The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-11-14
Flack, Defaulting Abilene Bank
er, Paid Widows Pension.
Her Name Had Been Stricken
From the Rolls.
SUPPOSED HER DEAD,
Flack Did Not Require Her to
Sign Vouchers.
Why Did He Pay When Govern.
ment Would Have Done So?

The pension department is today in
vestigating the pension of Mary Dali
hammer 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. Mrs.
Dalhammer never knew her pension
had been stricken from the list, but
presumed it was sent to F1ack for her.
Two months ago when the Abilene
bank failed, Mrs. Dalhammer's pension
stopped and the case is now in tho
hands of the pension department. 1t
appears from the records of the depart
ment in Washington that no word was
received from Mrs. Dalhammer in 1906
and in November of that year, her
name was stricken from the pension
rolls. She says that she received her
pension regularly from F'lack until the
failure of the bank, but was never re-
quired to sign any vouchers. Flack, It
appears, had charged the womans
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
Sixty-fifth drafted militia Since his
death the woman had received a PEN
sion of $12 month. She is very feeble
and in modest circumstances. Just
nearly $500 pension money from the
earnings of the bank, when the govern
ment was willing to give the woman
the money, is a question that is both
ering special pension examiner, who
is investigating the case. He will spend
several days in Abilene and hopes 10
dig up some features that will give the
government more light on the tranSac-
ton. Mrs. Dalhammer is uneducated
and cannot read or write. She says
chn Of
ing her pension out of the funds of the
bank, but presumed the government
had sent the money to him for her.
My home is between Mr.. Flack's
and the bank" the woman said. land
Mr. Flack frequently told me it would
be no trouble for him to leave my pen
sion money at the house for me. He
| did not bring any papers for me to
| sign. He told me it would be unneces-
| sary to sign any as he said he would
attend to that Tor me-"
| In the four years that F1ack brought
| her the pension money, Mrs. Dalham-
mer never executed a voucher. When
the bank closed and the woman failed
to receive her pension money, she be-
| came worried and the trouble was
taken up with the pension department
| in Washington. 1t was the first COM
| munication the department had had
with the woman in nearly four years
and the case was referred to the To-
| peka office for investigation.
Il cannot explain the case,' said
| pension examiner today, "unless F1ack
| was insane. Any reasonable man
| would have known that the woman's
pension would have been paid by the
| government, and his action could not
! be attributed to a charitable cause. If
| the pension had been paid by the gov
| ernment, F'lack might have put the
money in his pocket and still charged
| the account 70 the bank; but by his
method the bank lost nearly $500 and
Flack apparently gained nothing
Should the government decide to re-
NIT the four years back pension, IL IS
very probable that the bank will ask
to be re-embursed for it's loss and the
i money maid TO the receiver