Omaha daily bee., 1896-11-30
PLANS OF PEySIONapIR
How Frauds Are Praoticed in the Names Of
Union Veterans,
ONE mPERSONATES A DEAD SOLDIER
Remarkable Nerve Exhibited Com
fuses Department Temporarily.
hut Results In the Suspects
Conviction aud Sentence.

CHAMBERLAIN. $. D., Nov 29.-(Spc-
| cialJ-There are no better story tellcrs in
the country than the bright men who I'LL
the positions of special pension examiners
and postofticc inspectors for Uncle sam; and
their stories of personal experiences in run
ming down and exposing the various schemes
Of the shrcwd rascals with whom they have
to deal, besides being interesting, possess
the further merit of being true tales from
real life. Recently the writer enjoyed a
conversation with Hon. NJ. c. Fosncs. a post
Office inspector, whose fitness for the position
he holds is eloqueutly testified to by the fact
that for about twenty years he has been in
the government service for part of the
time DIS a special pension examiner but dur
ing the past few years as an inspector of the
Postofiice department. Mr. Fosnes' home
is at Des Moines and his field covers a good
part of the United States
He was requested to recall some of the
most difficult cases he had to unravel while
an examiner of the pension bureau. One OF
the most intricate was that OF an mposter
who impcrsonated dead soldier. and who
by shrcwdEeSs and good fortune succeeded
in having the records of the War department
amended to read severely wounded and
taken prisoner instead of KILLED in action"
man whom he mpersonated and who was
reported killed in the second battle of Bull
Run.
Charles Il. Brewer. at the commencement
OF the war of the rebellion, enlisted in COM
pany a, First Michigan cavalry He was re-
ported killed in the second battle of Bull
Run, and his record in the War department
was made to read killed in action" Later
Brewers parents, who lived in Connecticut
made application, and, having proved their
Tl al .I..1 L., ,lNw, ,gy,gV ~.
and bounty due him.
TWENTY YEARS LATER.
Nearly twenty years after the war an ap-
plication for a pension was sent to the de-
partment from Kansas, the applicant giving
the name of Charles Il. Brewer and alleging
that he served in company a, First Michi-
gan cavalry. The application was in proper
form and was accompanied by the aflidavits
of corrobora.ing witnesses. As the War de-
partment records showed that Brewer had
been Killed in action, the Kansas applicant
was called on to disprove the record The
alleged Brewer then went to Detroit Mich,
where he knew that a number of veterans
OF the First Michigan cavalry resided His
mode of procedure was quite ingenious and
daring.
Accosting a street car conductor whom
he had ascertained was a former member of
company A, he asked If he did not recognize
him. 1t CHANGED that the conductor had
been very well acquainted with Brewer. and
he at first told the imposter that he did
not know him. Brewer had been born I'm
but the imposter talked with
a strong German accent. When asked
about this after he announced that he was
Brewer and said that since the war he
had lived among Germans so long that he
had fallen into their manner of talking
His long absence since the war he eX-
planned 10y saying that in the second battle
OF Bull Run he was shot in the head and !
that after falling to the ground he was
trampled on by cavalry and artillery and |
rendered unconscious; that he was subse-
quently found on the battlefield by some
rebels and forwarded to a hospital at Rich |
mond, but that he did not know how long |
he remained there, as he never recovered |
consciousness until one. day, while walking |
his head with sufficient force to arouse him |
from his stupor. He then discovered, ac- |
cording to his story, that he was in the |
town of Quincy, Mich.
USES WHISKY FREELY.
The alleged Brewer, during the conversa-
tion, gave freely 10 the conductor of the |
contents of p bottle, ana when he saw that
his victim was in fit condition to make |
any sort of acknowledgment that might |
be required, he removed any further doubt |
that might linger in the clouded brain Of |
the conductor by asking:
Don't you remember that pig we killed
while out fOraging at - in West Vir-
ginia?"
OF course the tipsy conductor remem-
bered it, and said there was no further
doubt in his mind that his genial compan-
ion was really his old comrade, Brewer
tie was then induced to make affidavit to
ms effect, and from pointers concerning
other survivors Of the company which the
conductor gave the impCStor, the latter was
enabled to procure similar alidavits from
hom, removing any doubt that might ex-
st in their minds by adopting practically
l1s N,,,t ttg,, hi II. l., -.
ul in the case OF the conductor, only vary
ng the story to one man, when he told
hat he had been taken prisoner at the sec
md battle Of Bull Run.
The ailidavits thus obtained were for /
yarded to the War department On the
trenEth Of them the records OF the de
'artment were amended as before stated,
md the alleged Brewer was given a regu-
arly issued certificate Of discharge Then
he case, following the customary pro-
edure, was turned over to the pension bu-
eau, and was finally referred to Special
Examiner Fosnes for investigation.
EASILY EXPOSED.
After an extended and tedious inyestlga-
ion, the details OF which need not be
numerated here. Examiner Fosnes thor
uShly exposed the impostor, whose real
anne was ascertained to be Fred Bruning |
10 had never been a soldier The ex-
miner went to New York state and found |
reteXt induced the brother and another
nan to Identify the impCstor. Although |
hey had not seen Bruning for many years.
G having ran away from home in 1855.
hen he crossed tEs street diagonally a
mort distance away, one nudged the other /
nd said: There goes Fred"
Bruning had a large scar on his fore
cad, one arm was broken and one leg was I
horter than the other, being fitted out with /
n iron stump. Instead of these being evi- I
ences of injuries received in battle, as he
ad always claimed, they were the result {
his being caught by a belt in a sawmill d
Illinois, where he was employed after
he war. On the day of the second battle Of
ull Run he was in Jail at Pontiac. Mich.
n theft. He first heard of Brewer while
jail. The authorities finally agreed TO 5
berate him If he would shake the dust a
the town from his feet. To this he 1
adly agreed, and upon being released went I
, the extreme southern part of Michigan, =
here he was thought to be a deserter He d
ilrst said he had been in the army, but !
hen asked in what company and regiment !
'uld not satisfactorily answer. This con :
med the suspicious of the people and the =
'oYost marshal at LaDsng was notified. ,