The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-04-17
Pension sharpers.

rOmances. Not long ago there was a
man in small country town in India
IA who kept q general "store" and WIS
held in good esteem by his neighbors.
lie had half-imbecile mother. IN the
county poorhouse near by was woman
who had applied for a pension. She
was the widow Of q Union soldier Her
claim had got 50 far along that yoach-
egs were ready % be issued for 1t. Hay-
ing ascertained these facts the merch-
2nt went 10 the woman and peTsIadcd
her TO come aud live at his home, Oh
the plea that she should be employed
in taking care OF his mother At the
same time, acting in her behalf, he
wrote TO the pension Office, requesting
that the money for the widow pension
oe sent TO his address. She executed
/ the necessary papers under his direc-
ton, and in due time a check for q, ,20J
arrived. lie forged her Endorsement,
collected the money, put it in his pock-
ct and said nothing about it.
After awhile the fact leaked out that
the woman had not received her pen
sion. She complained on the subject
to neignbors. Inquiry followed and
the truth became known. People be-
gan TO look askance at the merchant.
who was unable 30 make the sum good.
Ills credit was impaired and legal pro-
ceedings were threatened. Anxiety
drove him insane, and one night he
solved the whole problem by setting
lire TO his house and burning up his
mother and the defrauded widow, him
self swallowing at the same timea fatal
dose Of paris green.
IN another story of tragedy figures an
apothecary OF Ne y Albany, Ind. re
was acquainted with with a Louisville
Kentucky, woman who had "a clailu for
a pension. She had confidence in him,
/ inasinuch as he was man of excellent
repute and quite prominent in local
politics he helped her to prepare the
evidence in her case and forwarded the
/ documents for her to the pension office
st Washington. II was arranged that
her check should bc sent 10 hisaddress.
Nevertheless, months elapsed and it
did not arrive. She became clamorols 1
on the subject, bIt he continued 70 de- |
ciare that he had beard nothing. As !
a matterof fact, however, IL had re-
ceived the check, forged her indorse- /
ment and pocketed the cash, which !
amounted 20 81, ,5G0.
Now, it happened that the widow
had "A son. He addressed an Inquiry 1
to the nearest pension agency, and was /
Informed that the check had been for /
war,ied TO New Albany some time pre- /
viously. An investigation followed. /
The delinquent apotheeary took the /
matter somewhat coo.lv az first, appar- !
emily relying somewhat upon hispoliti- /
cal influence. Bat the government ST. /
cured al necessary proofs and WOKE - 4
/ uct - tightly about him that he could I
not possibly escape. Having learned /
that warrant had been issued for his 7,
arrest, he went into tine rear part OF his I
shop and blew his brains out.
In ease ike this neither the pen
sioner nor the government loss the !
money. The hcgoyerument RECEIVERS from |
| thc bank that has cashed the fraudG- |
lently indoT~ed check and pays the !
/ pensioner over again.
rRAVpClESF CLAIMS.
From thirty 10 forty persons are ar-
rested every year for fraudulently pre-
tending to be agents of the pension
Office. one Of the most remarkable
swiudlers Of this kind was a eolored
preacher of Nashville, the Rev. elem.
/ W. Lewis. Through his pastoral rela-
tions he knew everybody, and his pTac-
tice was 70 persuade ali of his acquaint-
ances to apply 60. pensions. lie repre-
sen;ed that he was an officer of the
government authorized to adjust such
claims, and he m3ds business OF
furnishing the requisite evidences in
their behalf. The persons with whom
ne dealt being very ignorant, were eas-
~ persuaded that they We're entitled to
pensions. He manufactured the testi-
mony, inclgding bogus ailidavi;s, etc,
and literally peidled it about in
I market basket. Ia this way he made
good deal of money, imposing upon
hundreds Of individuals lie was 80
foolish a. to give receipts in some in
stances, and few of these got into the
hands Of the authorities. II was az
rested few months ago and was sen
fenced to tweniy-eight years in the
pcni;entiary-the longest sentence eycT
given in pension case.
Much more remarkable and success
full were the frauds of the three Ne
Gindley brothers, James H., John W.
and Austin, in souther Illinois, Imme-
diately after the war they established
business in fraudGlcRt claims, james
II. was the genius OF the tria. lie had
a benevolent coautenanCe, somewhat
resembling Horace GTeely's, and well
calculated to disarn suspicion. The
plan adopted was extremely simple and
I elective. nc tiiii4t> pt " AtnNS " tit
had been pensioners and who had died
were dealt in principally. The Me-
GinIeys secured women to falsely per-
senate the defunct widows, themselves
executing the vouchers and forging in
dorsemen;s on the checks. In not
few Instances, where soldiers had not
been 80 thoughtful as to take wives
unto themselves, they manufactured
widows for them. How much money
they secured in this way is not accur-
ateiy known, but ii Is supposed to have
been somewhere between S40,G11 anj
$50 600. James II. was arrested in
1887 at a post oilioe in Illinois, % which
he came for the purpose Of securing
mail adjrcssed to him undera fictitious
name. He got ten years. One OF the
other brothers died in Memphis Of yel-
low fever several years earlier; the
third was not captured. The govern
meut recovered from banks Sl,s,0 or
uroved forgeries of Inducements
\ MUCH-MARRIEp MAN.
Cant. jerks, not ofthe horse marines,
was a remarkable criminal il more
a Ii. t.s1f