Rensselaer Republican, Volume 20, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 October 1887 — HAD APENCHANT FOR WIDOWS. [ARTICLE]

HAD APENCHANT FOR WIDOWS.

A Claim Arr*st**<l on a Charge of o Securing Illegal Pension*. A bold and successful case of fraud in drawing pensions has been brought to light by the United States authorities. General Black,Commissionerof Pensions at Washington, has been engaged for several months in examining the rolls of pension agencies, and in his investigation he discovered that there were a grets number of widowed pensioners residing in Toronto, Canada. The number was so large as to excite hiseuepicion and he sent for the papers in the claims. He subsequently learned that James H* McGindley, alias J. H. Martin, alias H. B. Mason, wa3 the attorney in all these cases. The former residence of these widowed pensioners had been Quincy, 111., hut for some unaccountable reason "they had all moved to Canada. When General" Black made these discoveries the matter was placed in the hands erf a special examiner. It Is Claimed that theexamination resulted in finding that fraudulent vouchers had been made out- by McGindley, who has succeeded, it is alleged, in cheating the government out of over $15,000 by his slick echem4ng. Mt-GintHey hasuYsided-m-Oieveland,-0.. for some time, and wa3 arrested there, Monday. McGindley had a hearing before United States feommissioner Williams, Monday afternoon, and was bound over to the United States District Court. Eighteen years ago this man -was arrested in Macon City, Mo., on a similar charge, but he was not convicted. He was next heard from in New Orleans, and the United States Pension Examiners were after him there. It was reported, however, that he had died erf yellow fever. He did not contradict the report, and tbe government detective went back to Washington firmly believing the man was dead. McGindley has made a full confession, ad nutting that he was the man tbs officers were after, and that he has been carrying on a fraudulent pension business for nearly twenty years, securing many thousands of dollars.