Evening star., 1916-05-28

of chiefs and clerks, Is a human COM
edy peopled with several million char
acters with dates. places and sftua-
t1ons accurate enough to satisfy the
lawyers and examiners of this depart
ment who pass upon them. Uncle sam
does not pay pension for the asking,
but spares no pains and means to sat
isfy himself that the applicant for
pension Is legally entitled to it.
The pension office contains portion
of the family history of more than
2.000.O00 persons who have been pen
stoned as a result of the nations wars.
When it is considered how many peo
pie besides those connected by ties of
blood with the pensioner form a part
Of these human biographies 1t can we'll
be understood how great the magnt-
tude and the value of these files are
to future generations. They are at
present a never-failing help to all pa
triotic societies
Without the files in the revolutionary
division the paper of many D. A. r.
could not be verified, and the commits
sions and letters in this division bear
ing the signatures of John Hancock
Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and
others of the early patriots and states
men are of infinite assistance and val
ue. chara cterstic letter of George
Washington. written in his simple.
clear English, asking for supplies of
blankets and meat and spelling com
plete,' with an "a is on hle here
A commission signed by John Warren,
p T, congress of the colony of Massa-
chusetts bay. 1873. is of interest. There
are several signed by John Hancock,
but the one dated August 10, 1879. a
month and six days after he put his
bold signature at the head of the
Declaration of independence. is of par
ticular interest to collectors of auto
graphs. Thomas Jeffersons when gov
ernor of Virginia in 1880. and Patrick
are also of value. Miss Wilson of
South Carolina. the head of this di
vision. watches jealously while these
precious documents are being scanned
and takes no chances on their being
misplaced.
Many of these valuable old papers
have undergone the most exquisite re-
pair, being lined with a thin trans
parent silk which is so deftly applied
that 1t is scarcely noticeable, and yet
allows the paper to be handled without
fear of harm. Those dealing with the
life of the early pioneers read like
stories of thrilling adventure, and in
some of the revolutionary records
names since forming part of the ma
tons internal and diplomatic affairs
are written merely as evidence or as
4
sidelights are thrown on the times and
people that are enlightening to the
student of American events.
The Indian stories in some of the
revolutionary pension papers are hair
raising, and the graphic pictures given
of Tecumseh and other Indian chiefs
of the eighteenth century are told In
the most natural way by witnesses
of their acts.
The suffering and hairbreadth es-
capes of the early soldiers and pio-
ueers. fighting for home and family and
present republic. are an inspiration to
all generations and an incentive to pa :
trfotism of the broadest sort.
Delightful tales of forty-niners and
the gold fever, when the mad rush was
made for the Pacific coast are the
foundations or evidence Of some Of the
most interesting applications for civil
war pensions. The wanderings and ad-
ventures of the men who were seized
with the fever. their romances and
tragedies which preceded and succeed
ed their enlistment as soldiers in the
sos. all come out in these papers.
Sometimes when the application of
some dependent of one of these men
is made for Uncle Sans bounty, the
wheels of the special examiners office
have to be put in motion, and clever
detective work must be done to verify
evidence and facts.
Mortimer Whitehead. chief of this di-
vision. does not consider it good dis
cipline to talk much about this spe-
cial branch of the service. but now
and then, just by way of illustrating
a point, he will tell few interesting
facts about John Doe and other name
less individuals whose lives have come
under the observation of Uncle Sans
eagle eye.
The evidence is sometimes most pa
thetic. as, for instance. in one case
where Identification of an old soldier