Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-20
19CUSTOMS MEN
RETIRED TODAY
Col. Davies and Col. Bonnaffon
Among Veterans Who
Win Pensions
ALL OVER 70 YEARS OLD

The elimination of a twenty FIVE
year fight for retirement and pension for
civilian government workers will take
place today. when nineteen employees Of
the Custom House are placed on the re-
tired list. All the men are over seventy
years Of age. To receive the full $50
a month retired pay. they must have
served in government Offices for at least
thirty years. otherwise they will be
given pension in proportion with the
number of years they have worked.
Captain John F. Brisbane heads the
list as the oldest employe. He entered
the government service in 1866. The
eighteen others who win retirement to =
day are:
Colonel David I. Davies. Colonel
Sylvester Bonnaffon. Jr., Captain Rich /.
ard NJ. Fish. Patrick II. Dillon. James
NJ. Gray. James A. Hutton, John II.
Kreamer. II. CLAY Marshall. William
Martin. George w. McCracken. George
NJ. Middleton. Alexander F. Nicholas
Charles w. Ridgway., Charles r.
Schaffer. Harrison Seabrook. Henry J.
Alfred Walton.
Colonel Davies is a distinguished
veteran Of the Civil War. and is one
Of the few survivors. of the prisoners Of
the famous Andersonville prison in 1885,
and 1865. He has been reelected
twenty-sit times president of the Welsl
Society and is greatly liked by ever,
one around tho Custom House. wher,
he has been 4 clerk for fifty four years
Colonel Davies fought with the Sew
enth Regiment. Pennsylvania Cavalry
during the Civil War. and has always
! been prominent in Grand Army and
fraternal and society circles. He wa.
\. ID. G. on the staff of Commander
in Chief G. A. Il. General J. +. Har
tranft during 1S76-1S77. Assistan,
quartermaster general of General Sam
uel Irwin Givins's commander, Depart
ment Pennsylvania G. A. r.. ir. 1883
| He was also secretary and treasurer o
the centennial committee of the G. 4. II
in 1876.
Prominent in Masonry
He is past adjutant'gener and past
vice, commander of the National Asso
citation of the Union Ex Prisoners Of
! War. past master of Integrity Lodge o.
Masons, member of Jerusalem Chapter
Royal Arch Masons; past grand O
General Harrison Lodge. I. o. o. F.
past commander of Admiral Du Pom
Post, G. A. r. past chief patriarch o.
Lafayette Encampment, and is also {
graduate of Crittendcn's Commercial
College.
Another Civil War veteran to be re
tired today is Colonel Sylvester Bonnaf
fon. Jr., who has held the. position o
customs cashier since 1885. Colone
Bonnaffon enlisted in the Ninety nintl
Pennsylvania Infantry December IA
1851, as private, and his promotion
were rapid up to the rank of captain
which he attained October 10, 1864.
Praised for Heroism
| Seventeen days after this promotion
he was severely wounded in battle. tn
official record reading: Checked tn
rout and rallied the troops of his com
mand in the face of terrible fire o
musketry; was severely wounded.
March 13. 1865. he was made breve
major and later brevet lieutenant colo
mel and was mustered out July l, 1865
For his bravery Colonel Bonnaffon wa
awarded the Congressional Medal o
Honor.
Colonel Bonnaffon was appointed
! second lleuteudut III tHe tHlltu otult
army, Thirty first Infantry, May 30
1867, on recommendation of Majo
General George G. Meade. Colone
Bonnaffon declined the appointment.
A few years after the war Colone
Bonnaffon enlisted in the First Infan
try, National Guard of Pennsylvania
as a private, October 10, 1868, ant
again reached the rank of captain jun
II, 1871. He was honorably discharged
September, 1874.
July 81, 1877, Colonel Bonnaffon &C
cepted the appointment as colonel in th
Twentieth Emergency Regiment
which was organized, uniformed
armed and equipped in thirty six hour
and in fifty six hours reported to Gov
ernor Hartranft at Pittsburgh, remain
ing on duty two months. On Septembe
80 he was honorably mustered out
March %, 1870, again found Colone
Bonnaffon in the artillery corps, Wash
ington Grays Battalion, as major, whicl
rank he held until July 20, when h
was honorably discharged.
January Il. 1880, he was made colo
mel of the Third Regiment, Nationa
Guard of Pennsylvania, which post h
held for ten years, being hopprably dis
charged January IA, 1890. He bull
two armories for the regiment, and it
members served in the Spanish -Ameri
can War. the Mexican War and tn
world war.