Chap. 152.—An ACT to give aid to the citizens of Virginia, wounded
and maimed during the late war, while serving us soldiers or marines.

Approved February 24, 1s8s4.

1. Be it enacted by the general assembly of Virginia, That
the sum of sixty thousand dollars be, and the same is hereby
appropriated out of the public treasury, to pay the claims
properly allowed upon applications heretofore made under
the act of assembly, approved February fourteenth, eighteen
hundred and ei igehty- two, entitled an act to provide commuta-
tion to such maimed soldiers, sailors, and marines in lieu of
artificial limbs or eves, or otherwise disabled, as may not
heretotore have received the same under the provisions of
former acts, and, also, the claims which may hereafter be al-
lowed under the provisions of this act. And the auditor of
public accounts is hereby authorized to issue bis warrants on
the treasury, to pay the same to the parties entitled thereto,
in the order of time in which they have been and may here-
atter be received and filed in his office: provided that the
auditor of public accounts shall audit all of such claims in
two classes as follows: Class one—Claims of soldiers or
marines who have never received any aid from the state,
which shall be a preferred class. Class two—Claims of sol-
diers or marines who have received aid from the state, upon
which nothing shall be paid until the claims of the first
class shall have been paid, nor, until the first day of June,
eighteen hundred and eighty-four, when he shall procced to
pay the claims of the second class.

2. Any citizen of this state who shall hereafter furnish a
certificate from the court of his county or corporation, show-
ing that he is now a citizen of this state. and that during the
late war, and while he was a citizen of this state, he was
engaged in military service as a soldier, sailor, or marine, and
while | in such service lost a limb, or eye, or was 80 seriously
and permanently disabled by wounds or surgical operation
rendered necessary thereby, as to prevent him at the date of
such certificate from performing manual labor, or that while
so engaged in such military service he lost a limb or eve, or
was 80 permanently disabled by wounds or surgical opera-
tions, and has since losing his limb or eye, or being so per-
manently disabled, remained continuously i in this state, and
is now a citizen thereof: that he has not at any time received
an artificial limb or eye, or commutation money, or pension
from any other state or from the United States; and that he
has not before the date of his application, received under the
provisions of any former act of assembly of this state, an
artificial limb, or eye, or commutation money, shall he en-
titled to the sum of sixty dollars, to be paid as provided in
this act: provided that any stich applicant who has hereto-
fore received an artificial limb or commutation theretor,
from this state, shall still be entitled to the relief given
in this act, if the artificial limb received or purchased with
the commutation money received has been worn out or lost,
or having lost only one leg has not been able to use an artifi-
cial leg, shall be entitled to the sum of sixty dollars: and
pr ovided further that when such applicant has lost both lees
or both arms or both eyes, he shall be entitled to the sum of
sixty dollars for each limb or eye lost. Betore the court shall
give such certificate, it: shall require the applicant to state in
his written vpplication, verified by oath, in what command
he was serving when wounded; when, where and how
wounded; the nature of the wound and the extent of his dis-
ability at that time, and whether or not he has at any time
previous received any limb, eye, or commutation money from
this state; and if'so, the date, nature and amount of the aid so
received ; ‘and the court shall further require a competent
physician to certify in writing, and under oath, the full
nature of the wound and the extent of the disability of the
applicant at that date, and this certificate of the physician,
together with the other evidence in support of the applica-
tion given before the court, shall be reduced to writing, and
certified, and returned by the clerk, with the application, to
the auditor of public accounts.

3. The auditor shall examine carefully each application,
and the certificates and evidence therewith, heretofure re-
turned under the act of February fourteenth, eighteen hun-
dred and eighty-two, and former acts, and which may be
returned under this act, and when a proper case for relief
under this act 1s, in his judyment, made out, he shall issue his
warrant on the treasurer to the applicant for the sum of sixty
dollars in each case: provided that in any case where the ap-
plication filed before the passage of this act and the evidence
accompanying it, do not enable the auditor to decide upon the
merit of the claim, he shall return the same to the applicant,
with instructions to renew the same in accordance with the
provisions of this act, and the renewed application, when filed
within ninety days from the date of the return of the former
application, shall have the same relative position on the list
of applications as the one returned for renewal.

4. The auditor is directed to enter of record alphabetically
in a suitable book, the names of the partics recciving aid un-
der this act, together with the date, nature and amount of
any aid heretotore received.

5. This act shall be in force from its passage.