Harris v. Bell

235 F. 626, 1916 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1398
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Oklahoma
DecidedJune 20, 1916
DocketNo. 2015
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 235 F. 626 (Harris v. Bell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Harris v. Bell, 235 F. 626, 1916 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1398 (E.D. Okla. 1916).

Opinion

CAMPBELL, District Judge.

The controlling facts in this case are set forth in an agreed statement of facts filed at the trial, to which reference is made without repeating them here. All the parties plaintiff and defendant agree that the title to the land in controversy was, by virtue of the arbitrary allotment and patenting of this land by the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes in the name of Freeland Francis after his death, vested in his heirs. The chief questions raised between them are as to whether the Arkansas law or Oklahoma law determines who are the heirs and what, if any, restrictions upon alienation attached to this land in the hands of the heirs. It will therefore be assumed for the purpose of this case that title vested in the heirs of Freeland Francis. For reasons stated in an opinion recently rendered and filed in this court in No. 2175 Equity, Youngken et al. v. David et al., 235 Fed. 621, it is held that the restrictions imposed by sections 19 and 22 of the act of April 26, 1906 (34 Stat. L. 137), do not apply to the land in controversy in this case; the land not having been selected by or for or allotted to Freeland Francis during his lifetime. Freeland Francis was enrolled, and the allotment was made in his name pursuant to the following provision found in the Indian Appropriation Act of March 3, 1905 (chapter 1479, 33 Stat. L. 1071):

“That the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes is authorized for sixty days after the date of the approval of this act to receive and consider applications for enrollments of children born subsequent to May twenty-five, [627]*627nineteen hundred and one, and prior to March fourth, nineteen hundred and five, and living on said latter date, to citizens of the Greek Tribe of Indians whose enrollment has been approved by the Secretary of the Interior prior to the date of the approval of this act; and to enroll and make allotments to such children.”

By section 28 of the Original Creek Agreement (chapter 676, 31 Stat. L. 870) it was provided that all citizens having certain qualifications therein stated should be placed upon the tribal rolls. Then follows this provision:

“All. children born to citizens so entitled- to enrollment, up to and including the first day of July, nineteen hundred, and then living, shall be placed on the rolls made by said Commission; and if any such child die after said date, the lands and moneys to which it would be entitled, if living, shall descend to its heirs according to the laws of descent and distribution of the Greek Nation, and be allotted and distributed to them accordingly.
“Tile rolls so made by said Commission, when approved by the Secretary of tile Interior, shall be the final rolls of citizenship of said tribe, upon which the allotment of all lands and the distribution of all moneys and other property of the tribe shall be made, and to no other persons.”

By section 7 of the Supplemental Creek Agreement (chapter 1323, 32 Stat. L. 501) it was provided:

“All children born to those citizens who are entitled to enrollment as provided by the act of Congress approved March 1, 1901 (31 Stat. L. 861), subsequent to July 1, 1900, and up to and including May 25, 1901, and living upon the latter date, shall be placed on the rolls made by said Commission. And if any such child has died since May 25, 1901, or may hereafter die before receiving his allotment of lands and distributive share of the funds of the tribe, the lands and moneys to which he would be entitled if living shall descend to his heirs as herein provided and he allotted and distributed to them accordingly.”

Thus the legislation stood so far as relating to the enrollment and allotment of “new-born” Creek children until the passage of the Indian Appropriation Act of March 3, 1905, the applicable portion of which is quoted above. It will be noted that by this provision the Commission is “authorized” for 60 days to receive and consider applications for enrollment of children born subsequent to May 25, 1901, and prior to March 4, 1905, and living on the latter date, and further authorized to enroll and make allotments to such children. By reference to the section of the Supplemental Agreement above quoted it is seen that it only provided for the enrollment of children born up to May 25, 1901. This provision of the act of 1905 extends the time to March 4, 1905, so that children born up to that time may be enrolled and allotted. In this respect it is clearly passed with reference to this prior legislation, and is an amendment or modification of the Supplemental Agreement in this regard. Having been authorized to receive and consider such applications for enrollment, the Commission must, look to the original and supplemental agreements for directions controlling the enrollment and allotment of such children.' In case such child should receive its allotment during its lifetime, such allotment would be subject to the restrictions upon alienation provided by section 16 of the Supplemental Agreement, and would descend to his heirs in case of his death pending such restrictions subject to the [628]*628same. No provision is found in the act of 1905 as to the vesting of the lands and moneys in the heirs in case such child should die before allotment. If, however, the purpose of this act was merely to modify or amend the existing legislation or agreements so as to extend the benefits of enrollment and allotment to children born up to March 4, 1905, then its effect would be to substitute in section 7 of the Supplemental Agreement May 25, 1901, for July 1, 1900, and March 4, 1905, for May 25, 1901, leaving effective that portion of said section providing that, if any such child should thereafter die, 'before receiving his allotment of lands and moneys to which he would be entitled if living, the same should descend to his heirs according to chapter 49 of Mansfield’s Digest of the Statutes of Arkansas. As no reason is perceived why Congress should have made any different provision regarding the allotments for children born prior to May 25, 1901, and those born subsequent to that date, the above suggested construction would seem reasonable. If that construction is accepted, then the heirs and their interests must be determined by the Arkansas law, and the land was not subject to restriction. Skelton v. Dill, 235 U. S. 206, 35 Sup. Ct. 60, 59 L. Ed. 198; Washington v. Miller, 235 U. S. 422, 35 Sup. Ct. 119, 59 L. Ed. 295; Priddy v. Thompson, 204 Fed. 955, 123 C. C. A. 277.

But if, as contended by some of the parties, the heirs in this case acquired the title by virtue of section 5 of the act of April 26, 1906 (chapter 1876, 34 Stat. 138), or section 32 of the act of June 25, 1910 (chapter 431, 36 Stat. L. 855), or both, the heirs and their respective interests must still be determined by the Arkansas law. Section 5 provides:

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Bluebook (online)
235 F. 626, 1916 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1398, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/harris-v-bell-oked-1916.