Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-26
FORD'S THEATER DISASTER
Provisions Now Made for All Who Lost
Their Lives in That Collapse.
There Is Also an Appropriation to
Reimburse Col. AiDsworth for
His Legal Expenses.

When the Senate reached the item in the
sundry civil bill last evening relating to the
Ford Theater disaster 1t was stated by Mr..
Cockrell, in charge of the bill, that Mr..
Manderson, member of the joint commits
sion on the disaster, had couple ol amend
ments that he desired to offer this morning.
So the paragraph was held open for this
purpose, but this morning the item was
changed in several other particulars. Mr..
Mandersons amendments increased the to-
tai appropriation to pay the death claims
from $115.OO0 to $125.OOO, by adding to the
list Of victims the names of John T. Rey-
nolds and George C. Bollinger, both of
whom died many months after the disaster
Of lung troubles, that were alleged to have
been greatly aggravated, If not caused, by
the fall OF the building and the consequent
inhalation Of plaster dust. When the
amendment that was put into the bill by
the committee on appropriations was drawn
by the joint commission these names were
purposely omitted In order that their cases
might be further investigated. The action
Of Senator Manderson today in offering
these amendments, which were adopted by
the Senate without division, shows that the
Senate members Of the joint commission,
at least, have agreed that the claims are
meritorious. AS the item now stands the
list includes every one Of the men who lost
their lives in the disaster, both at the time
the building collapsed and since that time.
A Change of Phrase.
Mr.. Wolcott raised a question as to the
phraseology of the proviso that follows the
list of names which came from the COM
mittee in the following form:
Provided, That where the deceased died
leaving a widow but no children the 5000
shall be paid her; where the deceased left
widow and children. the widow shall re-
ceive one-half and the children shall share
alike; and where the deceased was un-
married, the sum shall be paid to the legal
heirs He said that the words legal
heirs " were the most remarkable that he
had ever seen in a proposed law. They
meant nothing. There could be no heir if
he were not legal. and he suggested that
the phrase be stricken out and the words
personal representatives" substituted.
Mr.. Faulkner said that 1t would be dan
gerous to use this phrase in this connec-
tion, for 1t has never been the intention to
place this donation Of 5000 to the credit
Of the deceased, subject to claims for in
debtedness. and the words personal repre-
sentatives'' would render the money liable
to such drafts. He hoped the change
would not be made.
Mr. Hoar came forward with suggestion
to relieve the anxiety Of Mr.. Faulkner lest
the money given by the government should
be drawn upon by creditors. He said that
the benehciarieS in such case should be
the next of KIM but the Senate ought not
to put on the Treasury Department the
ol'erous duty of determining who are the
next of kin. He therefore moved to substi-
tute for the words legal heirs the words
personal representatives for the benefit of
the next of kim" This motion prevailed,
and the paragraph was thus amended.
Col. Ainsworth's Legal Expenses.
A new matter was injected into the bill
this morning in this same connection. Mr..
Cockrell presented an amendment, which
was adopted without a division, providing
for the payment of Col. F. C. Ainsworths
expenses growing out Of his Indictment for
the responsibility for the disaster The
paragraph appropriates $4,000, or so much
Of that sum as may be necessary, to pay
these expenses for legal services, to be
adjusted as the Secretary Of War may de-
termine proper.