Sunday Washington globe., 1902-01-05

Commissioner II. Clay Evans has re-
ceived numberless encomums Of the adj
ministration press for his untring zeal
in running down, exposing and depriving
unworthy pensioners Of the money they
have been fraudulently drawing from the
Government. His eulogies have been
equally strenuous and high colored for his
services in preventing fraudulent claims
for pension. Upon these two characteristics
his fame has been built and circulated
broadcast throughout the land His enc
mics, or rather his critics, have been re-
preached for their auimadversious on so
faithful and SO honest an official and they
have been sarcastically referred to as the
"freebooters and looters who have been
foiled by this admirable public servant in
their raids on the Pension Bureau" All
charges, proofs or insinuations that Com
missioner Evans is a soldier hater have
been laughed TO scorn aud his magnificent
patriotism as aquartermaster's s clerk pointed
out as sufficient refutation of assaults on his
military record. No one has been hardy
enough to accuse Mr.. Evans Of playing
favorites, and until the Sunday GLOBE ex-
posed his Inconsistency in denouncing for
the benefit of an outside press the pension
shark attorneys while at the same fine fur
nishing them room and government clerks
here in Washington at an annual expense
of S6, 900, It was universally believed that
the Commissioner Of Pensions lived prin-
cipally on sifloin steaks cut from the Aeshy
portions of the aforesaid pension shark at
torneys. But the GLOBE proved and estab
lished its charge, whereat there was silence
on the part Of the blowhard and eulogistic
administration press and strikers.
Now this Sunday morning, January S,
1909, we charge II. CLAY EVANS WITH
ENowENGLY PAYING A FRAUDULENT PEN
sIoNl Aud with continuing on the pension
rolls al the rate Of $50 per month fraudu-
/ lent pensioner
Does Mr. Roosevelt hear us2 Further
more Mr.. Evans promised when the case
was brought to his attention that he would
Immediately stop the pension, that the evi-
dence was overwhelming as to the fraud,
: and that no influence could prevent his Of
fetal action in the premises.
Now Mr. Evans himself will admit--must
admit, for the GLOBE has the proofs and
the witnesses-that the case of Alexander
Montgomery, of Eaton Rapids, Mich, pen
stoned at $1,000 per month, is fraudulent
and that knowing it to be such he (Evans)
continues to pay the said pension. Here
are the facts;
The pensioner claims paralysis of the
side fright or left will appear further
along), and on this claim he secured years
ago the reteable pension of $50 per month.
This man Alexander Montgomery was the
strongest and one of the physically finest
men in his county when this claim was
allowed His nephew, Judge Montgomery,
was Commissioner of Patents at the time
and he put the claim through. Several old
soldiers and acquaintances of Alexander
Montgomery, one Of them occupying an ad-
| joining farm, hearing of the fraud, reported
| the facts to the then Commissioner Of PEN
sions, who thereupon sent a special ex-
aminer to Michigan to take testimony.
The special examiner Mr.. George Smith,
and subsequently Mr.. Grunwald, secured
such overwhelming evidence of the fraud
that they refused to take any more afidavts
or examine any more witnesses. Even one
Of the witnesses for Montgomery, when on
the stand was asked which side of Mont
gOmery was afflicted with paralysis He
answered right side" Whereupon he
was handed his affidavit upon which the
pension was obtained and asked if he did
not swear therein that it was the LEFT side
He had to acknowledge that he did so, but
claimed he had made mistake and should
have stated in the affidavit that it was the
RIGHT sidel
Thus on one of two afidavits describing
the affection on the WRONG side Mont
gomery was pensionedl On this showing
his pension was stopped by the then Com
missioner. But Judge Montgomery, the
patent commissioner would not give up the
fight and he had his uncle's pension subse-
quently restored and the withheld back
payments paid his uncle
8 kf,, Ill ~rr1ra arta 4 a..
case to the Pension Bureau happened to re-
move to Washington just about the time
H. Clay Evans was appointed Pension Com.
missioner. This old soldier having ascer-
tanned that Montgomery was restored to the
rolls through the influence Of his nephew,
the Judge (uow deceased) determined that
no such fraud should be perpetrated on the
Government for which he fought and left
his leg upon the blood battlefield of Cettys-
burg and he hied him to the Pension Bureau
and was ushered into the presence of the
spotless Evans
AT the table sat H. Clay Evans and Judge
Collins, and If our notes are correct. Assis
tant Secretary Of the Interior Busy. How
ever, Evans and Collins listened to the
statement of the old soldier. Montgomery's
papers were produced from the files and
there stood the damning evidence in the
shape Of afiidavits and testimony under
oath.
o. That Alexander Montgomery was
never paralyzed.
(2) That he weighed over two hundred
pounds, and was the picture Of health and
manly vigor
(3.) That he was comfortably we'll fxed