Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-02-18

IN the strange applications for pensions
| that come Ia his Office Some of these
| letters belong Ia HE too good ia keen"
class, ami they find their way ont into
the world. where they add n good deal
To III" lilArity of nations. Some appli-
cantS for pensions manifest the most
childlikc ignorance rcsardin. the meth
| od Of procedure necessary when npplv-
In" for Il pension. They seem To think
that all they have 10 ,lo is to send an
application to the pension office and
Uncle Sam viii forward Il check by re-
Yarn mail
Soon after the close of The civil war
th"r" cam" 10 The pension office in
Washington tn" following unique and
pootical application for n pension that
went the rounds of the newspapers
years ago:
to commissioner OF Pensions Washington
ihcS" many years I've tried in vain
an honest peutiun to obtain
For wound received in Sixty one
ut first Battle Of EUii Run
one Of ohi"ns sons 50 brave
who went 10 tho front tho union to save
And whilst Engaged in above said fight
| n rebel Shell took half my sight
Hot content 10y taking an Eyc
| this ircaChcrors shell in Passing by
took my Ey" Brow clear nf tho bore
and Lot mo as unconscious as II stone
| Burning - blister of Crvstal clear
| from IL" Jaw Ion" To- the Ear
i'm; thanks to Eod my life was spared
Clock ana Eve brow but Slitoly Scared
| and ono Eye was loft tu mo
| Tor =" wright and read I'octrc
| ] hone that with that Eye tn 80" tho day
whcn unsel Sam his Cripples will Pay.
| Much more recent IS III" lottrr scnt
10 III" commissioner Of pensions by an
applicant who had contracted blood
poisoning in tho following remarkable
manner:
! got blood poison Ivy beirrc hit with n
| nous 80 Won carr back from tho frunt
| Th" og was not good wen Won send my
, pension want the Decd made sos my
wife can't yet non" of II. She thrcdc the
*. She war robbed
Equally appealing and remarkable
was another letter sent Ia the pension
office in which the applicant So, forth
! his claims 10 Il pension in this wise:
| Tho way got nv War inrery was a
keichin OF = hog. rho Hog war wanted
by our captain for forccc. We was chasin
| The hog and sin" crawlad threw "A hoia
an thot were about ,h" size uf the hog
!
| in tryin 10 wicClc out thrudr tho rales
! on an one IL hi, III" ON my hnd and mock cd
IN" sous""ss. 'lo mot think tho hog had
n"thin to do with my line NJ duty. for
dill not kctch til" hog Wch she never
was caut SO plcze send along my pension.
One as,1l pensionrr had evidently
mad" II serious hlundrr ny taking
unto himself II wife in his old age. for
love of gain seems IL have been the
motive of the woman who married him
If TIA" following letter stated the facts
! in the ease:
Dear Mister Government. Peze to fix Ip
| my p"nShIn papers my wife cant
draw my twelve dolers a munt when |
| am d"d. she say she marry.d me for low
| an 10 he a ole mans Daring hut now |
| no II was for 10 Sit my p"nsnun on her
self 10y being my widowcr plcze let
my pcnshun end with me hut piczc donnt
let on To her that YOU got this from me
or would have ~ hot time Of II aud times
ia hotter now than can stand. So when
| send word that am no m"ar then send
her this ii you want 10 hut not until The
pcushun Is shut off Witch il is h.r Just
desserts for marryin for money an In n
Mershccuary spirrut
one day there came 10 The pension
office 81 very old AMI subdlei lo0ki inn
man who could scarcely iottcr along
with the help of two canes. BY his side
was - very robust ami perfectly self
rciiant youn.. woman of perhaps thirty
years OF age When some one went
forward 10 ask what was wanted the
youn" woman said:
We'll. I'll just tell YOU. This is my
husband and we ain'l getting enough
npuSjpu--tlnt'S ,vhut W.. mint W'c'rc