The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-08-29
FAKE WIDOWS GAME
BY IMPERSONATING RELICT OF
HER OWN BROTHER
WOMAN GOT BIG PENSION.
HAD DRAWN 800 AND WAS ABOUT
TO DRAW $4,000 MORE.

Unique and Daring Scheme Unearth-
| ed by Special U. S. Pension EN-
aminers Goethe and M'Lnin-P. w.
Bradford, an Alleged Accomplish,
Arrested and Placed Behind the
Bars-The Woman, MOIlie Owens,
EIuded the Officers Who Went to
Whitmarsh Island After Her On a
Chartered Boat.
One of the most daring and unique
pension frauds ever practiced has been
unearthed in Chatham county. Mollie
Owens, by claiming to be the widow
of her own brother, and successfully
maintaining her claim through a period
of years, has succeeded in defrauding
the government out of large sums, and,
had not her little game been detected,
would have drawn $4,000 from the cof-
fers of the general government in a
few days.
P. w. Bradfoyd. held as an accom-
plice in the scheme. is now locked IN
the county jail. where he was placed
yesterday by a United States deputy
marshal, under direction of United
States Special Pension Examiners Dow
er Mccain and Thomas H. Goethe.
The Owens woman has not yet been ar
rested, but her arrest. and that of
others will probably follow in a few
days.
The story is as interesting as it is
unusual. Special Examiner McClain
10 with iV he
South, and has only occurred once In
twenty years, in the country. In 1868
Isaiah Owens enlisted as a private SOL
der in the Federal army. He served
two years. and being disabled he re-
turned to his home on Whitmarsh Is
land, near Savannah. Several years
after the close Of the war he died, pre-
sumably from the disabilities received.
Her Firste Claim Allowed.
After the death of her husband,
Clarissa Owens moved to Florida
where, shortly afterwards, she died
When the law of 1890 went into effect,
and every widow of a Union soldier
became Hereunder entitled to a pen
sion whether or not her husband died
firm disabilities, the sister of Isaiah
Owens, one Mollie Melton, formerly
Mollie Fraser, nee Mollie Owens, APP
piled for pension under the new law
Her claim was proven and allowed,
and she received 5000. Since that time
she has drawn 5000 more.
Shortly after filing her application
under the new law she filed one under
the old law, in which she claimed an
allowance of $12 a month from the date
of the death of her husband lin real
ity her brother). The amount which
would be due as a first payment on
this claim would be $4,000
The pension examiners Immediately
set to work to investigate the claim
more fully. They noticed that on all
of the affidavits and vouchers the name
of P. w. Bradford appeared. He swore
that Mollie Owens was the wife of
Isaiah Owens; that she was entitled to
the pension, and that she had not
married since the death of the said
Isaiah Owens. AS a matter of fact
she had married three times.
Where Bradford Figured.
When Special Examiner Parkey ex-
amined into the merits of the Claim,
Bradford was a witness. Under the
law a voucher has to be made once
every ninety days, in which the af
faint swears that the applicant for
the pension is the identical person who
was the widow of the deceased; that
she has not since married etc. To all
of these the name of Bradford was
afnXed. Inc ofllcerS say they nave
a dead case against him.
The woman has not yet been caught,
she having succeeded in eluding the
officers of the law. Bradford was ar
rested yesterday, the two pension ex-
aminers, accompanied by a United
States Deputy Marshal, having made a
trip to Whitmarsh Island, on a char
tered boat in order to effect the ar
rest
Bradford denied his guilt. He says
that he knows nothing of the where
abouts of the Owens woman. He will
probably be given a hearing before
Commissioner Rya1s in a day or two