Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-16
MADE ONE MISTAKE AND
HAS SINCE SUFFERED
Brilliant Military Career Taken Into
Consideration by House and Senate
Military Affairs Committees, Which
Recommend Pension After Half Cen.
fury Of Waiting,

! He is now - years old, and has neve,
| drawn pension. Wagner's case be.
tore congress is out of the ordinary
and interesting. Away back in Octo
| Der, 1864, Wagner. then captain of g
PENNSYLVANIA company, made the
mistake of becoming intoxicated. Be-
cause of his condition, he failed to sa-
Lutte superior officer General Anger
who passed by in company with his
staff and body guard. General Anger
inquired the officers name, directed
the colonel of Wagner's regiment tc
prefer charges against the captain. and
on Nov. II, 1854, about a week after
the incident, Wagner was dishonorably
discharged by court martial without a
/ trial, on the charges of drunkenness
and desertion Of his command while
Oh picket duty.
Has Suffered Enough.
But that was fifty years ago. Wag-
ner has suffered the humiliation Of a
( dishonorable discharge, and has been
without the benefits of pension.
Under date Of Feb. 4, 1881, Captain
Wagner applied for an honorable dis
charge to President Rutherford B.
Hayes, outlining the facts Of his dis
/ honorable discharge and the fact that
for five years prior to the date of his
letter he had used no liquor and was a
mem Der Of the Methodist church Of
Glenwood, Mo. The letter was referred
TO the war department and March 10,
1881. Wagner was notified that it was
beyond the power Of the war depart
ment 20 revoke the dismissal or grant
him an honorable discharge.
Kenyon Takes Up Case.
Recently Senator w. S. Kenyon took
up the case for Wagner thru the SEN
ate military affairs committee and the
committee recommended that Wagner
be given the relief he desired
The house committee on military af-
fairs. thru Senator F. E. Warren, OF
Wyoming. reported nthe senate bill
Friday and recommended for passage
the senate bill without amendment.
{ Attached to the report to congress
| by committees are the official report
of the war department on the case,
the letter written by Wagner to Pres
ident Hayes. the statement Of the war
! departments inability to grant the re-
lief and an affidavit by Wagner, made
! locally on July %, 1912.
/ Committee Report on Case.
The house committees concurring
report in the case follows:
The records of the war department
! show that this soldier responded &c
/ Lincoln's first call for troops. in April
| 1851. and was mustered into service
for three months. from which service
! he was honorably discharged.
! He was again mustered in on Aug
~ 1882. for nine months service as a
first sergeant, and was promoted to d
second lieutenancy for meritorious
+ conduct in the battle of Antietam, and
finally TO first lieutenancy. to date
! Dec. 70 1852 and in that rank was
I honorably discharged with his com
! pany.
! In August, 1854, he was mustered
! in as a second lieutenant and recruit
ing officer. He organized Company H
Two Hundred Second regiment Penn
sylvania volunteer infantry, at his ow!
expense and was made captain Of thai
company on Sept. s, 1854.
Two month later, while in COM
nand of the pickets. Captain Wayne,
arranged with his first lieutenant tc
take his place on picket guard while
he went to the camp of another resi'
ment. where ne had acquaintances ant
friends among the officers to procure
provisions. Unfortunately among th'
provisions which he procured were
strong liquids, which he carried bacl
internally; and, also unfortunately, OF
Nor ly fn hi MIA
met a general officer with his staff
whom he failed to salute. The colone
Of his regiment thereupon brough
charges against him and recomm ended
his dismissal from the service. He wa
accordingly, within week, sunmaril,
dismissed. without trial by a cour
martial or hearing Of any sort.
THE total length of this soldier
I service is a little less than fifteel
months. Under ordinary circumstance
your committee, would hesitate to rec
ommend favorable action upon bill o
this character except upon a showing
Of longer service. But this seems t
be an exceptional case. Wagner mus
have been a good soldier to have bee!
given two honorable discharges and t.
have risen from the ranks to a cap
|
pany at his own expense, which +
claims amounted to over $500, surel,
speaks well for his spirit and his 10y
atty to and desire to serve his country
And, too, it would seem that sum
mary dismissal without a hearing o
any sort was rather severe punishment
in the case Of an officer Of good stand
ing who had good record, in view 0
the offense, which, while In some de
gree serious, in that he should no
have left his post Of duty without leav
and should not have become drunk, wa
still nothing Of he;nous nature, a
would have been theft, homicide, o
a malicious lie.
AT any rate, your committee teel
that the soldier has suffered sufficien
length Of time, and has been sufficient
ly punished for the offenses committed
and that, having been without the pen
sion benefits which his comrades hav
enjoyed all these years, he should nov
in his declining days, be rewarded fn
the efficient services he gave to hi