Omaha daily bee., 1899-05-24

! appointments and promotions, the eN-union
! soldier always has the preference. The dt-
! ferent commanders OF the department OF the
| Grand Army OF the Republic have all COM
mended the pension bureau for its faithful
observance Of the statute which gives pref
ereuce to the soldiers OF the rebellion
In another letter received by Senator Hay
ward the commissioner OF pensions has the
following to say concerning the fee charged
by attorneys for securing pensions.
Under what is known as the general law
the attorney gets fee of S25. Under the
act OF 1890 his fee is only $40. 1t has got
to be quite a custom with attorneys to file
a claim under the act OF 1890, get the pen
sion allowed under that law and
then file claim under the gem
eral laws, so they will get two
fees. l had a case, for instance, the other
day reinstating a man who enlisted In the
war with Spain. He was drawing a pension
under the act OF 1890 at Sl0--he had formerly
drawn a pension for slight disability under
the general law at S6--he fell into the
hands Of an attorney and made application
for reinstatement. The attorney filed his
application for reinstatement under the gem
era law and then filed a claim for dis
ability incurred in the war with Spain,
which was the same as he was pensioned
given the attorney two fees, but 1t would
not have given the man the $40 pension
that he was drawing when he enlisted"
Tint bethany AGnir.
The Bethany affair has attracted wide
| spread attention and nearly every day the
authorities here receive information con-
cerning men with fingers missing, thought
to have been implicated In the plan to rob
and burn Cotner college last week. Sheriff
Trompen last night telephoned to Omaha
to ascertain whether the tramp held there
with some of his fingers missing corre-
sponded to the description OF the man who
bound and gagged Miss Watson in the col
lege at Bethany. He received the response
that the man has three fingers missing from
the right hand and Is otherwise a cripple,
while the man described by Miss Watson
had only the middle finger of the left hand
| missing.
Chief of Police Hoagland has been noti-
fed by the authorities at Modale, Ia, that
a man corresponding TO the description oil
one of the men who assaulted Miss wat
son is being held at that place as sus-
pect, but it is thought here that the man
arrested at Modale is the person who was
turned out OF the city Jail here on the att
ernoon preceding the Bethany incident. He
was arrested the night before on vagrancy
have had time to get to Bethany in time
| to have participated in the affair being
| released from custody only shortly before
5 o'clock
| The story told by Miss Watson. while at
| first believed by nearly everyone, Is now
| given little credence as 1t Is exceedingly
difficult to understand why two strangers
should go into room in the college build
| ing with people going through almost con-
l ar,l hnn
| college structure.
The State Board of Irrigation has reap
pointed Secretary Wilson as head of the
| irrigation department and state engineer.
| T. j. O'Keefe, editor of the Hemngford
| Herald, has been appointed to the position
| of under secretary to succeed Captain Adams
| of Chadron II. H. Pickens of McCook VIII
| be succeeded as under secretary OF dlVl-
| sion No. l by f. d. Johnson OF Lexington
| This latter appointment will take effect July
l. The other appointments take effect at
| once.
Lincoln Local Notes.
| Father Nugent left Lincoln yesterday
afternoon for his old home in Ireland. He
| recently resigned the rectorship OF ST.
| Theresa's o-cathedral church to secure a
much needed rest. He will visit mis- native
land and pass considerable time in the
|
/ gent expects to return to this city after
| about a year.
Lieutenant Colonel John H. MccCClay of
| the Third f,GCr.ss - S-,,u,teersa. .--,---,s, q,
Lincoln yesterday after a shoyhtist w2If
! friends and relatives in the east. Mr.. MC>
| CLAW enlisted as major of one OF the bat
! tai1uns of the regiment and later succeeded
Victor Vifquan as lieutenant colonel the
latter taking the place of w. j. Bryan, re-
signed. Mr.. McClay is spoken OF for the
| position of secretary of the Masonic lodge
and other branches of the order to succeed
! w. R. Bowen of Omaha, deceased If
elected the headquarters of the order would
| probably be removed to Lincoln.
| The program for the observance Of Me-
mortal day in this city has not yet been
| completed. but the order Of exercises Will
be slightly different from past years. The
| Grand Army committees which have the
matter in charge hope to secure me at
tendance of Company f of the Second Ne
braska volunteers If the company partici-
pates in the exercises 1t will appear in uni
| form as an escort for the veterans of the
civil war. There will probably be speaking
at the cemetery instead of the usual eXer-
cises Colonel Vifquain and Lieutenant
Colonel John McClay have been invited to
| deliver short addresses.
The alumni association Of the Sta:o uni
versity has appointed reception commit
tees to meet visiting graduates of the in
stitution during commencement week. Mrs
H. H. Wilson is chairman of the commit
| tees.
| Valentine Schools Close.