Evening star., 1901-03-27
ENDORSEMENTS ANNULLED
ACTION TAKEN BY DEPARTMENT
COMMANDER STONE.
Agents of q Local Association Con-
victed of Swindling PensiOners-
Commissioner Evans Statement.

General Israel w. Stone, commander, De-
partment of the Potomac Grand Army of
the Republic. today issued special cir
cular reyoking and annulling, in so far as
1t is within the power of the Department
of the Potomac to do it, the Endorsement
given by officers of the department and
commanders of the various posts to the
United States Army and Navy Historical
Association of Washington.
Gen. Stones Circular.
The circular follows:
Special Circular No. 1.
ION March 25, 1899. the United States
Army and Navy Historical Association Of
Washington, D. c., secured from Hon. r.
A. Alger. then Secretary Of War. the OFF,
GERS of the Department Of the Potomac,
Grand Army of the Republic, and the COM
manders of the various posts comprising
this department., an Endorsement of their
methods. as explained by their representa-
tives, to perpetuate to our children and
posterity the memory Of our services in
that memorable struggle which preserved
this Union
Satisfactory evidence has been received
showing that the association in question
caused the original letter of Endorsement
to be reproduced in large numbers by some
process which made each copy appear to
be the original paper. and that they then
furnished their various agents with copies
of the Endorsement, some of which have
been deliberately used for fraudulent pur
poses by some of these agents
Being fully satisfied from the statement
of the commissioner Of pensions and the
records of the United States district court
for the northern district of Ohio that the
Endorsement given in good faith by this
department has been prostituted to i'm
proper ends, the same is revoked and an
nulled in far as it Is within the power
of this department to revoke and annul
the same, and for the protection Of COM
rades and their widows and orphans we
solicit the aid and assistance of all de-
partments, posts and comrades to put
stop to the operations of such men by CIV
ing the greatest possible publicity to the
fact that, as stated by Commissioner
Evans, any person who represents himself
to be an examiner or. agent Of the United
States pension bureau, and directly or in
directly requests or demands any money or
other valuable thing for his services in
that connection. is an impostor. and should
be dealt with as such
THE officers of the pension bureau are
paid by the government: the bureau has
nothing to sell. and the vigorous and sue
cessful efforts Of its official head and his
subordinates. which resulted in the con-
viction of the impostors are highly COM
mended.
Most of the victims were widow pen
sioners under the act of June 27, $780,
whose innocence and poverty should have
been their protection against imposition
and fraud.
requested to make full mention of this
matter in their next official circulars"
Three SwindIing Agents.
The letter of Commissioner. Evans to
Gen. Stone and containing a narrative of
the facts which resulted in the issuance of
the circular states that A. j. Davis alias
r. D. Burns, alias Edward Lynch, J. Glib
bOns ForShaw, alias j. Rowland York, alias
John Forster, and c. N. Folsom, alias f.
G. Sheean, agents of this association were
sent out for the purpose OF selling a
work on the Civil War and the Grand
Army of the Republic and Kindred So
cietes. to ex-soldiers and their widows and
orphans, and the military record of the
soldier, as compiled from the official sources
by the United States Army and Navy His
torical Association each Military Record
having impressed thereon a large gold seal.
Commissioner Evans continues:
I'm October and November. 1900, these
three men together operated in the south
came SO outrageous in their methods that
Davis and Forshaw were arrested for OBJ
tanning money under false pretenses by the
authorities of Indiana county, Pa, but
| through the efforts of Folsom were allowed
to make restitution to their victims. They
represented themselves to have been sent
out by the government. and falsely stated
to their dupes that by purchasing the work
in question they would become entitled to
an increase of pension. which they would
not receive unless the work was purchased.
AFTER IleSe Ineu were TeledSeu III T6un-
sylvania they worked West Virginia, and
then went to Ohio-Davis being arrested
at Canal Dover, and Forshaw and Folsom
at New Philadelphia Ohio. on December
q, 1900. They were subsequently indicted
by the United States grand jury at Cleve-
land. Ohio Davis was sentenced to three
years Imprisonment in the penitentiary.
The other two men pleaded guilty and were
sentenced to two years Imprisonment at
hard labor. Each of these men had In his
custody a copy Of the Endorsement which
forward herewith, which, you will observe,
embodies copy of the official letterhead
of the Department Of the Potomac, Grand
Army Of the Republic.
1.-The parent association at Washington
disclaims authorizing the false representa-
| tions made by their agents. but it Is clear
that the agents continued to be employed
| after the association became aware of the
| fact that two of them had been arrested
| in Indiana county. Pennsylvania, for OBJ
| tanning money under false pretenses. They
| did, however. operate under other names
| than those under which they We're original
! ly employed"
| AMERICAN LEAGUE GETS MERTES,
ChfcagN Teams OutheIder VIII PIay