Evening star., 1899-03-31
REMARKABLE FRAUD.
Illegal Pension Claim Becomes q
Profitable Inheritance.

The conviction recently in Criminal Court
No. 1 of Ellen Jones, colored, upon two in
dictments, charging violation of the pension
law, as stated in The Star, was the culmi-
nation of what has been characterized as
one of the most cleverly executed frauds
ever perpetrated on the pension bureau.
The facts brought out by the government
were that in 1869 a pension certificate was
issued in due form to woman who repre-
sented herself to be, and the proof in the
claim showed was, the widow of William
Butler, late a private in Company E, 1st
U. S. c. Infantry. who was killed during
the war of the rebellion. The pension due
on the certificate was regularly paid up to
and including the June quarter, 1897. In
May last the case came to the attention
of the law division of the pension bureau
by reason of Information furnished by the
auditors office of a claim filed in that office
by persons claiming to be children of Will
liam Butler, and the fact that the officials
of that Office were unable to find any trace
of the pensioner, Mary Butler, at the ad-
dress furnished by the pension bureau.
On this information the claim was referred
by the law division to the special examina-
tion division for investigation, to determine
who are the legal representatives of the
deceased soldier. William Butler.
When Special Examiner w. H. Harnsber-
ger, to whom the matter was referred, in
quired at the address given by the pension
agency for the whereabouts of Mary But
Ter ne was informed that she had gone to
the country, but where no one seemed to
know. Recourse was had to the identifying
witnesses and the officer before whom the
vouchers We're executed but no one would
give any satisfactory or definite informa-
t1on; The special examiner being baked
at tnat end of the line determined to find
out the origin and whole history of the al
lowance and payment of this claim. After
a long and tedious investigation he brought
10 nght the alleged frauds
investigation hot
dler at his death left no widow or chill
dreh, as SHOWN by the records of the audi
tor once, as also those of the orphans
court; that the allowance of the pension
was procured on perjured testimony bv a
comrade of the deceased soldier the late
James Edward Marshall, who while living
IS SAID TO have been a professional witness
IN pension cases and a subagent for pension
attorneys. 1t was further contended that
women. e''e
me hrst woman who personated the all
leged widow, Mary Butler was at the time
a married woman and the mother-in-1a,r of
MaTShall. This woman died in 1872 Mar
sla.i s : "lle. VINO was the daughter of the
1irst ,nSl Mary Butter, from 1872 to her death in
1881 personated the alleged widow and
since that date the pension has hae,, rae,,-
ldrly oraWn by the prisoner, Ellen Jones
also daughter of the first alleged MARY
Butler and sister of NJ, s. -iaLy
second. 'iei 'iie
FURTHER, it was charged. the nernetr.+ tore
on ta; .he alleged conspiracy, in order to oh
tam as much money as possible from the
government cover, ,l alleged in the widows decla-
ration that she had minor chiId h-, tbo
soldier, and pa,med off her vounaast obiid
as suGh and drew pension on his account
olsii M ms arrival at sixteen years of age.
,,i,y by reason of the claim, which was origin
any conceived in fraud, it was cbarsad
and was handed down as a family inberit'
ah,. aioe, the ~ government was defrauded out of
,,r;,,
ciDtlg Dhring the trial, which was before Justice
nngton represented the government NaSSrs
Dunn and Jeffords appearing for the de-
fendant.