Sunday morning globe., 1901-08-25
INFAMOUS ROBBERY
OF the Soldier, His Widow, and His
Orphans
BY HENRY CLAY EVANS,
Tho Commissioner Of Pensions The Sample
Case This Morning Of The Brave Dr. OaI-
man, Whose Widows Home Was Sold Over
Hor Head While The Money Bue Her HuS-
band Was Held Up.

Hor Head While The Money Bue Her HuS-
band Was Held Up,
1t viii be recalled by the public with
what a grand flourish of trumpets
Pension Commissioner II. Clay Evans
returned to the Treasury of the Unit
ed States an unexpended balance Of
S5,v 900 out Of the appropriation
made by Congress for the pensions Of
ex-soldiers their widows and orphans.
1t will also be remembered that his
Department was the only one under
the rederal Government which had
any balance to turn In. The Globe has
commented on this remarkable fact
locally and editorially, and the ex-sol-
diers and the general public now thor
0ughly comprehend the reasons there
for. The principal blame for this dis.
elimination against the soldiers fund
or the money intended for exsoldiers,
their widows, and their orphans, be-
longs to the President of the United
States, William Mckinley, but this fact
does not relieve II. Clay Evans Of be-
ing the malignant tool to execute the
behests of Wall Street and its obedient
servant i'm the White House. We use
the adjective malignant advisedly,
and we reproduce another case this
morning which justifes the use Of even
stronger expression.
JAS. j. Oatman served i'm Company
B, 11Jh Regiment p. II. O. lie enlisted
June 10, 1861; was wounded and taken
prisoner at the battle of Charles City
cross Roads June 80, 1862. Securing
an exchange, he Joined his regiment
and was again wounded at the battle
Of Fredericksburg December 13, 1862,
and again at Gettysburg, July q 1868.
ne was mustered out with his regi-
ment June l3, 1864. The she'll wound
in head received by this gallant soldier
eventually made him an imbecile. For
years the imbecility was fought off.
but the disease kept developing. He
even studied medicine, and for a time
practised his profession, but gradually
the insidi0us disease of the brain de
yelOped from the shell wound in the
head and Dr. Oatman became a help.
less imbecile, unable to provide for his
family. l. iact he became a charge
upon their slender resources. and with
rare fidelity and heroic f0rttudo h,e
wife addressed herself to the task of
preserving the mortgaged roof over
their heads. Poor Oatman could not
be left out of sight Of a member Of
the family as he was again a child
I'm his habits and knew not right from
wrong, nor even the privacy which
even very young children observe in
obedience to the natural functions Of
the body In this helpless condition he
lived a burden for years on wife and
family His case was so plain and no
toriously mertorious that the neigh
bors induced Mrs. Oatman to apply for
a pension and place the case in the
hands Of an obscure and inexperienced
country squire, who dilly dallied with
it after the manner of his class. FL
nally a comrade Of Oatman, learning
accidentally Of the distress of the fam
ily got the case I'm shape and secured
the services Of a Washington claim at.
torney, who soon pushed it ahead and
completed it. The case was so plain,
the proofs so positive, and the chain
of evidence so complete that even the
sheriff who had advertised to sell the
Oatman little home postponed the sale
i'm anticipation of the receipt Of the
pension by Mrs. Oatman The back
pension would be a round sum, as Oat-
mans was a case of total disability.
and the full disability pension was ex.
pected. But II, Clay Evans wanted to
turn In S5,00O,00O, and he wanted no
such hole I'm that round sum as the
Oatman back pension money would
make.
Having nothing upon which to base
the rejection Of the claim and being
pressed by the attorney of Mrs. Oat
man, by the pathetic letters Of her
neighbors to save the worse than wild
ow's little home, and urged by the sher-
in and officials to speedy action, II.
Clay Evans, with the call0usness be |
gotten Of the cruel and Hnfeeling mas
ters he served refused to grant the
well-deseryed pension and ordered the
case sent back to the field" This
decision meant, of course, its final re.
lection. for when a case Is sent back to
the field for further investigation It is !
put I'm the hands of the soulless and un- !
scrupulous wretches who were exposed |
In an investigation Of their Official ac- |
tiOns I'm Chicago and elsewhere as Pen |
sion Office llbertines, sent out to cor
rupt the virtue of soldiers widows and |
daughters thus depriving them Of the |
pensions they were entitled to under |
the plea of their immoral lives and |
conduct. This could not be worked on |
the poor and pure Mrs Oatman, but |
the field agents were, nevertheless, ac- |
tive in brow-beating witnesses, taking |
down every word they said In Jest or
earnest twisting and distorting the |
same I'm an effort to find something TO |
hang a charge on which would deprive /
the woman and her children of the pen |
sion.
Meanwhile, q circumstance tran. |
spired which adds additional damna- |
tlon to tho men responsible for this |
cruel treatment Of the Oatman family |
The veteran mentioned as having In |
terested himself In the case, and put |
ting it In the hands Of the Washington |
attorney happened to meet Assistant
Commissioner Davenport at the Penn. |
sylvania depot and entering into con. /
yersation with him, as they were old |
friends, Mr. Davenport said
Why don't You come down to the
oiice, Charley and see me? 10 which
The Vet. responded:
or I'M fTn fifa.aee~4..4 TN