Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-19
FIGHT FOR PENSIONS.
Brings Out Many Interesting
Communications.
ALL KINDS OF DISEASES
CHAMPION BOUNTY JUMPER WAS
SAMUEL DOWNING.
Mu1cted the Government Out of More
Than 1000 and Was Finally
Hanged.

The records Of the pension Office contain
many quaint and curious things Some let
ters that are intended to be pathetic are
written in such way to produce the OPP
posite effect. A widow, whose husbands
claim had been rejected, the War Depart
| ment record showing that his alleged dsa-
bility existed long before enlistment, wrote
recently:
My husband was terribel bloated in his
stomach. 1t did not look like himself. He
could not stoop over and straighten up
| without helping himself. To ham, beans,
| pork mashed potatoes, eggs, veal, cabbage
his stumac was repulsive. His rheumatism
was the kind called lumba goat furst. His
| dropsy was terribel; when he died his legs.
burst from pressure. He swelled up as
| big as barrel all over. 1 ask that he be
taken up and reopened. P. S. When my
husband came back from the war, | sup
| ported him on my needle till he died.
The claimants sometimes alege peculiar
| causes for their disabilities. The 100-day
| soldier of the war Of the rebellion, who al
| leges many diseases the result of his be
| ing obliged to sleep one night in a brick
mouse that had not been properly ventilat-
| cd is equaled by the Spanish war soldier
who contracted rheumatism, heart disease
and many other disa bilites at Fort Mon
roe, Va, in August, 1893 by sleeping one
night on the sand without any floor to his
IL,
| Va, in April, 1866: We were confined in
stockade where there was hardly room for
the thousands of men crowded in there. 1t
rained most of the time, the mud and water
was from eight to twenty inches deep, and
we We're obliged TO lie in the mud at night.
l saw them with their bodies nearly envel-
oped III mud and sound asleep, with the
rain pouring down in their faces For two
nights ! bound myself TO an eight-nch
beam. fourteen or fifteen feet from the
ground
Diarrhoea Contagious.
In all cases where witnesses to incurrence
sign an affidavit written by some one else
they called on to state what they act
ually know of the case, and some are, in
deed, willing witnesses One II. F. applied
for a pension, based on chronic diarrhoea.
In response to an office letter asking is to
continuance of claimants disability, affiant
j. |. wrote:
The soldier came to my cabin, where
was working when he return from the
army, and went to my house. My whole
family got the diarrhoea from him. One of
my children died with it. One of boys is
not well yet, and one of his children died
of it."
The idea that the President can order
anything done he desires is illustrated by
a letter addressed to him by lady who
wrote:
IS pension has been increased to $14
per month Now what l want to ask is
that you please ask Congress to appropri-
ate enough to build them a house and ena-
BILE them once more to be independent. /
realize that it is asking a great favor of
you. Nevertheless, l feel that / want to do
something to help this cause. l assure you
he is worthy Christian soldier of the =
o. V. l.
For unadulterated nerve some of the
claims filed are unequaled. One A applies
as the dependent brother of G. A. The SOL
der, aged eighteen, enlisted December 81.
1868 and died January 8, 1865. The alleged
dependent brother was born October 20,
1869, four years, nine months and eleven
days after the soldiers death. He filed a
claim for pension in 1889 He has not yet
been penSioned
Champion Bounty Jumper.
The champion bounty jumper was Samuel
w. Downing, for whose services a depend
ent relative filed a claim for pension.
While all the enlistments are not known,
the government has a record of the follow
ing: July, 1863, amount unknown; August
IS, 1863 $500; August 10, 1863. 1915: August
81, 1863, $3.50; September I, 1863, $3.50;
September TO- 1863, $3.50; September 10,
1853, 1915; October l, 1863 1915: October 10,
1863 $3.50; November 10, 1863 1915; Novem-
Der 90 1863, $3.50; December -, 1863, 1915;
December 81, 1863 $500: February 10. 1864,
$3.50; March H. 1864 $3.50; April 1, 1864, 500;
June 3d. 1864, $500. Total. 1875.
He was tried, convicted and executed by
general court-martial at Alexandria, Va,
september IT, 1854. His method of pro-
cedure after enlsting was to change his
suit for an officers fine uniform, which
he carried with him in a valse, pass
through the guard line, and when at safe
distance again re-enlist. Unfortunately,
when he enlisted in June, 1854 he was rec
ogniZed with to him fatal results.
A case recently appealed to and decided
by the Secretary Of the Interior stands
alone. The claimant Susan Smith was
convicted of the murder Of her husband. in
May, 1882, sentenced to Imprisonment for
life, and pardoned in September, 1894
Shortly after her discharge she applied,
under the act Of June q, 1890, for a pen
sion on account of the service of the soldier
she murdered. 1t was promptly rejected
by the pension office. She then appealed
10 the Secretary OF the Interior, who
promptly approved the former rejection on
the ground that, as claimant, by the willful
murder of the soldier, created the condition
OF Widowhood, she is without title as widow
under said act