
ana payment on the other suspended until the Gov
eminent should become reimbursed for all excess
of pension paid. OF course. he would be blamed
hut cannot say what the penalty would be if
should be convicted. That would be for the court
| to decide.
A. L. s. KdlispsL MOnf.-We mention made
in your issue OF Dec. % i'll regard to act of Com
Sress dated May II. 1856. Will you please tell US
| what that net is? AgSlDer. IL Is act TO remove
the charge of desetion from the record of certain
soldiers provided they did not desert in the face of
the enemy while under arrest, who deserted one
| communal and re-ensted in another within three
months, and provided it does not appear that such
re-enstment was made for the purpose of Secur-
ing bounty other grauty to which, had they
remained under their original term of enlistment.
they would not have been entitled The AdJuiant-
General issues the certificate of discharge, and all
applications must be made to and fled with the
| Secretary of War within period of five years
from the passage OF the act
| W. T. b.. Montague City, AdSS.-A soldier in the
| Union army, at the time Of tile rebellion, was
taken prisoner of war and remained prisoner sew
the rebel service 10 save his life and rejoin his
| regiment. Said soldier treated in rebel hos
| pitfalls for disease contracted while prisoner of
/ war. Would evidence obtained from rebel hospital
records be taken evidence in claim for pen
sion claim? AnScer. Yes and the claim would be
Ill