Evening star., 1897-06-05
FOUND THE COLONEL SANE.
Veteran George Hilton Had LonG-LOs
Comrades ON a Jury.

Veteran George Hilton Had Long-LOst
Comrades ON u Jury.
From the Chicago Tribune.
Old. blind and forsaken, q man sat In the
county court yesterday and begged for his
rights. In order to secure a portion of the
pension the government had given him for
sacrificing his sight in its defense his rela-
tives had caused him to be declared insane
and incarcerated in the insane ward of a
soldiers home.
But justice came to Col. George Hilton
yesterday. ard brought with 1t two old
comrades Of the blind soldier. The court
room was the scene of the two strange re-
unions. In one case the men had been sep
arated in the heat of battle and had
thought each other dead; in the other case
it was a reunion of two old cronies who had
drifted so far apart they lost all trace of
each other. The two strange meetings
not only brought JOY to the veteran for the
finding Of his friends, but was the means
of restoring him to the rights he asked for.
Col. Hilton was led into Judge Donnelly's
court by a boy. Attorney John s. Good
win made a statement of the case. He said
the veteran had been receiving pension of
So month. His wife. the lawyer de-
clared. had, out of pure spite, caused him
to be confined in an asylum for the insane.
and then had succeeded in having the pen
sion stopped. But after year the old
man. through his friends. was released
from the mad house and his pension was
restored. His wife received s215, but de-
clared she must also have $40 month.
This the old veteran refused. Then she
began proceedings in the same court which
had previously found her husband insane
to have him again confined in the asylum.
Old Col Hilton. the lawyer continued.
said he was afraid Of the court, and so left
the state, coming to Chicago and taking up
his residence here. In spite of the fact
that he Gid not appear before the original
court. the veteran had been found of un-
sound mind, and had been again remanded
to the violent insane ward of the Dayton
Soldiers Home, while his wifes attorney
was made his guardian and empowered 10
handle all his affairs.
The veteran asked that the Chicago
Judge and jury inquire into his state OF
mind and If they found him sane and cap
able of managing his own affairs that
they should save HIM from the asylum and
give him what was his own.
The case yesterday proceeded slowly. A
jury Of twelve good men and true was
found. and Col. Hilton was put on the
stand. and, with his sightless eyes staring
straight before him: told the story OF MS
ceived the injury that the doctors thought
was the beginning OF his blindness.
TT was at the siege of Vlcksburg." said
the old soldier. 81 was In command of 800
men that day. remember it well; for 1t
was the Fourth of July. We were acting
as skirmishers. My men were spread out
along a road for almost half a mile, when
an orderly galloped up and said General
Grant and his staff were approaching. He
told me to assemble my company and sa-
lutte the general. ! gave the command
my men hastily rallied on a hill, and we
saluted as the general and his staff hur-
ried past. The day was frightfully hot, and
just as l lowered my sword after present.
ing I was sunstruck and was carried to
the rear"
One of the Jurors had risen to his feet
while this story was being told. "CoL Hill
ton," he said, this was on that road which