The sun., 1903-12-26
The House OF FeliCiana.

Department, L, >. A, rented the house
! of FEL1CIANA MENDOZA, at Grant
street, Angeles, Pampanga, p |. II
was occupied by civilian teamsters,
destructive lot, if all affidavts are true.
MARcELo TIGALo, who has the happi-
ness of being the husband of the lady
with the auspicious Christian name, de-
poses that the house was in good order
when the civilian teamsters came. In
the four years of their occupancy. If
MARcELo is a judicious observer, these
| damages weie inflicted:
Three sets double doors. nara wood removed
and lost: abor hx feet wooden sides OF kitchen.
nalave wood removed and lost: wooden bars In
kitchen windows, removed and lost: fve sliding
windows. malave wood -four in kitchen and one
INTERIOR. removed and lost about six feet malavc
wood. side TO dining room. removed and lost; wood
banisters to staircase. removed and lost: one e1-
terror door, Gu, down abou. one foot"
Sounding in damages to the tune of
$500, according to MARcELo's estimate.
A board OF officers convened to in
yestigate and fix the amount of damage.
ALBERT E. FEIGHT, an employee of the
Quartermaster's Department, testified
that FELIcIANA's house looked very old
and out OF repair when the teamsters
moved in. When he took charge of it
he had two doors in the interior removed
and hung at the head Of the stairs, where
they are still. There were no other
doors in the interior, and the door said
to have been cut down had been so eX-
cised when he first saw it. Some OF the
windows were missing, and the removed
siding was decrepit. The Government
has built on FELICIANA's lot two build
ings worth $500 gold. Three sets Of
narra-wood doors, new, might be worth
$40 gold; five new windows, sl2; new
siding, s.; and bamboo bansters, 81.
Capt. W. s. VALENTINE of the Fifth
Cavalry, Quartermaster at Angeles,
certified as follows:
The value placed by this municipality on the
entire property rented by the ouarteImaster's
Department from FELIcIANA MENDOZA as shown
by the lease Ale in this once, Is 800 pesos and
the value placed the said property BY the con
tracing auartermAssr is 500 pesos ON this basis.
and from my knowledge Of the value Of similar
houses In this town. estimate the value OF the
house used as quarters for teamstcrs at not TO e1
ceed 600 pesos: when was detailed as auartermas
ter March last carefully Inspected the build
ings and ! found the teamsers quarters to
be old and In poor repair. and the sides OF the
house were In several places very rotten have
| made several Inspections since March Q. and no
damage has been done since that date; believe
| that no damages should be allowed claimant for
the loss OF the boards In the sides Of the house.
| as the boards remaining are rotten and the loss
| Of these boards even II caused BY American &c am
| s,ers might fairly be considered as fair wear and
| tear as a slight accidental blow might dls!odgc
| one: believe that $50 will be ample TO reimburse
! owner for all other alleged damages II she can
| prove that said other damages were caused by
! deliberate action OF occupants. and were not due
10 the poor repair of the premises at the date Of
| first occupancy
The doors Of nara wood, the bamboo
banisters, the kitchen bars made no
impression on the unimaginative SOL
diery. The board inspected the house
and found it in poor condition. The re-
port dealt in a prosaic, not to say petty,
spirit with the losses bewailed by MAR
CELLO and FEL1cIANA:
The articles enumerated in the arHdavlt Of
| MARCELo TIoALo are all missing. except a double
| set OF doors, which. as appears from weight Of
evidence. was taken from the inside and placed
on the outer door, where they now The in
terror door, alleged to have been cut down foot
| u evidently In same condition now when ilrst
| put In. except for age. except that small space
| above II Is open This space. as appears from
evidence was formerly covered by a small piece
| OF bamboo suale. ?is by 1 foot. and worth abou,
10 cents,
The siding however is missing In the kitchen only,
and not In the dining room, as stated In MARcELo
| T1oALo's af1davit
| Tho siding In the kitchen evidently dropped out
! from age and ravAgcs OF insects. hastened a few
weeks, perhaps. by the swinging Of fec, OF the men,
| ~ stated In evidence.
Timely repairs by the owner would have pre-
vented this.
1T is also proven by the Inspection as well as by
| the evidence that MARcELo TIGALo wiuy mis-
represented the facts to the number OF double
| doors, the exterior doors. and siding In dining
| room
1T Is also suspected he has shown like will In re-
| gard 10 other things"
"Wilful Misrepresentation is too ugly a
phrase to apply to an ex parte appraisal.
| The House Committee on War Claims,
with which the fate of FEL1CIANA's bill
of damages now rests, has more toler-
ant or more cynical view of the psy-
chology of claimants. They do not
wilfully misrepresent. Time makes the
heart grow fonder. The old plug -
that was appropriated by the United
States Army forty years ago becomes
a precious charger, and is charged for
accordingly. The lima beans and to-
matoes trodden by the hoofs of war
gain value with time. Something must
be set down for sentiment, something
for interest, and the Government is rich
and kind. And that age-rotted and
ant-eaten siding on the west side of
FELIcIANA's s kitchen may have been dear
! tn It's owner for it's antiquity, The