Evening Star Newspaper, December 31, 1897, Page 9

“Your Credit is Good.” : Pay the New Year ‘Bring Happiness = to you and yours. For the + convenience of those who =| are giving receptions and s| wish to add to the appear- ance of their rooms, we will stay open tomorrow morn- ; ing. Weare selling all hol day goods at ce such as Lamps, Gilt or Enamel R ception Chairs, Fancy Rock- ers and Tables, Fine Writing Desks, etc. We will charge your purchases whenever ou wish. Lansburgh | Furniture Co., — / 1226 FSt.N.W. de31 A SSSSSSSsSsssssS ’ Reckless ' Sacrifice 3 Q of ¢ ‘Diamonds,’ Watches, Jewelry, &c.) AtAuction: The entire stock of the retiring ¢ firm of Q 1229 0) e9 Pa.ave. () mond Importers and Jewelers, Q ‘ab. 1874, is to be sold to a finish at pub-( lic auction. Absolutely nothing 2 reserved. Every article is to go 5 for what it will bring. . Drop in any day at 11 a.m., ‘ 3 p-m. or 7 p.m. \ J. H. French will conduct Q the sale for F. Warren Johnson, 2 Auctioneer. ) DOOD § {Jacobs Bros oo—~_~""—""_'"""19 & Q ampooing, or for restoring gray 'S. HELLER’S, 720 7th Street N. W. aple-2 New Year’s g ! Callers! «, COME DOWN AND TAKE A LOOK AT OUR & + PATENT LEATHER : p in the city = é $3.48, $3.98. = > Robert Cohen & Son,? ¢ 630 Pa. Ave.N.W. ¢ @ Feta Ret-3m 40 & ° 3 “Turn over a new leaf.” power, which i aper than stean ap Electric U.S. 213 1th s a, “S&S” Cor aw. remove the takes — f. VANTAGE . . . . hanging your old set of Arti- < Teeth (worn for 10 to 29 $ is great. A new set fits ie and gives youthful . And, be- . . . . . . . . . more Sets of for Eva ns’ Dental Parlors, £309 F St., N. W. eeeeee | vay u Doz. Hair Switches, 4 to us for the purpose of ratsing i y for a New York Hair importer. @ very tne Switeh for......... ++ -$1.50 the “same article you will $3.50 for elsewhere. $5 doz. Gras and White, from. . Just half of thetr actual ‘value. AT THE Louvre Glove Store, welS-tf NO. 919 F ST. +82 up r that burglars got into your house night and stole jewelry worth said Collingwood. That wasn’t the worst of it, either,” re- plied Camperdown. What else was there?” Well, they lighted the gas all over the house, and left it burning until we came home from the theater and extinguished it."—Harper’s Bazar. -o+____ The representatives of the powers have —— to —— the Turkish eae place 4,; time-expired troops on the Island of Crete. THE EVENING STAR, FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1897-14 PAGE. BiG PENSION FRAUDS Claim Agents Who Have Swindled the Government, CHEATED CLIENT AND PEOPLE Forgery and Perjury the Principal Crimes. STARTLING EXHIBIT OF DISHONESTY Cases Taken From the Files of the Department. ———— WORK OF INVESTIGATION ——+___. One has only to visit the law department of the pension bureau to satisfy himself of the existence of frauds in the pension busl- ness. And even then he will get but one feature of the thievery that is daily going on. But it is the most important feature of it all, since ic relates to the pension at- tornays against whom charges have been filed for unprofessional conduct, and rec- ords of their conviction, disbarrment and sentence. Hundreds of cases are required to accommodate these files, which if printed in book form would not only fill a large li- brary, but be an invaluable contribution to the annals of crime in the United States. Many of these cases, which have been final- ly closed, contain the photograph of the rascally attorney, and a good-sized rogues’ gallery could be supplied with them. There are, in round numbers, 50,000 pen- sion attorneys in the United States prac- ticing before the pension bureau. Hun- dreds have been disbarred, and hundreds convicted and sentenced to terms in the penitentiary. To accomplish these things the government employs approximately 150 men, and, as a prominent official said, in discussing this matter, “how can one sup- po: in this gigantic pension business that frauds will not occur? And who it th would criticise the work of th 150 inv tigators? The record shows one thing con- clusively, that much of the fraud practiced upon the department is due to pension at- torneys, and Commissioner Evans should be sustained in his position against them. A reporter of The Star visited the law de partment of the pension bureau this after- n and selected from the hundreds of Ss of attorneys who have been disbarred ollowing, with a view of showing the to de- the methods employed by some attorney fraud the government through the pension offic inxs a Mania for Forging. An attorney at Philipsburg, Center county, Pa., appears to have had a mania for forging, it has been conclusive shown that he actually preferred to forge = uther than file genuine on x of the e: filed through his trumentality were investigated, and it $s shown beyond question that he had wit- es in his office who were ready and willing to tes s to the material facts required and hy them go out and forged pers purporting to be their affidavits. This man also made a practice of forging as a the signature ef his deceased wife, who had been dead for thirt ars, thus mak- ing her name app as a witn| in a led. Nashville, Tenn., a pension attorney he rved two terms in the peniten- for violations of the iaw was dis- barred from practice before the pension bureau because he forged declarations and athéavits to be filed in claims for penston, caused his wife to impersonate a deceased widow pensioner, filed claims on the nam of dead persons and forged all of the affi davits necessary to establish the fictitious claims. An attorney at Amelia, Ohio, made a practice of causing witnesses to sign affi- davits in blank, subsequently filling out the papers to suit the exigencies of the case in which they were intended to be used and causing a notary public with whom he was associated to sign and affix his seal to the jurats without ever having seen or sworn the witnesses. He was convicted and sent to the penitentiary for such offenses. An attorney at Hoboken, had an office at Ellenvill practice of having witn sign papers in blank at Hoboken and st sequently taking the papers to Ellenville where he caused his clerk, a young lady whom he iad appointed a notary public n and affix her seal to the jurats with having sworn the witnesses. He was icted for these offenses and also for having collected an al fee number of im- number of pension claims which he At purported execution in Ulster county, York, he filed a large number of papers purporting to have been 1 at Hoboken, and it was con- shown during his trials that he who was a notary public «i his rent by credi 2 and a-half cents and affixing his seal to the ts of the papers in connection with claims without having seen the witnesses to such papers; that is, if there were a half en papers in a single claim this 4 maid ont: twelve uts for pretending to » batch, and not that amor cape Min addition to the offenses committed in connection with pension claims, shown at the trial of this attorne own testimony that he voted at Hoboken, <i by the testimony of others that he voted at Ellenville on the same day, and that an alteration had been made in the poll book and registration list of Ell ville, with a view to concealing the fac It would take not less than 1,000 printed pages to show the evidence against this nan. t Perjurer and Ex-Convict. An attorney at Los Angeles, Cal., who had formerly, under various aliases, been lecaied at various other cities in differ- ent States of the Union, and who is re- ported to be a bigamist and swindler, as well as a violator of the laws in connec- tien with claims for pension, was convicted last spring for collecting an illegal fee and filing a false claim, and was not only proven guilty as indicted, but shown to be a perjurer and ex-convict. He went on the stand at the conclusion of the trial and confessed his perjury, but not, howeve until t facts were clearly established by the evidence produced. An agent at New Orleans, La., who has served three terms for forgery, is known to have forged in excess of one thou- sand signatures to affidavits, declarations and vouchers in pension claims, and in so doing was aided by a good-natured notary public, who would sign and affx his seal to any paper presented to him by the agent. In @ single case this man forged forty-three signatures, and in one of the causes prosecuted through his instrumental- ity he used the husband of the alleged widow as a material witness. He succeed- ed in obtaining the pension of one of his clients over the period that the soldier was in South America by fabricating the vouchers and forging the indorsements to the checks. An agent at Renalara, Miss., forged over three hundred papers in claims for pen- sion, and in one case put the woman, who, according to her own description, was “a settled woman when the stars fell,” in the attitude of claiming pension as the widow of a man who was young enough to have been her grandchild. This man was not aided by a notary public. On the ¢ontrary, he forged the Jurats as well as the papers hemselves. An agent at Chattanooga, Tenn, forged the greater portion of the papers which were filed through his instrumentality, col- lected an illegal fee from substantially all of his clients, impersonated an officer of the pension bureau, and, in fact, violated Practically every federal penal statute ap- plicable to claims for pension. He is now Serving a twenty-eight years’ sentence. Every Method of Deception. An attorney at Lime Springs, Iowa, was disbarred by reason of the fact that he had been convicted and sentenced to pay a fine of $4,000 and to serve two years’ im- prisonment for violation of the federal Statutes in connection with a claim for pen- sion, but the offense for which he was con- victed ‘was only one of the many offenses shown by the evidence tu have been com- mitted by him. This man corrupted ex- amining surgeons and witnesses. It was his practice to write out statements to be copied by his witnesses, so that the same would be in their own handwriting, and thus have a semblance of verity which they did not possess. It was shown during the investigation of the claims filed through this attorney’s instrumentality that he re- sorted to about every possible and con- ceivable method of deceiving the govern- ment and his clients. He attempted to put a stop to the investigation of his claims by causing the arrest of the special examiner who was in charge of the inves- tigation, and, in fact, he succeeded in se- curing a conviction in a state court on a trumped up charge against the examiner, which conviction was subsequently set aside by the United States court on the ground that the examiner in doing the act for which he was convicted in the state court was acting within his duty as a spe- cial examiner and within the law. The following extract from a letter ad- dressed by this attorney to an examining surgeon is of itself sufficient evidence as to the rascality of his method without further comment: “I would like to have you write me just how this ts, and if you can send me the reports or copies of them (meaning the certificates of medical ex- aminations, the property of the United States government) I will appreciate it. I mean send copies of reports that have been mailed and then send the others for me to copy as heretofore, and hoping that you can do this as usual, and if you will i will promise that I will do everything that I can for you personally and will work all the harder in the future from now on.” It would take at least 1,000 pages to copy the evidence against this man. Used a Dead Friend's Name. An attorney in Washington was disbarred for unprofessional conduct in collecting 1l- legal fees. He was associated with another attorney in good standing. Shortly after the disbarment the other attorney died and the disbarred man took advantage of that fact to practice before the pension bureau under his dead friend’s name. Re- ceiving a fee check issued to the dead friend he raised it from $10 to $90, and his brother passed it on a clothing dealer in Philadelphia. Both the attorney and his brother were sent to the peniten- tlary for forgery and conspiracy, and it is known that this man committed many other forgeries, and indictments are now pending against him. Another Washington attorney has just been disbarred for collecting illegal fees in connection with nurses’ claims. An attorney at Buffalo, N.Y., admitted to practice before the bureau, New York, caused to be made and caused to be filed thousands of false, forged and fraudulent ceclarations, affidavits and papers as evi- dence in these claims, causing the organiza- tion of a comn.ission which investigated ever one thousand claims containing evi- dence that proved utterly worthless and valueless. He had so organized his office in Buffalo that he could prepare and have executed any paper that he desired, having nctaries public and executing officers whol- ly under his cortrol, who would attach a seal and jurat to any paper placed before them. He caused to be made and caused to be filed false and fraudulent vouchers for pen- sicn, having attesting and identifying wit gn papers that they knew nothin; ving these false and fraudulent pa- pers filed as vouchers for payment money due on pension. This man was for- merly a United States government official. He was finally run down, tried and con- victed and served a penitentiary sentence, and has been disbarred from practic: Duped Ignorant Colored People. A subagent of Washington attorneys, who was located at Charleston, S.C., forged at- fidavits, declarations, signatures of identi- fying and attesting witnesses to affidavits and declarations and signatures of identify- ing and attesting witne to the vouchers for the payment of pension; filed and caus- ed to be filed in the pension office hun- dreds of papers purporting to have been sworn to and to be signed by certain par- ties, when in fact members of his own family and household, together with him- self, had signed the names of witnesses to the papers. He being an officer empowered to execute pupers could readily do this and manufacture any kind of paper he desired, His dupes were ignorant colored people of that particular section. Upon the allow- arce of a claim he would demand Illegal fees and receive them, withholding the pen- sion certificate, in some instances not even allowing the claimant to know what they were drawing. He was tried and convicted, and is now in the penitentiary. Stole His Client's Money, A pension attorney practicing before this bureau, doing business in New York city, caused to be filed a claim for pension, al- leging insanity of the soldier. Upon this claim there were some ten or twelve thou- sand dollars paid. The pensioner received ho benefit ac all from the money, the at- terney and the guardian of the pensioner dividing the spoils. When the pensioner was located by this bureau he was being kept in a rail pen, without any cloth aged as a beast; had no care” whate nd reccived no benefit from the mone. Through a technicality of the law the bondsman, guardian and this attorney es- caped scott free. n attorney of Biddleford, Maine, rep- resenting a widow claimant, upon tne al- lowance of the claim, demanded and re- ceived an illegal fee of $11.75. He was dis- barred from practice. Owing to the statute of limitations he was not prosecuted, An attorney of Akron, Ohio, practicing before this burcau in certain cases, de- manded and received illegal fees, the legal fee having been paid to the attorney of rec- erd. He was convicted and a fine imposed in several cases. Disbarred trom practice. A subagent of Washington attorney lo- cated at Denver, Col., forged the names of attesting and identifying witnesses to declarations, the names of claimants them- selves to declarations and affidavits; forged pension checks of claims after the pay- tment, the checks being sent to his care; had formerly served thirteen months in the state prison for forgery; was convicted of the charge cf forgery in the United States court, but upon a new trial keing held was cleared, A pension attorney in the territory of New Mexico, who filed a number of claims in this bureau of soldiers who served in New Mexican regiments, of Spanish claim- ants or claimants who could not speak Eng- lish. He himself acted as guardian in some i , conniving with certain examining boards to rate the pensioner upon medical examination with false ratings; filed in the bureau false and fraudulent affidavits in support of these claims, and caused the pension bureau, at an enormous expense, to send to New Mexico to get at the exact facts regarding t claims. He was tried, convicted, got seven years and disbarred trom practice. An attorney of Westfield, Mass., admitted to practice before this bureau, and repre- senting claimants thereby, demanded and received Llegal fees, by which he was tried and convicted and subsequently disbarred from practice before this bureau. A firm of pension attorneys doing busi- ness at Evansville, Ark., made and caused to be made a number of false affidavits in support of certain pension claims; that they had induced certain ignorant claim- ants to sign, thinking that they were en- titled to a pension, collecting thereof illegal fees. They filed in the pension office a number of false and fraudulent claims. He was disbarred from practice. The files would furnish a number of pages of printed matter relative to the practices of this man. Wholesale Forgery and Deceptio: A pension agent of New Orleans, La., admitted to practice before the bureau, and also acting as subagent for Washington attorneys. He was shown to be guilty of forgery of the names of attesting wit- nesses to declarations and affidavits; forg- ery of the names of identifying witnesses to declarations; the execution of papers as the executing officer, and leading claimants to believe that they were filing certain pa- pers as evidence in their claims when in fact they were signing powers of attorney in favor of @ party they did not know, had never heard of, and-did-not want should represent them in their glaims: of having parties sign papers in blank, that is, hav- ing them sign theirgn: to papers the contents of which they not know, and having them executed afierward, that is, the jurat and seal of an,executing officer Placed upon them by; a tgol, who was un; der pay, and under his influence in his of- fice; of making and-caysing to be made false and fraudulent affidavits in support of pension claims, and making and causing to be made false and fraudulent vouchers for the purpose of obtaining payment upon al- lowed claims; of filjng at different times hundreds of false powersief attorney in the pension office, transfprring his business; of transferring his busjpess} to two different parties, and in both transactions filing false and fraudulent powers of attorney in each case; of causing a member.of his own fami- ly to be disbarred before. this bureau be- cause of his obtaining -thp consent of this member of his family to the filing of false and fraudulent powers of attorney and af- fidavits in the pension office. The files of this man and the evidence therein will bear out this Statement, and would, if thrown into printed form, fill at least five hundred pages. Misdeeds Would Fill a Book. A stool pigeon of an attorney disbarred before this bureau, and member of said at- torney’s family, both residents of New Or- leans, La. This man caused to be filed in the pension office hundreds of false and fraudulent powers of attorney and affida- vits relating to a certain transfer of busi- ness in which he himself tiad never seen one of the claimants, in which no one of the claimants remembered to have seen him, in which no claimant wanted him as atiorney, he not being known to the claim- ants who signed the different papers. This man’s files and the evidence as to his misdeeds and irregular and illegal prac- tices, covering a period of only about six months, would fill a volume of two or three hundred pages. He was disbarred for these irregular and illegal practices. Connected with these two attorneys above were certain notaries public and justices of the peace who were convicted of forgery and of perjury, and who have served peni- tentiary sentences therefor. Filed Claims for a Dead Man. An attorney admitted to practice before the department from Norfolk, Va., who represented claimants as an attorney be- fore this bureau, and who represented cer- tain Washington attorneys as subagent. This man made and caused to be made vouchers for pension, and forwarded the same to the United States pension agent when the pensioner was dead. He post- dated and forwarded to the United States pension agent hundreds of vouchers for pension, thereby viglating section 4746, Revised Statutes United States. He made and caused to be made and caused to be filed with the commissioner of pensions false and fraudulent affidavits and vouch- ers. He was a notary public in and for the state of Virginia. He demanded and received illegal fees for services in the prosecution of certain pension claims. ‘Were the cases in which the irregular and illegal practices of this man prevailed fully set forth with the evidence it would fill a book of hundreds of pages. He also caused to be made and filed and caused to be filed in the pension office, false and fraudulent pensjon claims. This man was convicted tor these {Illegal acts in a number of cases, his conviction being of record in the United States district court for the dis- trict of Virginia at the present time. Swindled Client and Government. A pension attorney located at Newbern, N. C., a colored man, who, in connection with and under the direction of a disbarred attorney, a white man of; the same place. He made and caused ito be made, filed and caused to be filed in’ the’ pension bureau false and fraudulent claims for pension, causing, In one particular case, a loss to the government of over $2,000. This was a certain widow's claim {n which it was alleged that she was the widow of a Union soldier, when, In fact, her husband was never in the service, of the United States, and the service that he was represented to have performed was shbwn to have been performed by a man who is living at this time. Through the macHJnations and the help of this white disbarred attorney, this claim was worked up and allowed. The white attorney obtained the entire amount , the negro woman obtaining 200 of the amount paid, which 000 and only about was between “ This colored ‘attorney also made and caused to be made, and filed and caused to be filed in the pension office, a number of false and fraudulent affidavits in support of pension claims. The papers in_ these cases are in nearly every instance in the handwriting of the attorney, but were executed before and bore the seal of the white man, who was manipulating the en- tire transaction. In the above named case the old colored woman was convicted, and served jail sen- tence. The white man, through a technical- ity of the law, went free; and the stool pigeon (the colored attorney), through a technicality of the same kind was not con- victed. He was aleo guilty of demanding and re- ceiving, in # munber of pension claims, il- legal fees. Hefore the office was aware of this fact, th: ste ute of limitations had run in a number Sf cases, and prosecution was barred. Barely Escaped Prison. An attorney of Rome, Ga., admitted to practice before the bureau, is another case. He represented a claimant (an old woman) before this bureau, and upon the allowance of her claim for pension, amounting to some $2,000, through the ignorance of the pensioner and his influence over her, he de- manded and received from her some $1,900 of the pension money, and has never re- turned the same to her. He was tried and convicted, fighting the government and the pensioner, even taking his case to the United States Supreme Court, where the judgment of the lower court was sustained. He escaped with a light fine. He should have served a penitentiary sentence. The files of this man, showing his mis- deeds in gbée and in other cases in demand- ing and receiving illegal fees and charging excessive fees for his work, would fill a volume of several hundred pages. His practices were to demand a fee, or to col- lect from the claimant a certain amount of money. When called upon by the bureau to show cause for these irregularities and misdeeds, he would claim his charges and receipt of the money were for legitimate expenses‘in behalf of the claimant in the adjudication of the claim. An attorney of Bellton, Ga., admitted to practice before the department. In a num- ber of claims this man demanded and re- ceived illlegal fees. He attempted to cover up his irregular and illegal acts when call- ed upon by this bureau to show cause why he should not be disbarred, and when in- dicted before the United States district court for these acts, he filed in this bu certain expense accounts, setting forth the expenses were legitimately incurr: the prosecution and adjudication of sension claim that he represented, ae the claimant denying these facts in every in- Stance. He was not convicted, and his dis- barrment was not obtained. The files of this attorney, if printed, would cover 500 or 600 pages, evéry page of which would set forth some irtegular or illegal act or practice on hig part. A pension attorney at Mount Vernon, Ky., admitted to practice before this bureau. This man mede and caused to be made, and filed and causéd tei be filed in this bureau a certain paper purporting to bear the signatures of ‘ertain people, which Paper purported to be awiaffidavit, and to have been executed properly, when, in fact, the signatures were false and forged. He was disbarred from practice before this bureau for the above, and for forging the name of the clerk af thé county of Rock- castle, Ky., to certai rs purporting to be afifdavits, all filed in support of pension claims ns evidence, A pension attorney;of Port Henry, N. ¥. admitted to practicé before. this bureau. He represented a ¢laimant in a certain case, demanding and, receiving $350 illegal fee upon the first payment of pension in the case. He was convicted and fined $500 ane disbarred from practice before this ureau. Served a Jail Sentence. A pension attorney of Baltimore, Md., admitted to practice before the depari- ment. He demanded and received illegal fees in certain pension claims. In one case the ittegal fee was $150, in another $400, in another $200 and $100 in enot! claim. A number of other charges of ‘a stmilar ne- ture have been filed against this attorney. He was disbarred from practice before this bureau. He was convicted, and served a jail sentence in the city of Baltimore. He was sul Pa > attorney as shown by the evidence on file in this bureau would take printed matter of hundreds of pages. A pension attorney of Oklahoma City, Okla., admitted to practice before the de partment, and representing claimants be- fore the pension office. He forged the check for the first payment in a certain claim, amounting to $216, and obtained the money on the same. He demanded and re- ceived illegal fees, was tried and convicted of the offense, and is now in the peniten- tiary. He has been disbarred from practice before this bureau. An attorney of Fayetteville, N. Y., re- cently disbarred. The facts in this case were that a pension had been granted to an illegitimate child of a soldier, and the attorney in question obtained knowledge of this fact while acting as the attorney for the legal widow of the soldier. He made a demand upon the illegal pensioner for the sum he had received from the government, and entered into an arrangement with him by which the fraudulent pensioner should retain one-third of the money received, and the attorney was paid two-thirds, amounting to over $1,000, which he agreed to pay to the widow. Instead of doing this, he converted the money to his own use, concealed the facts from his client, and pretended that he was having all sorts of difficulties in trying to collect, warning his correspondent of the danger of discovery. ‘The money has not been recovered from the attorney, but he was disbarred. A Number of Crimes. An attorney of Knoxville, Tenn., was tried and convicted of having received an illegal fee of $100. He also prosecuted the claim of an alleged widow of a soldier, well knowing that the soldier's first wife, from whom he had not been divorced, was still Nving. In. another case he altered aifi- davits and filed them as evidence in a pen- sion claim. In another case he received an illegal fee of $25. In two other cases he filed false and fraudulent affidavits; in an- other case he received an illegal fee of $100. In another case he received an illegal fee of $25. He employed an attorney to defend him in the proceedings against him pend- ing before this bureau, but the attorney withdrew from the case, giving as his rea- gon that he hadi found said attorney io be untruthful, untrustworthy and wholly un- reliable. The attorney was disbarred upon the first case, but, in view of papers filed in his defense, was restored and given an- other chance to practice. The evidence ac- cumulated against him, however, and he was again disbarred. An attorney of Richwood, Ohio, who was also a notary public under ihe laws of said ate, impersonated a government officer and committed forgery in numerous cases, and also procured the execution of false vouchet He was tried and convicted for impersonating a government officer. Upon the recommendation of this bureau the governor of the state of Ohio revoked his commission as a notary public, and he was disbarred from further practice as a pen- sion attorney. Given a Second Trial in Vatn. An attorney of New Haven, Conn., was charged with demanding and receiving an illegal fee of $250 in one claim. He was in- icted and convicted for the offense and was disbarred from practice. He filed Many strong testimonials and evidence in his defense, promising to obey the law if restored, and the Secretary of the Interior geve him another trial. After he had been restored to practice he was indicted for re- ceiving another illegal fee of $W. He was convicted, and sentenced to pay a fine of $25) for demanding and receiving illegal fees in that and two other cases, and, as a consequence, was disbarred. An attorney of Cleveland, Tenn., retain- ed from a pensioner the sum of $4, giving a note signed by himself w and made payable four years date. Tne pensioner waited until due, and when payment was demanded the attorney alleged that he was entitled to that amount for his services in prosecuting the claim. He was sued upon the note and judgment rendered against him. There are numerous other cases in which he has ob- tained money from pension claimants upon cifferent pretexts. He was disbarred. At attorney of Cambridge, Ohio, forged the names of ceriain witnesses in’ pension claims to letters addressed to this bureau, which letters were written im-answer to bureau inquiries to test the knowledge of aifants as to certain statements made by them in support of pension claims. In an- other case he addressed a shockingly pro- fane, obscene and abusive letter to a wit- ness in a claim because his affidavit did not correspond with the attorney's idea of what it should be. He was also tried and convicted, and sentenced to pay a tine of $150 for filing false affidavits in’ support of pension claims. He was disbarred. from practice on account of his conduct in the premise: An attorney of Kansas City, Kan., ferged the name and affixed the seal of a notary public to certain papers in support of a pension claim, and filed the false and fraudulent papers in this bureau. He was disbarred for his action in the premis; A pension attorney at Grand Rapids, Mich., while representing claimants, filed in the pension office false and fraudulent atti- davits purporting to be signed by certain parties, when, in fact, they were not so signed, nor neither were they sworn to. He was guilty of forging papers, manufac- turing evidence, and of perjury. He was disbarred from practice before this bureau. Annulled Marriages and Divorces. An attorney admitted to practice before the bureau, who represented claimants trereby, obtained in the courts of Indiana a number of divorces and annullments of marriages of certain people, obtaining the annullment of the marriage or the divorce long subsequent to the death of one of the part This was done for the purpose of giving certain widows a persionable status before the bureau. The state court set aside, subsequently, some of these annull- ments. The pension bureau refused to rec- ognize the annullments and divorces on discovering the illegal practices of this at- torney. This attorney was disbarred from practice. ‘The above are only a few of the cases. There are hundreds more. Investigation by the Bureau, The practices of a great number of these attorneys cover many years, and it is only after special investigation that their mi deeds are found out. When their misdeeds come to light, and the pension office gives them notice of disbarment, or they are indicted for the offenses, they in nearly every instance attempt to shift the re- spensibility of their acts. In some in- stances they accuse the claimant, in oth- ers the witnesses, end some have gone so far as to have claimants and witnesses ar- rested fcr false eccusations against them, trying in every way to intimidate the sol- dier, claimant and the witnesses, thereby in some instances scaring off evidence and testimony The above general offenses, irregulari- ties, illegal practices and violations of the persion laws have been committed by at- torneys, other than those named, at Bos- ten, Mass.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Pittsburg, Pa.; St. Louis, Mo.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Pen- sacola, Fla.; Montgomery, Ala.: Chicago, UL; Lexington, Ky.; Williamsport, Pa.: Natchez, Miss.; Little Rock, Ark.: Spring- field, Ill; Philadelphia, Pa.; Louisville, Ky.; Columbia, 8. C.; Mobile, Ala.; Mem- phis, Tenn. Morrisonville, Ky.; Kansas City, Mo.; Oglesby, Tenn., and other points throughout the country. DETECTIVE ARRAIGNED. note became Dismissal of the Charges Against Henry Lacy. Detective Henry Lacy had a hearing to- day before Trial Officer Pugh on charges prefered by James A. Roston, to the ef- fect that the detective has on various dates and at various times conducted himself in a harsh, violent and disrespectful manner teward the complainant, and did on various dates and at various times threaten Ros- ton, and in divers ways interfered with his affairs of a domestic nature; and on vari- ous dates and at various times aided and abetted persons in the persecution of said James A. Reston. Mr. Lacy was represented by Mr. Maurice Smith, and Mr. Roston conducted his side of the case. A great mass of evidence was heard by Judge Pugh, but the large majority of the witnesses testified that in all that Mr. Lacy did toward Roston he was either requested ‘to take the step by Mrs. Roston, who sev- eral times had her husband arrested for AN OPEN LETTER To MOTHERS. WE ARE ASSERTING IN THE COURTS OUR RIGHT TO THB EXCLUSIVE USE OF THE WORD “CASTORIA,” aNnp “PITCHER’S CASTORIA,” AS OUR TRADE MARK. f, DR. SAMUEL PITCHER, of Hyannis, Massachusetts, was the originator of “PITCHER'S CASTORIA,” the same that has borne and does now bear the fac-simile signature of on every wrepper, Lilehat This is the original « PITCHER'S CASTORIA” which has been used in the homes of the mothers of America for over thirty years. .LOOK CAREFULLY at the wrapper and see that it is the kind you have always bought, and has the signature of onthe wrap- pfliihn per. No one has authority from me to use my name except The Centaur Company of which Chas. H. Fletcher is President. March 8, 1897. Do Not Be Deceived. Do not endanger the life of your child by accepting a cheap substitute which some druggist may offer you (because he makes a few more pennies on it), the ins gredients of which even he docs not know. “The Kind You Have Always Bought” BEARS THE FAC-SIMILE SIGNATURE OF @ BURGLARS WANTED. They Were Requested to Come and Steal Some Heirlooms. From the Chicago Times-Herald A man rushed into the business office of one of the daily papers and stopped at the advertising window. There he secured a pad of paper and a pencil with a string to it. He wrote and erased, aid then tore up what he had written, chewing the frag- ments savagely while he made another copy. “There,” he said at last, as he thrust the Paper into the hand of the advertising clerk, “count the words and tell me what they will cost for one insertion—I reckon that will fetch them.” This was the advertisement: are requested io call some week on Mr. and Mrs. Erastus 0. 200 Ash court. door and will be left open, and ery facility 1 for removing the spoils “But this is a very unusual ferm of ad- vertisement,” said the clerk,with a troubled look. “I don’t know whether to put it un- der the head of personal or educational. Weat is your motive, may I ask?” “My motive,” said the advertiser, “is to get rid of an awful incubus of inherited truck without iy responsibility fastened upen ine. I might burn the house down, but in that case I would be expected to save the heirlooms or perish with them. Say, young man, were you ever the victim of a legac: said the clerk, with a friendly grin. “What a funny quesiion!” ‘No old maid aunt ever died and left you a dozen battered silver teaspoons that had ee » down from Oliver Cromwell?” ‘Lucky chap! Never had a solid silver punch bowl bequeathed to you by a bibu- lous old unele who was a disgrace to the family while he lived, but promised to re- turn and haunt you if you didn’t entertain his comrades once a year out of that bowl?” : “I should say not.”* “Nor a great-grandmother who left you a silver soup ladle with a coat-of-arms of scme unknown dead-and-gone ancestor, which must be placed under your pillow every night for safe keeping?” “No,” said the clerk. “I belong to plain, every-day people, and we haven't a coat- of-arms to our backs.” “Be thankful, young man; you little real- ize what a blessed lot is yours. To crown our misfortunes, another relative died in Paris last week and left us her diamonds. But I draw the line at diamonds, and so does my wife. We take turns now sitting up with the silver. After the burglars come and clean us out we shall begin to live. Put that a@vertisement in a good place, and I'll let you know if we hear from it. S'long.” — A Giant Umbrella. From the Manufacturer. The Paris exposition had its Eiffel tower, Chicago had its Ferris wheel, Nashville had its giaat secfaw. The department of cencessions of the Omaha trans-Mississippl exposition of 1808 has also received an ap- plication for space for the erection of a novel mechanical device. It resembles the framework of a gigantic umbrella more than anything else which might be men- tioned. The part corresponding to the stick of the umbrella is an immense cylinder, thirty feet in diameter, constructed of steel plates, firmly rivited, making a “standpipe” which rears its head 250 feet above the level of the ground. At the ex- treme top of this cylinder are fastened twélve long arms resembling the ribs of an umbrella. These are stecl trusses reaching almost to the ground. At the lower end of each of these ribs is suspended a car for carrying passengers, each car having a capacity for twenty persons. These monster ribs are reised by hy- draulic power, acting by means of steel cables operating through the cylinder, aid- ed by a mechanism greatly resembling that pertion of an umbrella which comes into action when the umbrella is opened. By means of this mechanism the gigantic arms are raised until they are horizontal, the cars in the meantime being carried on- ward and upward until they reach a point 250 feet above the ground, the diameter of the huge circle formed by the suspended cars being also 250 feet. When the highest point has been reached another mechanism comes into play and the suspended cars are swung slowly around in a circle, after which they are lowered to the ground. ‘The sides of the cars are of glass, so that the | passengers may secure an extensive view of the surrounding country. —___+e+-—_—_. Sat Over an Unexploded Shell. From the Alken (8. C.) Recorder. Dr. Teague showed us the other day the fuse of an unexplcded 300-pound Parrot shell which was discovered under a pew in St. Michael’s Church, in Charleston, when the church was overhauled after the earth- quake. We were especially interested in this bit‘ of past history, as the shell was taken from beneath the pew which was owned by Mrs. Arthur Ford's father. She and her family little realized when they sat placidly for so many years after the war, under Mr. Keith’s good ministrations, that they were in such imminent and im- mediate danger of fire and brimstone. This was the only sheil that struck St. Michael's @ Insist on Having The Kind That Never Failed You. ~ ‘THE CENTAUR COMPANY. YY MURRAY STREET. NEW YORK C; Y dae 5 . ‘4 as England's Rival. From the Journal of Commerce. The export trade of sewing needles forms a very important part of commerce in Germany. Formerly England supplied that country with needles; this industry, according to the United States consul at Anraberg, has during the last few years developed to such an extent that the Gers mans are able to meet their English com- petitors, not only in the markets of the world, but in the British colonies and in sland as well. The principal seats of the industry are Aix-la-Chapelle, Burt- scheid, Iserlohn, Alto: uremburg ai Schwalbach. The factories of Aix-la-Ch pelle alone produce 50,000,000 needles week- ly. The following figures show to what © tent the exports from Germany of these ne dies have developed. During the eight. years from 18S) to INST the German export of needles of all kinds—embroidery, knitting, darning, sewing and sewing machine ne dles—amounted to 11,66 a) pounds, vale ued at $12,500,000, The following | eight years make a still better showing. Dur- ing this period the quantity exported was 900,000 pounds, valued at $15,000,000. The normous growth in the produ article is due principally to the to China, where Germany s control the market. Other porting German sewing nee Indies, France, the ja-Hungary, Italy and Turkey. conclusion, the American consul says: “Under the protection of their government the Germans have built up a needle in- dustry which commands the respect of the world. At first they imitated the English methods of manufacture, but their supe- rior technical training soon enabled them to discover the defects of the English mae chinery, and they adopted new and improve ed devices and followed their own course acture. The infant industry of years ago has become one of na- tional importance. The manufacturers go into the markets of the world, preferat into new countries, and compete suce fully everywhere.” tion of this export trade ems to ent countries im- les are British United States, In THIRTY MILES FOR AN ACORN, The Industry of a Mexican Bird iq Storing Up Winter Provis! From St. Down in Mexico there pecker who stores in the hollow stalks of the yuccas magueys. ‘These hollow stalks are cavities, and sagacious bird has somehow fou out, and bores a hole at the end of each joint, and another at the 1 icholas. lives a woods his nuts and acorns and rated by joints into s the veral er, through which to extract the a when wanted. Then it fills up the stalks solidly, and leaves its stores there until needed, safe from the depredations of any other thievish bird or four-footed animal, The first place in which this curious habit was ¢ ved was on a hill in midst of a desert. The hill was covered with yu S and mague: ut the nearest oak trees were thirty miles away, and it was calculated, these industrious bird had to make a flight of sixty miles for each acorn stowed thus in the stalks! An observer of birds remarks: “There are several strange features to be noticed in these facts; the provident instinct which prompts this bird to lay by stores of pro- visions for the winter; the great distance traversed to collect a kind « a so un- usval for its race, and its seeking in a place so remcte from its natural abode a storehouse so ren.arkable. ‘an instinct alone teach, or have e: taught, these birds the bark of trees or other hiding placo perien: and reason that, far better than vices in rocks or am are these hidden cavities they make for themsel with the hollow stems of dis- tant plants? This we cannot answer. But we do know that one of the most remarkable birds in our country is this California woodsecker, and that he is well entitled to his Mext- can name of El Carpintero—the carpenter bird. Ira Nelson Morris, son of the Chicaro packer, was married December 23 to Miss Lilian Constantine Rothschild of New York. You Are To Blame If-you do not get Whisky of the proper Age and Purity. “Six Years Old, 100% Pure, Government s Guarantee on every bottle of