Washington sentinel., 1898-02-05
Big Pension Frau ds.

gIarIng series OF frauds and tor
geries that has come to their at
tention in several years. DIR.
Woodruff himself coniesses that
he has forged many signatures to
affidavits and has used a fraudu-
lent seal during the past four years,
and the pension officials, who have
been investigating his case, state
that he is indictable for the forgery
OF more than 200 papers on file in
the Pension Bureau, involving
fifty eight different claims, some OF
which have been granted or re-
jected, and others are Still pending.
The Government, however, will
not attempt to bring him to trial
on all the charges, as some are
barred by the statute oflimitations,
and the expense involved would
be too great to warrant proceed
ings in each case.
Woodruff is now under 81, 500
bond to appear before the Grand
Jury at Evansville, Ind, to answer
to the charge ottorgery in connec-
ton with the claim of Eliza ).
Shelton, the widow Of Robert
Skslton, OF Company d, First
Indiana Cavalry, and it is the in
tention OF the authorities to pre-
pare other indictments against him
covering several Of the worst Of his
offenses not barred by the statute
Of limitations.
Woodruff has been for many
years a practicIng physician and
attorney at law at Oakland City
and an attorney of record before
the Pension Office. He is one OF
the best known citizens ofhis town,
and until his arrest one of the most
highly respected. The sympathy
OF the townspeople appears even
now to be largely on his side, and
thirty prominentpeople OF Oakland
were present at the hearing before
the United States commissioner at
Evansville on last Monday to tes-
tify to his good character and high
standing. For some time, how
ever, the Pension Bureau in Wash.
ington has been holding him under
suspicion, and some time ago he
filed certain papers IN a claim tor
increase Of pension, on account OF
a minor child. in behalf of Eliza
Shelton, who is pensioner under
the general law Of 1890, that were
considered a good basis for inves-
tigation, and they were turned over
to Special Examiner Bridges, sta
toned at Princeton, Ind.
That officer discovered what was
we'll known to clerks of the Pension
Bureau who had examined Wood
ruff's claims, that it was the latter's
practice to send his clients to Rev.
w. w. Richardson, a Methodist
preacher and notary public at Oak
land City, for the execution oftheir
pension affidavits. The suspicious
papers in the Shelton case were ap-
parently executed by Richardson
at Oakland City, but it had been
noticed in the Pension Bureau that
the nOtary's seal which had
stamped them had been evidently
tampered with, the name OF the
notary being almost but not quite,
erased Or gouged out,
1t was found by the special ex-
aminer that at the time OF the pre-
tended execution of the Shelton
papers Rev. Richardson was alb.
sent from Oakland City, attending
a conference, going from there to
attend the G. A. r encampment
at Louisville. 1t was evident that
Woodruff had forged Richardson S
signature to the jurats, after max
ing allegation IN the papers as to
the date OF the birth OF Mrs. Skel
toms child, and making it appear
that a lady who was present in the
house Of the claimant at the time
had acted as midwife, and was
therefore a competent witness
Seven OF the papers in the Shelton
case were con lidered forgeries, two
OF which were also altered after
having been fraudulently executed
He also admitted that he had
forged the name ofhis law partner
Abraham Cole, a pensioner, tc
papers in a claim for increase in
Coles behalf, while the la ter was
i'll. His claim had been rejected
by the Pension Bureau, and Cole
stated that he did not know that
his application for increase had
been fled until the Pension Bureau
notified him oil the receipt the dec
laration. Woodrufi's defense is
that Cole had authorized him to
sign his name as torney. But in