The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-07-09
Pension frauds
Bcw Uncle San Is Sometimes
VUOrked By unssrupuICuS T0eats.

OoW OF an american OIncer killed IN CuDd
put in her application the other day. and
within tEenty-four hours was awarded a
pension. Claimants whose papers have
been on file four, FIVE or six years. will
doubtless see in this an evidence Of favor
itism, or a sign that the private soldier
IS eibowed TO one side in the interest or
the man who commanded him. Neither
charge has anything TO stand on. All
pensions incidental to the Spanish war are
likely to be disposed of more promptly
than those growing out of the civil war,
because the machinery was in full opera
ton at the time the claims accrued: the
events of the SPANISH war are recent
enough TO do away with all difficulty in
finding Witnesses; the records Of the eX-
amining surgeons and of the field hospi-
tais have been carefully kept from the
start; indeed, all the conditions are ia
vorable to a prompt examination and adj
3udication OF these claims. The widows
will probably have the right of way, not
simply on the place-aux-dames theory. but
because in most cases they represent a
rather urgent need; moreover, the proof
required to establish their claims is of the
simplest description-proof Of death, Of
marriage, and other details which can be
procured easily from the public records.
Finally, officers widows are likely to have
an easier time than the widows Of the
average Of the enlisted men, because the
comparative publicity Of their lives makes
a larger number of 0arsCns competent
witnesses to those details for which out
side affidavits are required.
Widows claims have always been an
interesting subject in the Pension Ofic=.
Those which are filed a gold many years
after the death Of the husband-or. if that
loss has been recent, a long time after the
war-have TO be examined with great par
ticularity on account OF the many ins and
outs involved.
The widow business has. in fact, some
times developer into a highly organized
industry. One such instance, wT,ich has
received very meagre notice in the press,
deserves a good deal more. IN a border
state there IS a cemetery in which are
buried a large number Of negroes who
were in the Union army. One hundred
and six claims for widows pensions came
to Washington from one source. all of
them being for the widows OF the colored
soldiers in that general neighborhood.
Suspicion was aroused in the minds OF the
examiners, who began an investigation
This had not gone very far before they
found that it would be necessary 10 nut
a handful Of skilled detectives on the
scent. II was difficult TO make Roadway
for some time, till a clue vas obtained
which pointed to the fraudulent character
Of one Of the claims, and the alleged
widow was required to produce more sta
asfactory proof OF her marriage \ I,agro
who had posed in the affidav!ts as her
brother-in-law was plnioned down with
-oss-questions. and finally admitted that
his memory Of the circumstances Of the
marriage was very defective. The women.
meanwhile, was evidently growing more
and more nervous from day to day. and at
last she Invited one OF the detectives to
her cabin, where she locked and bolted
herself in with him. and in terrified wills
pers confessed her share in the great con-
sriracy. She had not only never been
married to the man whom she claimed as
her husband. but she did not even know
him. She was one Of the group of women
who had been hired to act as widows for
& corresponding number of negro soldiers
whose bodies lay in the cemetery.
The attorney who organized the con-
HPiracy had gone to work in a mast bus:-
ness ike way. He had taken down the
aleadStoaues in the cemetery the names
Of the men. All the negros thereabout
belonged 10 some mutual-lOdge Of their
swindler had sifted his list so as to re-
tain on it only the names of unmarried
men, the widows of those actually mar
ried being perious to approach with such
business. lest some of them might al
ready be drawing pensions and give the
Pension Office warning. Each dead bach
elor was provided with ready-made W.
dow from among the local Co,ored popu-
latiOn; the same set Of witnesses were
called into p,ay for the whole batch Of
cases; and a co.ored preacher was used,
by virtue OF his cloth. Tor the necessary
testimonials as to the creliAiity Of the
witnesses. The preacher. who in some
respects was the m st dangerous member
W the gang. was arrested and lockedp up
hut broke Jail and disappeared. and has
only recently been recaptured in another
state. OF the la6 cases. lA2 have been
thrown out FOR fraud. The other four have
clipped into the roll by one means or an
other and although the whole batch were
tainted with suspicion It may he necessary
- leave these few where they are FOR
lack Of the affirmative evidence 70 upset
them.
The rule which makes seven years alb
sence presumptive proof Of a soldiers
death has sometimes come into the wi
bows pension cases in peculiar way. \
man committed murder and disappeared.
After seven years his widow. finding no
trace Of him anywhere, asked the Pension
Office - treat this as case OF 7TeSump-
tive death. The office had to make 4 rul-
Ing that a man VINO was a refugee from
justice would necessarily disappear from
view. and hence that in this case the rea-
soning from long absence would De inaD-
plicable
The cases Of dependent mothers furnish
some troublesome questions for the Pen
SON ONCE 20 deal with. 4 woman VINO
had been for years drawing a pension as
the dependent m't3er Of a soldier was re-
ported by one 81 the field agents OF ;he
Pension Office az having remarked. When
taxed with the fact. the woman defed the
Office 10 prove The remar-iage. The office
could find no documentary 81 other evil
dsnce beyond the fact that she was known
everywhere by the name % the man with
whom she was living. and treated by her
neighbors and the tradesmen with whom