Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-05-03

eould be seen along its edge
Later the same day a suit of clothes
containing cheap watch and a small
sum OF money was found on the beach
me inference was that some one had
zone In bathing-and never returned. In
vestieation showed that the suit be-
longed to the man who had gone there
early IN the morning. Search was made
md the bay dragged, but no body was
recovered
The scene shifts.
In q tiny room In a Pacific coast city
- man and a woman Tho latter is
france medium" and Just now she is
nder the control of a spirit and is
-peahng to the man.
see bay" she says, peaceful In
the coming of dawn, calm and clear
nan comes hurrying to this place carry.
.ag bag. He undresses, as IL To 20 in
'athing. No-he only removes his suit.
This he puts on the beach. takes another
rom the bag and puts 1t on. Then he
caves. taking the empty satchel.
see this same man on a boat. He
AMOS in a western city. I see a woman
and child join him. They travel to-
sether. They go from city to city, as if
the man were fleeing from something. 1
sec the man now in -
These two Incidents formed the princi-
p"i scenes OF play in which Uncle Sam
enacted the role OF detective with the
great money vaults of the Treasury to
oe protected Another scene was laid in
Inc pension bureau at Washington Still
another. yet to have its presentation.
a. most hkeiy' De staged in one of the
nations penitentiaries.
As the story was gathered hit bv hi, q.
me United States pension bureau Ii nos
Nessed all the features of a modern mys-
Isey Drama But as II appears upon the
records Of that Office it takes its place as
merely another attempt to obtain a pen-
SION fraudulentiy. and becomes hi, one
~ many hundreds of similar cases
Here is the story. man living T.,
iHddIe western city applied for a pension
moving the usual routine in such mat
ers' the bureau asked the War Depart
cent tor the mans record, and back
a'ne the report. dead" This started an
nvesiigation and. the appican, hearing
~ H. Ned TO another state. There he en-.
t''ed the scene at the bay. but instead of
ROWING, donned another suit and xet
SAIL for the west.
"a the vest ne encountered the trance
@ediGm, who, discovering thar cow.
hing was wrong, by careful oTes,;onin,,
earned his story. She then wrote To The
postmaster Of his home town for f,rthar
4eRalis' ana 10 was at this point that the
tension bureau crossed the trail An
.tsent OF the bureau was dispatched to in
ierview the woman and there foIlo,a.
the trance" scene described
From this information the buresu w,,
"ole TO PICK up the mans wherea bouts
and is even now looking for him as an
.inpoS,or; ~ also developed that tho
meoinni had written to the postnaxter
for information. with a view to biack.
mail. " eeh
mat is a typical Casa single instance
iaken from many hundreds II ia safe N
say that never day goes bv but hi.
phase OF the bureaus work comes nm
starting an investigation which leads IN
me arrest of an impostor: preparing tes-
timony TO be used in court: carrying on
Proceedings which result In the impris-
onInent of the malefactor-aII this and
more forms well recognized part of the
routine work of caring for the nation $
army and navy pensioners
Nor is this class OF criminals composed
only OF men, women as well figure in
many OF the cases. for with such high
stakes plenty Of people are constantly
entering this game Of chance, ever hoping
that some day they will succeed in cheat
ing the government out of part of its
funds.
Pension appropriations at the present
time amount to approximately $17aOOO.-
900 annually. That represents the total
sum sent to the s2o.2O0 persons on the
pension rolls today. And because men
are always to be found who will scale
fences and climb porch pillars that they
may rob homes; because there are men
who will undermine buildings that they