The Monmouth inquirer. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1865-1933, 1924-01-03
PAY WIDOWS OF
"vETS" OF 1912
u. S. still Gives Pensions to
Widows of Men Who, Fought
III Years Ago.

Washingt0n.--Eo long pension
list persists after war is over Is shown
in a striking manner by the rolls OF
the government for the War OF 1917
and for the Mexican war. There IS
not d veteran OF the War Of 1912 alive,
vet it cost the government Sl8,0l0 for
pensioners Of that war during the past
year,
on June 80 last there were IS Wild
ows and one dependent daughter OF
veterans of 1872 on the pension list.
The seventy-hfth anniversary of the
close Of the Mexican war was cele-
brated on May 80 last, and yet during
the fiscal year 1923 there were 40 vet
Grams and 1886 widows of veterans
who fought in that war receiving
S717,847 in pensions from the govern
ment.
1t is a curious fact that not one OF
the pensioners Of the War of 1872 vas
born when the war was concluded.
The oldest is one hundred and four
years old, while the youngest is sixty
three. One other is over the ote hun
dred mark. The rest range between
eighty and one hundred years. The
explanation is that the veterans mar
ried women much younger than them
selves. In the case of the widow PEN
sloner sixty-three years old her hus-
band must have been from forty-dve
to fifty-five years older.
Mexican "vets" over Ninety.
All of the veterans of the Mexican
war are over ninety years Of age, the
Oldest one being Urban Chandeur Of
San Francisco, who passed the one
hundredth milestone on June 6, 1928.
unique Mexican war case is that OF
William Brown of Camden, N. j., who
at the tender age of eight years enlist
ed in the marine corps and fought
throughout the war.
War is a costly business, not only
from the point of view of actual fight
ing expenses but also that of paying
pensions to the old and disabled vet
Grams and their dependent widows and
children, officials of the bureau OF
pensions assert. Back in 1877 there
were 800, 104 persons on the pension
rolls Of the government, involving an
annual disbursement of sos, 182, 821.72.
This was when the largest number OF
War of 1912 and Mexican war pen
sioners were on the rolls. A few years
later Civil war veterans began to take
advantage Of the pension privilege
and the expense jumped much higher.
Pensions Total s263, of2, 500.
While there are no separate figures
available as to just what the dis
bursements were to War of 1872 and
Mexican war pensioners for those
years, 1t is known that they figured
very heavily in the total. In 1885
the pension disbursement amounted to
$65, III, 93712 with 345,125 persons on
the rolls. From then on it gradually
increased until 1919, when the cost
was S222, 159, 292, with 624, 427 persons
on the rolls. For 1923 the total amount
Of pensions paid out was S263,012,50O-
Most Of this amount Of course, was
paid to Civil war and Spanish war
pensioners less than 100000 of it
going to pensioners Of the War of
1872 and Mexican war.
There are no longer any soldiers
who actually fought in the War Of
1872 on the pension rolls, the last one
being Hiram Crouk, who died in Ava,
n. T., in 1905, at the age of one hun
bred and five. The last soldier pen
sioner OF the Revolutionary war was
Daniel r. Brakeman, who died at Free
dom, N. Y, in 1869, at the age of one
hundred and nine years, while the last
pensioner of the Revolutionary war
was Esther S. Damon, widow of Noah
Damon, who died at Plymouth Union
Vt, In 1905. at the age of ninety-six
years.
$1,000 Widows Pensioned.
AN told, approximately $4,000 wild
ows of soldiers Of the War of 1912
were granted service pensions, the
high water mark being reached in
1879, when there were 1877 on the
rolls.
The original $4,000 widows of sol
diers of the War of 1912 whe were
granted pensions had shrunk TO only
40 on June 80 Since that time death
has claimed one OF them, reducing the
figure to 80. Of the many thousands
of veterans and widows of veterans
of the Mexican war who were granted
pensions only 40 veterans and 1886
widows of veterans remain An Idea
of how fast the number is decreasing
can be gained by the figures for the
last fiscal year. On June 80, 1922,
there were 40 pensioners of the War
Of 1912, compared to only 40 one year
later. On June 80, 1922, there were
1851 Mexican war pensioners on the
rolls. compared to only 1855 one year
later.
The amount paid to pensioners of
the War of 1912 ranges anywhere from
SO to 500 month. But most of
them receive not over $50 a month
1t all depends on the extent of their
disability. and the amount necessary