The National tribune., 1899-11-16
A SPECIMEN INTERVIEW.

to the leading papers of the country, ana
published by many of them. The chip
ping which we reproduce was taken from
the Pittsbumg Chronicle Telegraph:
Speaking of pension frauds" con-
tinued the Commissioner, in San Fran
cisco | came across one of the boldeSt at
tempts on record. Col. Fuller, the pen
sion agent, called my attention 10 it. A
claim for a pension and arrearageS accrued
lrus filed 1Cith that agency by a pension
attorney i'll the name of one Daniel Ma
honey, sailor, who had served in the
civil war, as shown by the records OF the
Navy Department In due time the claim
was allowed. everything being regular
on its face and disability proved. About
$500 arrearages were involved i'll the case,
and the pension agent sent a check for
the amount TO San Bernardino, the ad-
dress given by the claimant. The letter.
however, was returned by the Postmaster,
with the remark that no such person as
Daniel Mahoney was living at San Ber-
nardino, nor had any body of that name
been known TO live there at any time, as far
as could be aScertalned.
A few days later the pension attorney
who had filed that claim called at the Office
TO inquire why he had not received his
fee, as he was informed that the Bureau
had allowed the claim. He was told that
the pensioner, Daniel Mahoney, could not
be found at San Bernardino, and the check.
therefore. had not been delivered.
Why" exclaimed the attorney, "Ma-
honey does not live at San Bsrnardino. He
is right here in San Francisco, and l
see him every few days"
Bring him here" said Mr.. Fuller. 81
would like TO see him"
Next day the attorney reappeared, ac-
companied by his client, whom he intro
duced at the agency as Daniel Mahoney.
oil
when the name was pronounced and scan
ned the claimant closely for few moments.
Then he asked sharply: What do you say
is your name?'
Daniel Mahoney," replied the man.
You are a confounded liar" burst forth
the official. Your name is not Mahoney
you are Daniel Allen,"
The attorney looked puzzled and did not
know what to make of it. But his client
remained quite composed, and insisted
that the chief clerk must be mistaken; he
was Mahoney, he said. and had no knoWl-
edge Of anybody by the name of Allen.
Very we'll retorted the chief clerk.
You take Il seat here pointing to n chair;
! "and you" Gakiug the attorney aside and
| talking 10 him in whispers) go TO John
Smiths boarding house. few blocks from
| here, on \ street. tell John Smith to come
| here at once, and TO bring with him the pen
! sion certificate Of Daniel Allen that he
| keeps in his safe
The attorney Withdrew and, after little
While, returned with john Smith.
| Smith" queried the official, who is this
man sitting here:'
"Why. that is Daniel Allen" replied the
! boarding house keeper.
''Is this the same Daniel Allen" de-
manded the chief clerk further, whose
pension certificate you have signed as "a
| witness every quarter for many years
past?"
The same Daniel Allen" came the
answer, "and here is his certificate"
| What do You have TO say now?" was
the next question of the official, addessed
to the would-be Mahoney. whose face had
| fallen when the boarding house keeper
made his short but conclusive statements.
Il guess the Jig'S up he said, sheep
ishly.
| The man was caught at his game. II
| it had not been for his carelessneSs i'll re-
gard 10 his fictitious address and the chief
clerks excellent memory. he would have
succeeded in getting the money. This
case" concluded Commissioned Evans
| illustrates one of the many rdscdHy trick,
| the Bureau has TO contend against. And
! there are II great mGHy other rurjeties.'
| Could anything he more ludicrousIy
more irritatingly untrue than this story
upon its very face? In the first place, is the
ridiculous assumption that all that any
man has to do 10 get his pension is 10 pre-
pare his papers and go to the next Pension
Agency-San Francisco, Chicago, Colum
bus, or elsewhere, and receive his pension
and his attorney get his fee
What in the world had Col. Fuller tn,
Pension Agent at San Francisco, to do will
Daniel Mahoney's application. and hi
attorneys fee? Absolutely nothing. NJ
more than he has 10 do with an application
for appointment as Consul to the Gambia
] Islands. The application must he made +
the Commissioner of Pensions at Washing
ton, whose habit is to dawdle some year
with such as Mahoney-return his applica
ton to have il typewriter. and corrected "A
to trivial and nagging formalties; then pu
it into cold storage in the files for awhile
then squander some more time "searchin;
the records" to find out whether Daniel Ma
honey actually served in the Navy. am
whether there can not be some reaso
found for denying his application. If Ma
honey did not die in the meanwhile,
would be tried what the Boards of Examil
ing Surgeons could do, and he would hay
Il siege with them. If he still survived
Special Examiners would take him in hanC
If he lived through still. and consequent
arrears accumulated on his application, h
would be informed that his application wa
defective, and consequently rejected, bL
he might file new application. If NJ
honey's lamp Of life still continued
flicker, he might at the end Of several year
get an allowance. without r-rears, and ther
for the first time. Col Fuller would hay
something to do with the matter in the pay
ment OF the pension certificate for the lon2
waiting Daniel Mahoney forwarded froI
the Pension Bureau at Washington
This absurd fabrication shows an il
sulting estimate Of the intelligence of til
people to be fooled by what every man ,
ordinary intelligence knows to be bar
facedly untrue.
THE BUFFALO ESCAMPMENT Bull
The following is the Service Pensio