The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-12-19
TIE REP. MR. KE1rH,s PENSION.
Thin IL the Second Time That His Conscience
Will Not AIIew Him to Accept 1t.

Thia IL the Second Time That Hts Conscience
Will Not Allow Him to Accept 1t.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 1s.-A despatch from Vim
cennes, Ind, published on Dec. 2, said that 1.-THE
Rev. L. j. Keith of this city has written a letter
to the Commissioner of Pensions at Washington,
d. C.. absolutely refusing a pension from the
Government, and has made full restitution of
all the money received by him, amounting in
the aggregate to $495. So" The despatch said
also that Mr.. Keith was First Lieutenant of
Company B,!Twenty.sixth Indiana Regiment,
and that lin returning the money to the Gov
eminent he says the pension allowed him was
not well based"
There was a pensioner who relinquished his
pension a number of years ago. and. as the case
was unprecedented. the Pension Bureau made
inquiry and ascertained that the man was IN
sane. Under the circumstances. when Mr..
keith's letter was received. the officials of the
Pension Bureau were surprised. They began
looking up the papers in his claim and developed
the fact that he had once before had his name
dropped from the pension rolls. A big bundle Of
documents told an interesting story about Mr..
Keith. his pension, and his conscience.
So far as the bureau is aware officially, Mr..
Keith Is not a clergyman. The records show
that Thomas J. Keith. not L. J. Keith. was a
q corporal. not a First Lieutenant. of Company
B. Twenty.sixth Indiana Volunteer Infantry.
He enlisted in August. 1861. and was honor
ably discharged in January, 1866. 1t was not
until 1884 that Mr.. Keith applied for a pen
sion. The board which examined him corti-
fed that he suffered from indigestion and
other troubles, and the Pension Bureau
years later be secured an increase of %. and
and again to $50. In 1892 the bureau receivpd
q remarkable letter from Mr.. Keith. He said
that he was not satisfied that under all the cir
cumstances he was entitled to a pension. The
huraQI continual IN aanh him hfa pnnnnv h1.v
ever; but II, was promptly returned by Mr..
Keith. and his nnme was therefore dropped
from the rolls on the ground that on his own
statement the disability had ceased.
But Mr.. Keith turned up again in 1898 with
rolls. He went before an examining board and
was duly certified to the bureau AS a sufferer
from diseased kidneys, impaired digestion, and
collapse or the nervous system. A pension of
$l2 q month was granted. and Mr.. Keith's
received regularly. From the letter which has
Just come to the bureau it appears that this pen
sioner has been losing sleep because the Govern
ment rewarded him for his services in the war.
He wrote that the same difficulties OF conscience
arose as in the former instances, and he could
tho disease which the examining board said he
had, but which he could not realize existed. He
added that for more than thirty years he had
held q certificate of honorable discharge. but he
would wait for a pension until the Govern
mcnt saw, MT to grant him one for some dis.
ability he knew he had, such az old age"
The Pension Bureau does not know what to
90 In regard to Mr.. Keith. 1t has not been the
practice or the Government to persuade people
to accept money from II. hut an exception will
examination by a medical board shows that he
10 all Wrong'in thinking his health is all right.