The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-01-08
rnE BoUNrT CASES BEATEN.

 An old Receipt Book shows That They
 Have Been Pald.-Book Found by Accl-
 don't,
 The pension cases against the town took quite an important turn yesterday in the superior court before Judge Shumway. The special suit is that of Andrew J. Barnes of Goshen against the town, but It's decision will affect @ large number of other cases which have been brought or are to be brought, The testimony in the case yesterday was to the effect that all the bounies had been paid.
 MT. Barnes enlisted as a member of the Twenty-seVenth Connecticut Vol unteers in 1869 and he had never received any bounty money. The rec ords of the adjutant generals office were then produced to show that the plaintiff had enlisted, In accordance with his testimony that after serving the term of enlistment had been duly discharged. The records of the town were then submitted to show that at a town meeting 1t was voted to pay the men who enlisted at this time a bounty of $200. This and other corroborative testimony closed the case for the plain tiff. .. r..
 The defense was most sensational and seems to finish the case as far as the veterans of the Twenty-seventh are concerned.
 They introduced first the report of the town treasurer for the year 1862, which showed that there had been paid that year $12T000 in bounties to the 6So men who enlisted. This would be ex- actly $200 each for the men who en- listed in the Twenty seventh Connec- ticut Volunteers and leave $1,000, which was accounted for in subsequent teSt- mony. The adiutant generals report was then submitted to show that there had been $50 men enlisted,
 Ex-Judges Eollister, who was town treasurer the year in question, testified that he remembered distinctly having paid the $200 bounty to the members of the regiment while they were en- camped at the Cedars and that the money had been paid In two install ments of $l00 each and that each mem Der had signed q receipt book. Daniel O'Neal, employed at Fl H. Old's factory, testified that he was veteran of the Twenty seventh and that he received his bounty and remem- bered that the other members of the regiment had also been paid,
 The counsel for the town then pro duced an old receipt book, in which was written the signatures of the G30 mem bers of the regiment, acknowledging the receipt of $lQ0 in part payment of the bounty And among the other autographs was that of the plaintiff. The other receipt has not been found
 It has been supposed that these re- ceipt books were lost Dligent search was made, but no traces of either of them were found until within a few days and by a mere chance the town will, in all probability. save at least $l26,0 or the double payment Of the bounties in question.
 It appears that the matter of pay ing the bounties was in charge of committee consisting of ex-Judge Hol4 lister, Lucius Gilbert, Thomas Trow- bridge, John w. Mansfield, Francis Wayland and Amos F. Barnes. But two of these gentlemen are now living, Dean Wayland and ex-Judge Hollister. Judge Hollister had forgotten about the books and could not recollect what had become of them. But just at the time they were most needed the one which appeared in court yesterday was turned over to Town Counsel Good hart by ex-Alderman s. s. Thompson.
 Sometime since MT. Thompson, in looking over some of the effects Of the late Lucius Gilbert, with whom MT Thompson was formerly associated under the firm name of Gilbert & Thompson, he ran across the book, but forgot all about it until recently when he recollected having seen it. After a little search 8 few days ago the book was found. It is believed now that the other receipt book will be found soon. Like this one it is doubtless in the possession of some member of the family of one of the committeeman.
 Judge Shumway rendered judgment for the town.