Lillard v. Stone

1929 OK 171, 277 P. 661, 137 Okla. 30, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 395
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedApril 16, 1929
Docket18418
StatusPublished

This text of 1929 OK 171 (Lillard v. Stone) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Oklahoma primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lillard v. Stone, 1929 OK 171, 277 P. 661, 137 Okla. 30, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 395 (Okla. 1929).

Opinion

HEFNER, J.

The facts in this case disclose that Barney Thlocco, a full-blood Indian, died intestate prior to April 1, 1903, owning as his allotment the northwest quarter (N. W. 1-4) of section (9), township eighteen (18) north, range seven (7) east. Fulhochee Barney, and various other persons, each and all claimed to be heirs of Barney Thlocco, and sought to recover, as such heirs, the allotment set aside for him. On the other hand, the United States government claimed the allotment ought to be canceled because Barney Thlocco died prior to April 1, 1899. The government instituted an action in the federal court at Muskogee against Bessie Wildcat et al. to cancel the allotment. Various defendants, including Ful-hochee Barney and her children, contested the cancellation and sought to quiet their title as heirs of Barney Thlocco. The land in controversy was in the possession of the defendant Black Panther Oil & Gas Company and its associates, and was operated for oil and gas purposes under returns of receiver’s lease authorized and approved by the United States court, and under leases executed by Martha Jackson and Saber Jackson, her father, both of whom were parties in the Wildcat Case.

Fulhochee Barney and her associates had not agreed' to the receiver and denied the right of the operators to take the oil and gas. Partial settlement was made between the operators on the one hand and Barn-ossee Unusisee, Fulhochee B'arney. and her children, and their attorneys on the other, which settlement and agreement was evidenced by the execution of the oil and gas lease, dated November 21, Í914.

*31 The lease is the basis of this suit for an accounting, and its material provisions are as follows:

“'This agreement, made and entered into the 21st day of November, 1914, by and between Barnossee Unussee, Fulhoehee Barney, Siah Barney, Tommy Barney, Mollie Barney, Sam T. Palmer, K. B. Turner, M. E. Turner, Thos. H. Owen and J. C. Stone of the first part, hereinafter called lessors, and Black Panther Oil & Gas Company, a corporation, and Howard Weber of the second party, hereinafter called lessees and K .B. Turner and J. O. Stone, parties of the third part, as trustees, for the parties of the first part, witnesseth:
“That the said lessors for and in consideration of the sum of $1 in hand paid, and of the covenants and agreements hereinafter contained, as their respective interest may appear, have granted, bargained, leased, and let, and by these presents do grant, demise, lease and let unto said lessee for the sole and only purpose of mining and operating for oil and gas and of laying lines and of building tanks, power stations, and structures thereon to produce, save and take care of said products, all that certain tract of land situated' in Greek county, state of Oklahoma, described as follows, to wit: The northwest quarter of section 9, in township 18 north, and range 7 east, the ■ Barney Thloeco allotment, containing 160 acres of land, more or less according to the government survey thereof.
“(1) It is agreed that this lease shall remain in force so long as oil or gas, or either of them, is produced from said land.
“(2) Parties of the second part shall pay or cause to be paid to parties of the third part, or their successors, in trust, for the use and benefit of parties of the first part, their heirs or assigns, as their interest may appear, one-tenth of the gross proceeds from the sale of all oil and gas produced from said premises, the same to be payable as the production is had, run and sold from and after the 7th day of November, 1914, it being agreed that there was on hand on the 7th day of November, 1914, 60,000 barrels of oil, and that the proceeds from the sale of the first 60,000 barrels of oil sold, on or after November 7, 1914, shall be received by the Black Panther Oil & Gas Company, and Weber; Provided, however, that said one-tenth royalty, in so far as same is produced from a certain five acres known as the ‘Posey Tract,’ to wit: The west half of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter, shall not be payable pending final result of a case pending in the United States 'Court, at Muskogee, Oklahoma, No. 2017, in Equity, and styled, United States v. Bessie Wildcat et al., and said money shall be payable when and upon condition that final decree is entered in said cause against Posey, Chase F. Bassett, and others, claiming through an alleged filing upon said five-acre tract of said Posey. Provided, further, that said trustees shall pay or cause to be paid, from their said moneys as same becomes payable to said trustees to Howard Weber, or his order, the fourth part thereof until said one-fourth amounts to $6,000.
“(3) If parties of the first part, or any of them, win by final decree in said cause, they shall share according to their established interests in the land, the 25 per cent, royalty paid (to) and to be paid into the hands of the receiver in said cause, and the same shall be paid to said trustees, and after final decree, their royalty shall continue upon the 25 per cent, royalty basis, viz.:
“Twenty-five per cent, of the gross proceeds of sales so that they shall receive as from the first of development to the end of the lease that part of the 25 per cent, royalty, which their recovery may bear to the whole title, and said 10 per cent, royalty shall be deducted from the total amount due the parties of the first part upon the 25 per cent- royalty basis, and shall be repaid by the receiver to the Black Panther Oil & Gas Company, and Howard Weber, equally out of the 25 per cent, royalty now being impounded in the hands of J. F. Darby, receiver. , ’
“(4) If the United States, by final decree, wins in said suit and cancels the allotment of Barney Thloceo, then upon payment of said 10 per cent, royalty, as provided herein, accrued to that date, this contract shall terminate.
“(5) If any person or persons, other than Martha Jackson, Barnessee Unussee, Fwl-hoehee Barney, Siah Barney, Tommy Barney, or Mollie Barney, shall win by final decree in said cause, the entire title of said property, then this contract shall terminate from date of said final decree upon payment of all sums due hereunder. In case Martha Jackson shall finally be decreed to be the owner of any portion of the land above described, and the other claimants, parties to this contract, shall be denied any ownership in said land by final decree, then in that event, the lessees herein, or their assigns, shall continue to pay to said trustees, for the use and benefit of the parties of the first part, a one-tenth royalty on all the oil and gas produced from that portion of said land finally decreed to Martha Jackson.
“(6) By final decree as used herein, is meant the final judgment or decree in said cause after decision by the Supreme Court of the United States, or the abandonment of the right of appeal.”

During the pendency of the Wildcat Case in the federal court, and on the 21st day of October, 1916, Fulhoehee Barney, Mollie *32 Barney, and Tommy Barney executed and delivered to T. E. Standley a deed which is as follows:

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Related

United States v. Wildcat
244 U.S. 111 (Supreme Court, 1917)

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Bluebook (online)
1929 OK 171, 277 P. 661, 137 Okla. 30, 1929 Okla. LEXIS 395, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lillard-v-stone-okla-1929.