United States v. Martin

45 F.2d 836, 1930 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1549
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Oklahoma
DecidedDecember 11, 1930
DocketNo. 4044
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 45 F.2d 836 (United States v. Martin) 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
United States v. Martin, 45 F.2d 836, 1930 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1549 (E.D. Okla. 1930).

Opinion

WILLIAMS, District Judge-.

This action was instituted on the part of complainant to cancel a certain warranty deed, claimed to have been executed by Ben Watson, and an alleged approval of said deed by the county court of MeCurtain county, on certain land allotted as a homestead to Waey Williams, deceased, enrolled as a full-blood Choctaw Indian, roll No. 1138; the said Ben Watson bom after March 4, 1906, and a child of said Waey Williams, deceased, and an only surviving heir. The said Waey Williams at the time of her death was an enrolled full-blood Choctaw Indian, and received said homestead allotment consisting of 93.1 acres of land situated in said county. Said allottee died in January, 1911, in MeCurtain county, Okl., leaving surviving her, and as her only heirs, her husband, Allen T. Watson, and her only child, said Ben Watson. -Prior to the execution of said alleged deed, her said husband, Allen T. Watson, died, leaving as his only heir the said Ben Watson. On the 6th day of May, 1929, after the death of the said Allen T. Watson, who was. a full-blood Choctaw Indian and enrolled as such, the said Ben Watson executed a warranty deed purporting to convey said homestead land to A. P. Martin, the defendant, for the sum of $200 paid to- him as consideration therefor. Said deed, having been presented to the county judge of MeCurtain county, Okl., on the date of its execution was on said date approved by him. It is.agreed that the grantee, A. P. Martin, has never taken possession of said homestead allotment, and that it is not his intention to take possession of same, or disturb the [837]*837possession of the grantor, Ben Watson, prior to April 26, 1931, but that he intends for tho said Ben Watson to have the exclusive benefit and use of said allotment until said date, when the said defendant intends to take possession of said allotment under said deed. However, no such conditions are contained in said deed.

The complainant contends that said deed is void and of no force and effect, on the ground said homestead allotment was, at the time of execution and approval of said deed and still is inalienable; said deed neither having been presented to for approval nor approved by the Secretary of the Interior. Section 5 of the Act of May 27, 1908 (35 Stat. 313), pro.vides that “any attempted alienation” of such allotted lands while restricted and “also any lease of such restricted land made in violation of law * ' * shall be absolutely null and void.” Under the second proviso of section 9 of said act (35 Stat. 315) said homestead allotment, after the death of said full-blood allottee Waey Williams, on account of her full-blood child, the said Ben Watson being horn after March 4, 1906, remained “inalienable, unless restrictions against alienation” were “removed therefrom by the Secretary of the Interior in the manner provided in section one” thereof for the use and support of such issue during his life until April 26, 1931. No such restriction was removed by the Secretary of the Interior.

In Privett v. United States, 256 U. S. 202, 41 S. Ct. 455, 65 L. Ed. 889, it is said:

“The allottee was an Indian of the half blood and died intestate in 1911 leaving as his heirs a widow, an adult daughter, and a minor son, all of whom were Creek Indians. Thereafter deeds purporting’ to convey the land to one Privett were executed by tho heirs, the deed of the minor son being made by his guardian. These are the conveyances sought to he canceled, and the ground on which they are assailed is that the minor son was bom after March 4, 1906, and therefore that the land passed to the heirs subject to the qualification and restriction imposed by a proviso in section 9 of the Act of May 27, 1908, e. 199, 35 Stat. 312. * * *

“The minor son is still living, and, if he was bom after March 4, 1906, it is conceded that the heirs took the land subject to the qualification and restriction imposed by the proviso (see Parker v. Riley, 250 U. S. 66, 39 S. Ct. 405, 63 L. Ed. 847), that there was no removal of the restriction by the Secretary of the Interior, and that the conveyances made by the heirs are void.”

In Parker v. Riley, 250 U. S. 68, 39 S. Ct. 405, 63 L. Ed. 847, the Act of May 27, 1.908, is adverted to, wherein it is said:

“By its first section that act relieves certain allotments from all restrictions, and then declares: ‘All homesteads of said allottees enrolled as mixed-blood Indians having half or more than half Indian blood, including minors of such degrees of blood, and all allotted lands of enrolled full bloods, and enrolled mixed bloods of three-quarters or more Indian blood, including minors of such degrees of blood, shall not he subject to alienation, contract to sell, power of attorney, or any other incumbrance prior to April twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred and thirty-one, except that the Secretary of the Interior may remove such restrictions, wholly or in part, under such rules and regulations concerning terms of sale and disposal of the proceeds for the benefit of the respective Indians as he may prescribe. The Secretary of the Interior shall not he prohibited by this act from continuing to remove restrictions as heretofore.’

“By its second section it provides: . ‘That leases of restricted lands for oil, gas or other mining purposes, leases of restricted homesteads for more than one year, and leases of restricted lands for periods of more than five years, may be made, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, under rules and regulations provided by the Secretary of the Interior, and not otherwise.’

“By its fifth section it declares that ‘any attempted alienation’ of lands while they aro restricted and ‘also any lease of such restricted land made in violation of law * * * shall be absolutely null and void.’ And its ninth section contains the following: ‘That the death of any allottee of tho Five Civilized Tribes shall operate to remove all restrictions upon the alienation of said allottee’s land: Provided, That no conveyance of any interest of any full-blood Indian heir in such land shall be valid unless approved by the court having jurisdiction of the settlement of the estate of said deceased allottee: Provided further, that if any member of the Five Civilized Tribes of onc-half or more Indian blood shall die leaving issue surviving, born since March fourth, nineteen hundred and six, the homestead of such deceased allottee shall remain inalienable, unless restrictions against alienation are removed therefrom by the Secretary of the Interior in the [838]*838maimer provided in section one hereof, for the use and support of such issue, during their life or lives, until April twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred and thirty-one; but if no such issue survive, then such allottee, if an adult, ma.y dispose of his homestead by will free from all restrictions; if this be not done, or in the event the issue hereinbefore provided for die before April twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred and thirty-one, the land shall then descend to the heirs, according to the laws of descent and distribution of the state.of Okahoma, free from all restrictions.’

“The allottee, as has been said, was an •enrolled full-blood Creek Indian and died several months after the act of May 27,1908., The restrictions on the alienation of her homestead had not been removed, and among her heirs was a child—a daughter named Julia—horn after March 4, 1906.

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Bluebook (online)
45 F.2d 836, 1930 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1549, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-martin-oked-1930.