The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-02-02
DIED THREE TINES
SUMERAL DENNIS WIDOW SAYS
HE HAS DIED LATELY
While the Pension Office Had Him
Dead Once in 1915 and Once
Again in 1917.

Zach McGee Il his letter to The
State from Washington says form
er South Carol!nial. Sumeral Dennis.
bears the record OF the nearest aD-
proach to the nine lives OF the cat.
and the pension Office Is ct work try
ing to figure out how many times
he really has died. The Washington
Sta. prints the following stcry.
which while the pension case Is OF
special interest in Alabama. Is still
OF interest IN South Carolina II there
is anybody there now whose name
Is Dennis:
The officials OF the pension Office
in Washington are accustomed to
receive claim for pensions which are
stranger than fiction. They are at
work on a claim made by Mrs. Sum
neral Dennis OF DadeTlle. Ala,
which caused them no end Of sur
prise.
''Sumeral Dennis. It appears on
the official records. died IN 1915. az
ter serving in the American army
| during the war OF 1912. According
| to the records. he also died in 1S47
! at the close OF the war with Mexico.
in which he also did good service.
| Now comes his widow and declares
that Sumeral Dennis died oaly a
| few years ago. having lived &c q
ripe old age.
Senator Johnston Of Alabama has
taken much interest in the claim
and is pushing II before the senate
committee on claims with the hope
Of winning the peEsion for the olc
lady. who lives now IN Daderille
with her son. Perry C. Deanis. q
prominent attorney.
III the pension claim goes through
| Mrs Dennis will receive in the
neighborhood Of $4,000. including
the back pension which IS due her
| "Suneral Dennis has & death rec
ord that few can beat. The Official:
IN Washington are afraid that ht
may yet be discovered alive.
Way back in 1872 be lived Il
South Carolina. During the second
war with Great Britain. Mr.. Denni:
became a member OF Cap. Beatty:
company IN the First regiment o
the South Carolina militia. He serv
ed gallantly during the war. But
according 70 the records on fle 1,
Washington. he died his arst deatl
IN 1915.
But, in spite Of the fact that b,
was officially dead. Mr. Dennis. wht
was still a young man. moved Il
Alabama, where he settled and lives
prospe-ously until the Mexican wa
broke out His old spirit for wa
was still alive. and he organized
! company Of volunteers himself an;
| joined the army o; invasion.
After this war he was oficiall,
reported dead for the second time
However. he lived 70 return to Ala
bama and to marry Mrs. Eva P. Den
mis- some years later. It is Mrs
Dennis who is now seeking the pen
sion. The old man was 81 year
old when he died the third time.
When the ofhciale in Washingto,
raise the criticism Of the claim tha
Mr.. Dennis died after the Mexican
war. before Mrs Dennis claims I.
have married him. Senator Johnsto.
points to the fact that, accordin:
TO the records, Dennis was dead /,
1915. and yet the later records shoV
him to have served in the Nexica,
war.
The senator argues therefore
that IL the records as to his d. t,
were wrong in the first instance
they might be wrong in the second
and tha: Mr.. Dennis widow shoulc
know. Il any one. when her HUSBAND
died and II she married the shadow
Of man"