Munnah v. Gates

1919 OK 194, 184 P. 127, 76 Okla. 167, 1919 Okla. LEXIS 147
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedJune 24, 1919
Docket9265
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 1919 OK 194 (Munnah v. Gates) 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
Munnah v. Gates, 1919 OK 194, 184 P. 127, 76 Okla. 167, 1919 Okla. LEXIS 147 (Okla. 1919).

Opinion

JOHNSON, J.

This is an action in ejectment filed in the district court of Seminole county, on March 24, 1914, by the plaintiff in error, Munnah, against the defendant in error, E. S. Gates. By her petition the plaintiff in error seeks to recover from the defendant in error her individual allotment of 120 acres of land situate in Seminole county, together with damages for its detention.

In addition to the usual allegations in such petition, it is stated by the plaintiff that she is a Creek Indian of full blood, but that by reason of long residence in the Seminole Nation she was adopted by that tribe, and is enrolled upon the allotment roll of the said Seminole Tribe of Indians, opposite No. 1066, as an “adopted citizen.”

July 3, 1914, the' defendant filed his answer, which contains a general denial, a plea of the statute of limitations, and a plea of bona fide purchaser.

January 1, 1917, the plaintiff filed her reply, in which she- denies that the defendant has any title to said land, alleging all pretended conveyances held -by him are void, for the reason that she is a restricted Indian and never had any power to alienate. The reply also contains a general denial, and a specific denial of the plea of the statute of limitations..

On January 4, 1917, the cause was tried to a jury, and on the same date the jury returned a verdict for the defendant.

The plaintiff in due time filed a motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, and also statutory motion for new trial, from the overruling of which the plaintiff appeals to this court by petition in error with copy of case-made attached, which petition contains numerous assignments of* error, the first twelve of which go to the questions of overruling motions for new trial and for judgment in accordance with the verdict of the jury, and the remaining assignments go to the question of the rulings of the court in admitting and rejecting testimony upon the trial of the cause.

At the commencement of the trial the parties made the following agreement and stipulations :

“It is -agreed by and between the parties hereto 'that Munnah was duly enrolled as a citizen -of the Seminole Tribe of Indians, on •the roll of the citizens by blood, opposite No. 1066, but is not admitted by the defendants that the plaintiff has any Indian blood at all; and as such received the following allotment of land in Seminole county, Okla., to wit:
“As surplus: The northeast quarter of the northeast quarter and the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section twenty-five, township nine north, range five east.
“And as her homestead allotment: The northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of said section twenty-five, township five north, range five east.
“That thereafter, to wit, on the 8th day of May, 1906, said Munnah executed a warranty deed to said land purporting to convey the aforesaid surplus to J. B. Stigall, reciting a consideration of $200.00, which deed appears of record in Book K, at page 457 of the deed records of Seminole county, Okla.
“That thereafter, to wit, on July 27, 1908, said Munnah executed a warranty deed ’to *168 J. B. Stigall purporting to convey tire aforesaid homestead allotment reciting a consideration of $150.00, which deed appears of record in Book 5 at page 594 of the deed records of Seminole county, Okla.
“That thereafter, to wit, on February 17, 1909, J. B. Stigall executed a warranty deed to L. L. Oobb purporting to convey the whole of said land, both homestead gnd surplus, which deed appears of record in Book 10 at page 9.
“That thereafter, to wit, on January 1, 1909, L. L. Oobb, joined by her husband, T. S. Oobb, executed a warranty deed to E. S. Gates purporting to convey the whole of said land, which deed appears of record in Book 27 at page 311 of the deed records of Seminole county, Okla.”

The theory of the plaintiff, as contended for in her brief, was and is that, while on the Seminole Indian roll merely as an adopted citizen, she was in reality a full-blood Greek Indian, and therefore she was at all times restricted and without power to convey the lands.

A certified copy of the census card Showing the enrollment of Munnah, the plaintiff, was introduced by the plaintiff without objection, which shows, among other things, that the plaintiff was enrolled in 1897 as an adopted citizen of the Seminole Tribe of Indians, and was then 60 years of age, enrolled opposite No. 1066; that she had a daughter, Katie Miller, age 27, placed upon the roll as a half blood, a granddaughter, Oinda Coker, age 3 months and enrolled a quarter, new-born, and a son, Nussey Miller, age 26, half blood, and a son, Jeff Coker, age 7 years, half blood.

The evidence further showed that the plaintiff was married to Tewetka, a full-blood Creek Indian, and they had children named Katie Miller and Nussey Miller, enrolled as half blood, as before stated, and that she married London Coker, who was a Seminole, full blood, and they had a son, Jeff Coker, who was enrolled as a half blood, and a granddaughter, Cinda Coker, enrolled as a new-born, quarter blood.

The plaintiff’s witness Jennie Jacobs testified that she knew the plaintiff; that plaintiff was much older than witness; that plaintiff was witness’ father’s wife; that she knew plaintiff’s father; that plaintiff’s father’s name was Con-Oharte Harjo, and her mother’s name was Susan, and that they were full-blood Creek Indians; that both her father and mother died over 30 years ago; that witness’ father’s name was London •Coker. She testified, on cross-examination, that all she knew about the ease was what the plaintiff had told her, and that was the way she found out about it.

Peter Ewing testified for the plaintiff that he was a Creek Indian about 56 years of age; that he knew the plaintiff, and that she was a sister of his mother; that from all he knew she was a full-blood Indian and that she had been so considered by the Indians; that plaintiff spoke the Creek language, and no other language; that he lived at Eu-faula, had never lived in the Seminole Nation; that plaintiff’s first husband was a full-blood Indian, named Tewetka, second husband was a full-blood Indian named London Coker; knew plaintiff’s father and mother, Harjo and Susan; that they were both full-blood Creek Indians.

Lester Williams testified for the plaintiff that he was a Creek Indian, 77 years old, and that he knew the plaintiff, and that she was a full-blood Creek Indian; knew her father, Harjo, and mother, Susan; that they were both Creek Indians, and spoke the Creek language and that they looked like Indians, and were full-blood Indians. Testified on cross-examination that he lived near Eufaula, and that his father was a white man.

Plaintiff testified in her own behalf that she was an Indian, a Seminole, spoke the Creek language. Her father’s name was Con-Oharte Harjo, and her mother’s name was Susan; that they were both dead; that they were Indians of the Creek Tribe, and full ■blood. She did not know her¡ age.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Johnson v. Hickey
1923 OK 17 (Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 1923)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1919 OK 194, 184 P. 127, 76 Okla. 167, 1919 Okla. LEXIS 147, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/munnah-v-gates-okla-1919.