The National tribune., 1902-01-30
PENSION POINTERS.
inquiries Answered and Sugges'
tiOns Made.

yiscd more particularly.
w. W. D.. Akron. Mo.-The fact tha
widow is drawing a pension under th'
act of June ~. 1890 tor May ., 19Oo), il
no bar to her filing and prosecuting
claim for widows pension under the gen
eral law. If she can prove to the satls
faction of the Pension Bureau that tht
soldiers death was due to the service and
line of duty. pension will be granted hel
uuder the general law to date back TO the
dafc of the soldiers death. The amount
she has drawn on her act Of 1890 pension
would be deducted from the amount found
due her under the general law.
w. II. r.. Mill Hall, Pa.-Whcrc gen
eral law pension is claimed by adult
children for the period of pensionable mi
nority. nm application by one will suffice,
the other children filing their pcSt-otilcc
addresses. each over his own personal sig
nature. with the Commissioner of Pen
siOnS.
]. r. B.. Grcenup, Ky-AdOpted child
rem have no status under the pension laws.
j. r. T.. Perry. Kan.-lf after being
ordered for medical examination, pen
sion claimant fails to report for eNamna-
ton within the specified tine, new order
will not generally he issued unless the
claimant expresses his willingness to be
examined if a new order Is issued. A
claimant does not forfeit any rights by
failing 10 report promptly for examina-
ton. He may delay as long as he likes
and the Pension Bureau will issue an or
der whenever he says that he is willing
10 report.
Soldiers Wife-The State courts would
probably afford relief in a case of non
support without actual desertion. To OBJ
tain part of soldiers pension it must be
shown that the pensioner has deserted his
wife against her wish and consent.
r. e., Philadelphia.-You did not read
the answer through. The 500 bounty Of
fered One-year volunteers enlisted after
July IL, 1864, was not payable in full un-
less the soldier served the full term or was
discharged before the full term by reason
of wound or injury incurred in the serv-
ice and line of duty. You served less
than 10 months and was therefore en-
titled to only the first and second Install
ments of the bounty, amounting together
TO S66.67
E. L. b., Hesperia, Mich-There is no
heirship recognized in pensions of the
character you refer 10. The dependent
father having failed to apply for pension
during his lifetime. his rights died with
him. The soldiers sister would have been
entitled up 10 IL years of age, provided
she was under 16 at the date of the
fathers death, and provided she applied
before July /, 1880, if she was over 1T at
that date.
r. b. s., Beaver Falls, Pat would
seem that under instructions of the Secre-
tary of the Interior, dated July %, 1897,
your pension under the act of June q,
1890. lately allowed, should have COM
menced from date Of the application filed
in August, 1900, instead of from the date
of filing of your affidavit in October last.
C. H. Walton, y. Y.-See reply to X.
G., above. The bounty referred to was
United States bounty. You served only IL
months and it was probably held that the
wound of the hand was, alone, insufficient
TO entile you to discharge on account of
disability.
d. \. Y. Danville, Ill.-Having been
discharged from your enlistment of March,
1862, within less than two years, the
cause OF discharge must have been for
wound or injury incurred in service and
line of duty in order to entitle you 30
any bounty on account of that service. Ad
dress the Commissioner of the General
Land Office, Washington, ID. Co. for in
formation relative 10 Government lands.
W. ". H, Convene, Me.-If q contract
for life support is actually enforceable,
the contract being entirely valid, and the
person making the contract not being
judgment-proof, it could be bar to WI
ow's pension under the act Of June q,
1890 Tor May 9, 1900. or TO restoration
of widows pension under act of March 3.
1901. The question as to the sufficiency of
the consideration on which the contract
WAS based could not be considered except
where filial love and duty entered into the
contract, and this could not be regarded
as existing except where the person max
ing such contract was n child of the bene-
fciary. 1t would not make any difference
whether the property was transferred
by the husband Of the pension claimant
or by the pension claimant herself in con-
sideration Of such a contract. The suffi-
cheney Of the consideration would not be
1 Il. 1
minatiOn OF the actual or probable net in
come therefrOm not TO be in excess of
$3.50. The claimant should set out clearly
her means of support, and the evidence
supporting her statements should show all
the facts.
c. 4. c., Sherbr0oke, Canada.-The an
kwer TO your last question renders I'M
necessary the answering of the others. 1t
is that a divorced wife has no claim upon
the pension of her former husband. Nor
would she have any status as widow un-
der the pension laws i'll the event of his
death.
T.. r., Elyria. Kan.-It would be diff
cult. if not impossible. to collect ration
money on veteran furlOugh without the
production Of the furlOugh. Invalid pen
sioners drawing the maximum rate of SO
under the act Of June %, 1890. and who
were formerly pensiOned under the gen
eral law, can determine whether they can
get as mucn or more under the general
law by filing an ordinary claim for in
crease of pension. The widows pension
title is not determined by the sort of pen
sion that the soldier was drawing at the
time Of his death. II his death can be
shown TO be due 10 his service and line of
duty, the widow can obtain pension under
the general law. If his death cannot be
shown TO be due To the service and line
or duty, she can obtain pension only un-
der the act Of June 81, 1890. as amended
By act Of May 9, 1900, in which event she
must have been married TO the soldier be-
fore June %, 1890.
W. 1.-THE mere fact that the wife
leaves her husband land children before
his death would not debar her from wild
ow's pension. If it appeared that she
continued TO desert the children after his
death, or was shown TO be an improper
person 10 have the care and custody Of
them, she would be debarred from pen
sion, at least during the period Of their
pensionable minority.
L. W., Mortified, Minn.-Section | Of
the act Of June 81, 1890, provides that
In considering pension claims OF dependent
parents, the fact of the soldiers death
by reason Of any wound, injury, casualty,
or disease which, under the conditions
and limitations of existing laws, would
have entitled him TO an invalid pension,
and the fact that the soldier left no widow
or minor children having been shown as
required by law, II shall be necessary only
10 show by competent and sufficient evi-
dence that such parent or parents are