Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-31
Forgery and Perjury the Principal
Crimes.
STARTLING EXHIBIT OF DISHONESTY
Cases Taken From the Files of the
Department.
WORK OF INVESTIGATION

one mas only to visit the law department
Oh the pension bureau to satisfy himself of
the existence of frauds in the pension busi-
ness. AND even then he will get but one
feature of the thievery that is daily going
on. But 1t IS the most important feature of
IL all since 1t relates to the pension at
torfAys against whom charges have been
hied Tor unprofessional conduct, and rec
ords of their conviction, disbarrment and
sentence. Hundreds of cases are required
10 accommodate these files which if printed
IN DOCK form would not only fill a large IL
brary, but be an invaluable contribution to
the annals of crime in the United States.
Many or these cases, which have been final
~ closed. contain the photograph of the
raScaIy attorney and a goOd-siZed rogues'
gallery could be supplied with them
Ihere are, in round numbers. $4,000 pen
SION attorneys in the United States prac-
tlclnS before the pension bureau. Hun
dfeds nave been disbarred. and hundreds
convicted and sentenced to terms in the
penitentlary. To accomplish these things
the government employs approximately $50
men, and, as a prominent official said in
discussing this matter, how can one sup
pose In this gigantic pension business that
frauds VIII not occur? And who is it that
would criticise the work of these $50 inyes-
tigators? The record shows one thing con-
clusively. that much of the fraud practiced
upon the department is due to pension at
torneys, and Commissioner Evans should
be sustained in his position against them -
A reporter of The Star visited the law de-
partment of the pension bureau this after
noon and selected from the hundreds of
cases OF attorneys who have been diSbarred
the following, with view of showing the
methods employed by some attorneys 10 de
fraud the government through the pension
office:
Has Mania for Forging.
An attorney at Philipsburg, Center
county, Pa, appears to have had q mania
for forging, as it has been conclusively
shown that he actually preferred to forge
papers rather than file genuine ones
Twenty-six of the cases filed through his
fundamentally We're investigated. and it
is shown beyond question that he had wit
nesses in his office who We're ready and
willing to testify as to the material facts
required and he let them go out and forged
papers purporting to be their affidavitS
This man also made practice of forging
the signature of his deceased wife, who
had been dead for thirty years. thus max
ing her name appear as a witness in a
number of pension claims which he filed.
At Nashville, Tenn. pension attorney
who has served two terms in the peniten-
tiary for violations of the law was dis
barred from practice before the pension
bureau because he forged declarations and
affidavits to be filed in claims for pension,
caused his wife to impersonatc a deceased
widow penSioner, filed claims on the names
of dead persons and forged all of the aft
davitS necessary to establish the fictitious
claims.
An attorney at Amelia, Ohio, made a
practice of causing witnesses to sign affi-
davits in blank, subsequently filling out the
papers to suit the eXigencies of the case in
which they were intended to be used and
causing notary public with whom he was
associated to sign and atfix his seal to the
jurats without ever having seen or sworn
the witnesses. He was convicted and sent
to the penitentiary for such offenses.
An attorney at Hoboken. n. j., who also
had an office at Ellenvile, n. Y. made a
practice of having witnesses and claimants
sign papers in blank at Hoboken and sub
sequently taking the papers to E.llenvile.
where he caused his clerk, young lady
whom he had appointed notary public, to
out having sworn the witnesses. He was
convicted for these Offenscs and also for
having collected an illegal fee.
In addition to the large number Of i'm
properly executed papers filed by this man
which purported execution i'll Ulster county,
New York. he filed large number of
similar papers purporting to have been
executed at Hoboken, and 1t was con-
clusively shown during his trials that he
had subtenant who was notary public.
and the subtenant paid his rent by credit
ing himself with twelve and a-half cents
for signing and affixing his seal to the
jurats of the papers in connection with
claims without having seen the witnesses
to such papers; that is, if there We're Il
half Il dozen papers in single claim
this notary would only get twelve and a
half cents for pretending to execute the
whole batch, and not that amount for each
paper.
In addition to the offenSes committed in
connection with pension claims, it was
shown at the trial of this attorney by his
own testimony that he voted at Hoboken,
and by the testimony of others that he
voted at Ellenyille on the same day, and
that an alteration had been made in the
poll book and registration list of Ellen
vile, with view to concealing the facts.
1t would take not less than 1000 printed
pages to show the evidence against this
man.