Los Angeles herald., 1909-07-03
HOME BARRED TO
FEDERAL VETERAN
CLAIMS ONLY FAULT WAS ASK
ING FOR UNDERWEAR
Former Member of U. S. Army Is De-
MED Privilege of National Shelter
for Those Who Defended
Their Country

Homeless and penniless, barred from
the national home for volunteer SOL
diers, the county hospital and the
poor farm, George Balzer, SO years old
was a wanderer on the streets last
night.
Il have only a dime with which to
get something to eat, and guess I'll
have to sleep at Salvation army head
quarters tonight" he said after he had
narrated his experiences in the home at
Sawtelle.
Balzer was ordered to leave the home
yesterday by the new adjutant, Statz-
man, who succeeded Lambert. AL
though he has taken two honorable dis
charges from the home since 1901, he
was until yesterday morning a mem
Der of the institution on a temporary
readmiSsion card, and as such was en-
titled to the same treatment as If he
had been finally admitted as an inmate
Yet, according to his story, when he
asked for change of clothing, having
worn his underwear for six weeks and
his socks for the same length of time,
he was harshly ordered by the new
ad1utant to leave the place and never
return.
Belzer is a consumptive and has been
a charge on the county hospital, the
county poor farm and the Associated
ChdilliSS llliiS 10 llIIlG. lie mas
two children, a son, Fred Balzer of
Omaha, and a daughter Mrs. Fred
Bluch of Chicago. His wife is dead
His father fought throughout the war
of the rebellion and lost an arm His
mother died in this country and his
father went back to Alsace- Lorraine
and reared his son in that country.
Borne In Fort Wayne
Balzer was born in Fort Wayne, Ind
He has served sixteen years as regu-
lar and volunteer in the United States
army. He first enlisted in Chicago in
1881 and was in the Indian wars of
1890, being a member of company e,
Second regiment of infantry, and later
member of the Eighth cavalry.
While cavalryman he fought in the
Wyoming Indian campaign. and being
injured was placed on the disabled
list. In 1898, at the outbreak of the
Spanish war, he enlisted in
company E of the Fourth Wisconsin
infantry and was mustered out in Ala
bama. He re-enlisted in July, 1899. in
the Thirtieth United States volunteers
at Chicago and saw two years service
in the Philippines.
1.-THE reason that I was ordered
away from the home this morning was
probably because I had the i'll will of
tne FORMER auJutanI, Mr.. Lambert"
said Balzer. when l went to the
new adjutant. Mr.. Statzman, and
asked him for a change of clothes I
saw Lambert lean over and whisper
to him and then Statzman gruffly or
dered me out and told me to stay
away. When 1 was in the home before
refused to get bottle of whisky
for Lambert and he had it in for me.
1 am not drawing a pension, although
I have filed an application for one
Say Home Is Hades
"I want to tell the people through
The Herald that that home is a hell
for the men. My experience out there
is only a small part of what 1 know.
In April, 1908, was made undertaken.
One morning about o'clock 1 was
notified by one of the nurses that a
man named Donovan was dead. I
responded at once and found his body
cold and stiff. I asked how long he
had been dead and they told me about
fifteen minutes. Yet his body was
stiff and cold and the fact was that
he had been dead for hours and had
died unattended. I was fired by the
steward, who said that knew too much
(Continued Page ThreeD