The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-10-03
PENSION DECLINED
Mankato Veteran Does Not
Want SIP a Month.
A Curious Case That Is PuzzIing Pen
sion Agent Goethe Only One of
Its Kind.

The Milwaukee, Wis, Sentinel of
last Thursday contains the following ::
The number of pensioners drawing
their quarterly subsistence at the Mil
waukee pension Office was decreased
by one yesterday and the government
saved $12 per month by the cancella-
tion of pensioners certificate. The
amount is not great in comparison
with the sum total paid every year by
the government through Agent E. D.
Goes hands, but the circumstances
surrounding this case are unique and
without precedent. On account of the
policy of the pension service the name
is suppressed. but the identity of the
pensioner will doubtless be known by
his friends and acqus intances in the
neighborhood of Mankate, Min, his
present place of residence.
Four years ago certificate was
sent in Endorsed as follows:
"Being able to earn comfortable
living for myself and those dependent
upon me for support, though I have
no other source of income than from
my labor and have not dollar of sur
plus in my treasury, I surrender this
certificate, trusting it will be of SER
vice of some worthy comrade less for
tunste and more worthy than my
self"
In accordance with the custom pre-
vailing in the pension Office, the certi
fcate was held for three years before
cancelling the pension, and the time
AZ still further prolonged by Pension
Agent Coe in the belief that either the
comrade might change his mind or
some of his relatives might fall heir
to the three years pension money that
was due, but as nothing further has
been heard from the matter and no
demand has been made for the money,
the certificate was duly cancelled yes
terday and went to Washington on the
night mail
The case is more or less of conun-
drum as 1t stands now and the PEN
sion officials, not having any further
advisement on the subject than
that which appears on the face of the
papers, don't know what to make of
it. The pension was allowed at $12 per
month in September, 1890, under the
June act of 1890, known as the ode
pendent act" The money was drawn
at that rate for eight years. and in
1898 the certificate, Endorsed as above
was received.
The grounds on which the pension
was granted in 1890 was Gloss Of right
arm, rheumatism" and chronic dis
ease contracted in the army. The
fact that he was rated at $12 per
month shows that he did not lose his
arm in the service, rs his pension in
that case would have been $40 per
month. The arm must have been lost
between the date of his discharge
from the army and the time when his
pension was granted. The theory of
the government is that all pensioners
drawing under the June act of 1890
were sound in limb when they were
discharged, and became pensionable
through subsequent disaster and mis-
fortune.
No case of this kind has ever tans-
pired in the Milwaukee pension Office.
Pension Agent Coe, when asked for
his views on the case said he did not
understand it.
Pensioners have had their pensions
cancelled in several instances since /
became pension agent" said he. "but
nothing like this has been noticed be-
fore. The man writes good hand and
seems to be well educated and of good
capacity. -