New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-11-10
THEY ALL WANT PENSIONS.
CURIOUS METHODS OF wOULD-BE SWIM.
Oilers.
-,,r CELEBRATED NEWLY CAsE"-How RICK.
ETY. DAM CAME TO GRIEF-MUCH MARRIED
WIDOWS AND MOTHERS OF PRECO-
cIoUs AGE-THE SEARCH FOR
'PossUM" AND COON"


..PossUM' AND COON"
Washington Nov. 9 (SpeciaD.-The files Of the
Law Division OF the Pension Office contain thou
sands OF cases IN some OF which the papers num-
her over a hundred where persons by assumed re-
,.-oushp with some dead soldier have tried TO gain
nsnsons for fictitious widows. OWNS the long
delay necessary In ferretng out the details OF
cases IL seems be generally believed by persons
waiting for the adjudication of claims mat the
pension Office's methods OF investigation slow
and attended by an unusual amount OF red tape.
u some OF these dissatisfied claimants 10 be
allowed the privilege OF looking into the files OF
the Special Examination and Law divisions OF the
Pension Office. they would in such
an immense amount OF detail in the work and so
many attempts by pension sharps TO oiam IN
fraudulent manner what : not their just due that
they would be satisfied their lnvesu-
gated and passed through the different divisions OF
The office with the greatest OF diligence and expedi-
ton After the special examination OF a case has
been made by the examiners in the fed and in the
ofhce. the cases are taken cognzance Of by the
Law Division, the duty OF which is 10 look upon
The legal side OF all with view 10 ascertain
ing Their justice in lega! sense, If they have
passed the other divisions and, II not in just wha;
manner they have transgressed the laws OF the
United States and where. If advisable they may
be prosecuted. 1t is In this Law Division that the
most interesting and curious cases Of attempts to
deiraud the Government found.
THE REMARKABLE NEWLY CASE.
According 10 the officials Of this division. the
strangest and most mystfyng among the
records OF the Department is the Newly case,
where the question OF identity for several years per-
picked both the special examiner in the field and
the investigators In the home office. In its various
phases It's wonderful condolences and its dra-
matte situations this case rivals the famous Itch
born case OF England Nm 1864 Ferraby Newly. the
widow OF William Newly. a soldier who was Killed
In the battle OF Shiloh. applied a pension. which
granted. This pension she enjoyed until the
year 1890. when there filed in the Pension
Bureau what purporied 10 be the declaration OF
the identical William Newly. On investigation by
special examiners OF the office. IL appears that in
1889 tramp. who for the time being an in
mate OF poorhouse in Illinois, had met the brother
o. the soldier William Newly. al the poorfarm and
had talked with him Of his experiences in the war.
but had not claimed that time that he himself
was the supposed dead soldier. In 1890. however.
this same man turned ny again as tramp IN the
neighborhood in which the dead soldier had lived
prior TO his enlistment. and represented himself as
the deceased soldier. This tramp. who went by the
name OF ''Rickeiy Dan" asserted that he had been
snot in the head al the battle OF Shiloh and had
been left for dead the field OF battle. whence he
was carried by a Confederate surgeon. He said
from tha; date until the present. when he had ac-
cidenialy tramped into the ne.ghborhood in which
he vas born, all blank.
There were three brothers. two sisters. the
mother well the wife and all Ave OF the party
who buried the supposed dead Newly on the field
Of Shiloh and remarkable was the story Of
.Rlckety Dan" that most OF the family became
possessed O, the idea that the unfortunate tramp
was their deceased relative. The wife believed be
yond question that the man was her long-lost hus-
band and the old mother actually unable to
state positively whether he was her son or not
The burial party also divided in rs opinion
three OF the number testifying that "Rickety Dan"
had o
shiloh and stating that they must have made
mistake and buried some soldier who looked like
Newly. The other two members OF the burial party
were confident in their belief that the man was an
impostor There were, in the Identification of this
man. several OF the most wonderful condolences
in personal marks the body that have ever beei
found in pension records. William Newly, the
soldier had a the left temple. WHlan
Newly. the tramp. had the same mark. birth
mark known 10 be the stomach OF Newly the
soldier was found that OF 'Rickety Dan" There
was scar on the foot OF the tramp at the same
Place the dead soldier had one caused years De-
fore by a slip OF the axe when chopping WOOD.
But the soldier had been decided blond. while the
tramp appeared 10 have been dark; his hair, now
ever was so gray that the relatives could not tell.
and on this point would not be certain
TRACED TO THE PENITENTIARY.
T. was ,vapt out by the Special Examination
Division OF the Pension Office that a man answer
nc TO the description OF the newborn Ne"oy had
been in the pententary at Nashville, Tenn foi
ho~se-steallng Accordingly. "Rickety Dan was
taken 10 Nashville by special examiner OF IN.
Office where re was positively Identified by tho
pAople at the penitentiary the horsethief and as
the son OF a woman who had lived some distance
from that city. The special examiner theh loon
the claimant the neighborhood from whlch thA
tramp had come. They waiting In black
sn,,h,s shon by the side OF the road when an old
woman came along stopped al the shop. looked
IN. and seeing the claimant, said: Hello Han'
II was a most dramatic situation, but the tramp
never turned hair.
Who are you said ne. i DON'T Kho" 'oH'
I'm not Dan
W, a.. DAM" she said as she walked up 10
him You amt Dan? Well. just reckon you
are Iook-a there And she walked up 10 the
man and pushed the tangled hair back from MS
forehead disclosing the scar on the lelt 'e"ip'e'
while the agent OF the Bureau looked on aoso-
lut.ly nonplussed at the coincidence II appears
49,, -. scar on the tramps forehead had been
,oads in the Identical blacksmiths shop years De-
fore by a blow from wagon-oo"' Inc oiu woman
suora that the man Dan had at tnat tHe WIG
80 son IN the county poorhouse. The tramp was
~ .ho co,n.v poorhouse. and there were
- ,.a wife and son, who suffered from me
.r,ok.,s" ike his father and VINO was hiCheS
Dams" living image. -, .o,,,,on
r.. ,rork OF the Government for the proSe0"''"
- The case against this man was most -,
~ g,es,est of pains were taken IN preparing inc
- "a sixty-nve witnesses were cal4eu'
.ptcke,y Dan" had 200 Witnesses ana 'He CO..
lucrative evidence on Doth SUES was " -,
a. ,sn case hung in the balance until the last
mat 'ie 200 was "Rickety Dams defence
,bs, the officials Of the Government un"t 'n ,ha
,ss, move. almost despaired OF success !" ome
.tor q, one OF the most daring cases oi p"
ZION sv,,ndlng brough; 10 istC ma ,ns
s,,aenne in rebuttal had been submitted, ana rne
@.a.ernroent brought forward its nnai coup
soor Of the courtroom was thrown 'pe" r an how
wife and son of "Rickety Dan cam 80, the centre
.ne nv,ns shftlcss sort OF way and seeing c~n
as'e Il, l. arslesslv hello Dad" and the Gov
ST., salu c"ie'S yoo The people at the Pen