Omaha daily bee., 1908-09-21

ing for you for some time. Here's the
money and thar's the books. Excuse me
for a minute while / go out to get a drink"
The Inspector suggested 1t would be bet
ter II he would remain while he ran over
the books. He did this, figured how many
stamps had been ordered, how many on
hand, and then estimated how much money
there ought to be.
IT'S all thar-right in tina sack" said
the postmaster, ~nervously.
Great Scott!" he exclaimed. where
the blazes did you get all them pennies?"
Took 'em in; amt they good7" asked
the postmaster.
There was nothing but pennies, over a
quart of EN-. The inspector began count
ing, not observing the postmaster edging
toward the door. Next minute he heard
the door shut and the postmaster was
gone. The inspector took out after him,
and after a half mile chase caught him.
What you running for?" demanded the
inspector.
You amt got no right to arrest me till
you count up and find out whether I'm
snort or not" said the postmaster.
Are you short?'
The man trembled a bit and then broke
down.
Yes" he said, nv been borrowing
s~tealing-money from the government for a
year. I got to specializing. and went on
deeper and deeper, always thinking 1
could pay back before you came. At last
I saw couldn't do it, and I got them pen
MES so as to skip out while you was
countin' EN-"
He Was $40 Short in His Accounts
How much are you behind?"
'Well, sir" said the postmaster, miser-
ably, the first Of last month it was IS, and
since then I've blowed in another IS. It's
fully $40"
The inspector laughed, and yet he knew
1t was a Serious matter, and that the man
would have to be reported the came as
IL he had stolen $1,000. He was removed
from office and a small fine imposed,
BY chance one day IL reached the de-
partment that a veteran Of the Forty
second Missouri, drawing a large pension
for catarrhal opththalmia (an affliction
Of the eyes,, had been suffering from the
malady before he entered the army. When
the government turned its hunters loose
on the case in 1895 this man had drawn
$4,000 in pension money. The hunters
proceeded without pity. The pensioner
was totally blind. The federal emissaries
discovered an army of people who had
known the soldier before his service, and
who would testify that his eyes were
sore before the war, and that the same
weakness was 4 characteristic Of the
other members Of the family. The old
pensioner had a well-tO-do brother IN
Chicago, who came to his rescue. Skilled
attorneys were hired, reliable witnesses
secured, and everything possible was done
to save the blind man his pension, but
the Pension department agents had built
an impregnable case, The action went
againGt the pensioncr in the federal cir
cult court and in the appellate court,
and the government got its money back
to the last farthing. He is yet alive,
totally blind, and subsisting upon the
bounty Of relatives, without which he
would be In the poor house.
Returned Pensions Declared Insane
The pension office not long ago mad oc-
casion TO investigate a curious case that
J developed up in Schuyler county. Frederick
Nyswander, a man whose war record
seemed straight, had gone to a lawyer and
asked him to draw up a will providing for
the return Of all his pension money-At
that time about S.OOO-to the government
on his death. The lawyer told the pen
sioner that II he had drawn the money
Illegally he ought 10 return It, and that II
he had been fair in the recital Of his in
juries there was no obligation 10 pay the
money back. But the pensloner was de-
termined, and he got another lawyer &c