Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1910-11-24

which ). a. FIack Regularly Paid
Abilene Woman.

The pension department - lnvestl-
eating the pension Of Mary Dalhamr
mer Of Abilene, whose pension was
cancelled in Washington nearly four
years ago, but who had received her
pension regularly from John A. Flack,
the defaulting Abilene banker, says
the Topeka Journal. Mrs. Dalhma-
mer never knew her pension had
been stricken from the list, but pre-
sumed it was sent Flack for her.
Two months ago when the Abilene
bank failed, Mrs. Dalhammer's PEN
sion stopped and the case is now in
the hands OF the pension department.
II appears from the records Of the de-
partnent in Washington that no word
was received from Mrs. Dalhammer,
Hi 1905 and in November Of that year
her name was stricken from the PEN
siCn rolls. she says that she receiy-
"a her pension regularly from Flack
until the failure of the bank, but was
never required to sign any vouchers.
Fiack, It appears. had charged the
voman's pension Of $12 a month to
the expense account Of the bank.
Mrs. Dalhammer Is the widow OF
peter F. Dalhammer, who was a mem
Der Of Company X One Hundred and
Sixty-fifth drafted militia. Since his
death the woman has received a PEN
sion Of $12 month. She is very fee
bile and in modest circumstances. Just
why Flack should have paid the wo-
man nearly 5000 pension money from
the earnings Of the bank, when the
government was willing to give the
woman the money. is a question that
10 bothering special pension exam
;ner, who is investigating the case.
He will spend several days in Abilene
and hopes to dig up some features
that will give the government more
light on the transaction. Mrs. Dali
hammer is uneducated and cannot
read or write. She says she did not
know that Flack was paying her PEN
sion out Of the funds Of the bank,
hut presumed the government had
Sent the money to him for her.
my home is between Mr.. Flacks
and the bank" the woman said, "and
Mr. Flack frequently told me It would
be no trouble for him to leave my
pension money at the house for me-
He did not bring any papers for me
to sign. He told me It would be ur-
necessary to sign any as he said he
would attend to that for me-"
In the four years that Flack
brought her the pension money. Mrs.
Dalhammer never executed a vouch-
err. When the bank closed and the
woman failed to receive her pension
money she became worried and the
trouble was taken up with the pen-
sion department in Washington. 1t
was the first communication the de-
partment had had with the woman
in nearly four years and the case
was referred to the Topeka office
for investigation.
Il cannot explain the case said a
pension examiner today, unless
Flack was insane. Any reasonable
man would have known that the wo-
mans pension would have been paid
by the government. and his SETON
could not be attributed to charltabi
cause. II the pension hac been paid
by the government, Flack might have
rut the money in his poke: aud still
charged the account to the bank, but
by this metho the bank lost nearly
s6OO and FlacS apparently gaining
Lotlnng."
Should the government decide to
init the fonr years' hack pension,
| il is very probabla that the bank VIII
ark to be re embursed for its loss
aud the money paid to the receiver.