MILITARY FILES U. S. House Committee on Invalid Pensions
Nancy F. Shelton March 9, 1906 Nancy F. Shelton, the beneficiary named in the bill, now 70 years of age, is the William A. Shelton, who served as captain of Company First Missour State Militia Cavalry, from February 15, 1862, to September 10, 1862, when he resigned. He died on January 2, 1905, of uraemic poisoning, and he was at the time of his death a pensioner under the general law at $30 per month on account of piles and resulting disease of the rectum. The beneficiary, who married the soldier on May 17, 1859, is now pensioned under act of June 27, 1890, at $8 a month, upon proof at she had an equity in some land in Putnam County, of $1,400, and that the net income or annual rental cash value of the same would not exceed the sum of $100. Her claim under the general law was rejected in June, 1905, upon the ground that her husband's death from uraemia was not the result of the causes for which he had been pensioned, and was not otherwise shown to have been a result of his military service. The beneficiary filed in support of that claim the testimony of Dr. Frank Noel to the effect that he had treated the soldier for years for piles, resulting in prolapus of the rectum; that the soldier could not stand without the rectum protruding, but would manage to put it back himself a great deal of the time, but many times would have to call a physician to treat him; that he contineued until about four or five3 years prior to his death, when he became so badly afflicted that he was compelled to stay at his home, and in order to keep the rectum from protruding it was necessary that he should be in a recumbant position, and owing to his long continued suffering and his inability to take sufficient nourishment he gradually declined until he became a physical wreck, could scarcely walk about his room without assistance, and continued to grow worse until he became so emaciated and exhausted that he was completely helpless; that on January 20, 1905, he was called to treat him and found him in a semi-comatose condition and suffering from severe pains in the region of the rectum and bladder, in which condition he remained for about 48 hours; that upon examination his urine was found to contain blood, albumen and pus, and that he gradually developed into complete coma and so remained until his death, on January 25. There are doubts in the minds of your committee as to whether the cause for which the officer had been pensioned under the general law produced the uraemia of which he died. In view, however, of the fact that beneficiary was the wife of the officer before, during and since his service, and that she is in destitute circumstances, the committee is inclined to resolve the doubts in this case in her favor to the extent of increasing her pension from $8 to $17 per months, and report the bill back with a recommendation that it pass. |
