The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-05-02

and withai an interesting mixture Of
the ludlcr0us. blended with pathetic fact
An obliging Eeighhor Of OryflIe Jane.
son, who had put in his claim for a pen.
| sion because Of dT0pSy which vas tins
after effects OF injuries received In tbs
war. writes:
| 4 vaTily believe that OrvIlIe Jameson
| IL fatiged from earnin' his Ieavin' becos
he i too fst ways 80 pounds and hav a
| FAMILY 20 feed-the Majors thinks he have
| dropsy but / no he hav no dropsy be-
cause he would bust II he had moar IT,
sides him than he now hav besides wich
ne are without vitious habits or refer
ences. / no he hav solid fat and vittels
and no dropsy.'
Another dropsical case in all its details
is set forth by the widow OF the unfortun-
ate man in her applicz ton for a pension.
The frankness with which she describes
ms malay Is particularly interesting and
| dlspiays a beautiful disregard for those
little nioeties OF social expression with
winch some OF the poorest correspondents
can gloss over a repulsive Illness and
make II appear in a most attractive light.
= Widows Plant.
The widow says: MY husband was
terrible bloated in his stumach. He
couldn't stoop over and straighten I'D
without helping himself. To ham. beans.
poTk. mashed potatoes. eggs, veal. cab
Gage his stumach was repulsfve His
rheumatism was the kind called lun1-
oago-at furst His dropsy was teribeL.
!" men ne died his legs burst from pres
sure He swelled up as big as a bare!
al over. / ask that he be taken up and
reOpened."
Noman-like. she was obliged 20 add a
postscript and. as with other Somen's
letters, her postscript contains the most
important and at the same time most
dramatic elements Of the whole ep.stIe.
She concludes with:
p. 5. When my husband came back
from the war ! supported him on my
needle till he died"
The manner in which injuries were ac-
quired during the Civil War is something
marvellous, and often too pronouncedly
tar-fetched to permit securing the covet-
ed pensions There are several eases on
record OF applications for pensions on ac-
count of badness, having been made some
tWenty-odd years after the surrender at
Appomattox
Inc following extract is an excellent
example Of an injury which made itself
known after an interval of thirty years:
The way | got my war ingery was a
ketchin' Of a hog The hog war a sow
hog; and our Captain wanted her for
forege He was chasin' the SOW, and she
craWled through a hOaI in a rale fence
it war big hoal, and l thct l
war about the sis of the hog. and tried TO
crawl threw. but / stuk. and trying TO
wigle out / thrOde the rales off, and one
hit me on my he'd and nocked me sense
less. l do not think the sow pig had
nothing 10 DO with my line of duty. for
/ did not ketch the hog-wich she never
war caught"
Those in the Pension Office who are at
all dissatisfied with their superiors NAV
thank the fates that the writer of the
following was never put in authority over
them The writer evid entity Understands
exactly what as required of a chief of
division, and would no doubt rule i model
division if he had his way This is his
idea, as set forth in a letter 20 one of the
officials, and most people will admi; that
his plan Is a good one, although ne would
probably learn few things if be at
tempted 10 carry il out:
"ANAXX. Now | want you or the
cOmesenir of pensens to give me a pIais
in your oftits-then wont ask for no
moar rae in pensen jus now can clurk
o. k. but / cant laber, or i cud p0ss the
other clurks make them stan roun an
rae dewlie entitel pensens Keape them
from lofeinge whesperin IN Offas ours in
fact akt as janeter or supervisor seeinge
all things gone rite"
Some would-be Daughter of the Ameri-
can Revolution, who yet lacks an authen-
tic ancestor, may be able to strike bar
gain with the writer of the next epistIe,
who states that he is also a son Of the
War of 1872 and gives a specimen of some
poetry which he was kind enough TO COM
pose and send along with his application
for pension. This is his statement:
Case Stated in Rhym,
Il am d grandson of the Revilis!on. q
son of The War of 1872. ! Will rite Won a
peace of Poetry on myself and ancestor
The following is presumably the poem
il is a little difficult of yersiff-
cation:
My memras carrys me back to the day
wien | was stout always able to roll my
self about. but know when | undertake. il |
! feel the ken Pane over Take me il make
me think of thirty-three year ago it wa, |
the Enama thirsty bullet that Pearst me |
threw the leg il has made me wish tina, |
was dead | have always been too proud |
to beg 1t has made me dread when | had |
to walk upon my leg. 1t mas gave me |
such a Pane il has made me so Lame that /
have wisht that | was dead then serten |
len would say heaTe SleepeS herOW WHY 1
can't We weepe he suffered thirty-thrae |
years fore his country know wonder We can !
Teepe not only that he was a granson of !
The ReYelision that hope make the cunsri- (
tuition not only that he was a son OF the \
war of 1872 that never did REBEL the caUs /
II i l never could tell"
A Total Wreck" is however aIbe to
write his troubles:
Il fust got 10 be a total wreck from
liver and kidneys then | was totally |
wrecked by consumption which came on
ne-NOw / am totally wrecked by army
rOubles, Sprains and hard marching"
A hen-pecked husband, who evidently
las it in for his wife, states:
Il got blood poison by being hit with
lens eg which was not good when you
end my pensen l want the Deed made
os my wife cant get none OF it-sne
hrOde the eg."
For originality of expression and Yankee
leverness in his designs upon a trusting
government, the plain soldier Of the civil
var is without u peer.
PAT GILMORE IN PARIS.