Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-06-11
MANY MAINE HEIRS,
Will Receive Checks From
Uncle Sam.
French Spoi|atiOns Claims Soon to
Be Paid.
Gossip from the Capital of the
Nation.

| Washington, D. G., June 1O.-(SpeciaD.
| 4 good many heirs in Maine, who have
been pressing their interests in the
French spoliation claims. will receive
neatly written checks from our Uncle
Samuel before a long period passes.
| Congress has voted to paw all those
| claims, which were presented to the
court of claims and passed upon by
| that tribunal up to about two months
| ago. Scores of clipper ships that sailed
| out of Maine ports for the West In
| dies, many of them to the recently
| devastated island of Martinique, were
seized by French privateers during the
| years Immediately preceding the year
| 1901. The privateers took these ships
Off to the adjoining French islands, not
Z few being taken to Guadeloupe,
| where they were sold at auction for
whatever the ships and their cargoes
would bring.
The names Of the cases. fayorably
| considered hy the court Of claims, have
been announced from time to time. but
| there We're probably eight or 10 in all.
covered under recent legislation OF
| Congress. Heirs of the owners of these
| Maine ships are often scattered over
| New England and other states A good
deal of the money will go to Boston.
| to heirs OF the insurance companies
| that underworld the cargoes of the
| vessels. All Of the French spOliation
| claims have not been adjudicated, but
q good share Of those from Maine have
| been disposed of.
| one man Of some Maine interest is
| lourishng in the House. He is Rep
| resentative Adm p. Capron of Rhode
Island, born in that state but educated
| at WestbrOOk Seminary near Portland
| One of Mr. Capron's distinctions here
| is that of an eminent reconteur. 1t is
| doubtful if he has a peer in popularity
in that regard. Not infrequently dur
| ing an afternoon in the House Mr..
| CaDrOn is seen, the center of a group
| in the cloak room or in some corner Of
| the House, delighted with his latest
anecdotes, which scintillate with wit
| and humCr. He is a miller and grain
| dealer at home but has been a mem
| Der of the House for six years.
Mr.. Capron has one leading rival in
the field Of anecdote telling, and that
|
Mich. But these two often meet, some
| times in th. House restaurant, where
| they exchange their latest jokes and
then separate TO perpetTate the same
upon other members. In some respects
| they are men of similar facial charac-
| teriStils and manners, but both as jolly
citizens as draw q salary of $4,000 a
| year from the government as legisla-
| tors The older alumni of WestbTOOk
| Seminary. who are scattered all over
Maine will be interested to know that
| Mr Dapron flourishes occasionally as
a presiding officer of the House. Speak
| ir Henderson calls him up to the mar
bic rostrum to preside quite often when
private pension bills are under con-
-ideration.
Several Maine men here are getting
| Gn splendidly with the new commits
Si0rcr of pensions, Hon. Eugene F.
| Wa1e. The other day the archons of
| Society of Past Department Comman
| Gers Of the Department of the Poto-
mac took Mr.. Ware down the Potomac
| river on a little jaunt, and they had
the happicst kind of a time. Among
| the past commanders present We're Mr..
| Thomas S. Hopkins, who was recently
! on his farm near Mount Vernon, Me-,
to set things in order, Representative
| =. s. Alexander of Buffalo, formerly
Of Richmond, Me, and Mr.. Israel Stone,
a native of AroOstook. Mr.. Hopkins
made an eloquent address at a BAN
| quet which was served during the trip.
EN-Cov. BurleiGh has received let
ter from Hon. Albert Peirce of Frank
Tort Me. inquirinc about the prospects
| Of Il rural free delivery route there. The
citizens of that town forwarded n petit
ton here last September, asking for
| the establishment of Il route and it was
| filed by the governor with an earnest
request for favorable action. For some
reason the department has not gotten
around to the matter but GOV. BurleiGh
has presented Mr.. Peirce's letter and
again urged the department to send an
| inspector to that town.
Gen. Superintendent A. w. Machen
has written Gov. Eurleigh that a petit
| ton for the establishment of rural
| free delivery route ut Harmony, Me,
has been referred TO Special Agent Bou-
telle for an investigation.
| Gov. Burleigh has notified Hon. Ora
| mel Murray, postmaster Mt Pittsfield,
| tablish a rural free delivery route out
of that town at some day in the near
future. The inspectors report was
favorable.
A favorable report to the Senate has
been made by Mr.. Martin of Virginia,
on bill. which has been pending be
fore Congress many years, to refer
claims of owners and officers Of the brig
Olive Frances and others to the United
States court at Portland. Me-, for in
ves,iration and adjudication. The brig
was owned in Machiasport. Me-, and
While on a voyage from Boston to New
Brunswick. in 1896, was run down by
the United States gunboat Winooski,
which rammed her with a subsurface
PROV. There has been a long drawn
out controversy as to the liability of
the government but it is certain that
an act Of Congress is necessary before
any payments for damages can be
made 10 the owners and others inter-
ested in the craft.
Senator Frye now owns the most con-
spiCuous hat Of any member of the
Continued on page 60