Wolf v. Gills

1923 OK 725, 219 P. 350, 96 Okla. 6, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 175
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedSeptember 25, 1923
DocketNo.12057
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 1923 OK 725 (Wolf v. Gills) 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
Wolf v. Gills, 1923 OK 725, 219 P. 350, 96 Okla. 6, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 175 (Okla. 1923).

Opinion

COCHRAN, J.

This action was commenced by Mose Wolf and others against Lillie ¡B. Gills and others, to recover certain real estate in Coal county. The lands in controversy are a portion of the allotment of Charlotte Wolf, a Chickasaw Indian, who died in September, 1908, and left as her heirs Mose Wolf, a full-blood Chickasaw Indian and a full brother of the deceased, and Oshway Porter, a full-blood Chickasaw Indian and a half brother of deceased. After the death of Charlotte Wolf, Oshway Porter died and left surviving him as his heirs, Sebena Porter, Harrison Porter, Johnson Porter, Elmina Shield, nee Porter, Chetona Brown, nee Porter, and Lera Underwood, all of whom were enrolled as full-blood Chickasaw Indians. An administrator of the estate of Charlotte Wolf was appointed by the county court of Coal county, and, therefore, Mose Wolf executed a deed to the lands in controversy to one J. M. Strange. This deed was approved ’by the county court of Coal county, Okla., and Strange thereafter conveyed to defendants. On Augdst 8, 1911, the county court of Coal county entered an order determining the heirship of Charlotte Wolf and in said order Mose Wolf was decreed 1 o be the sole ' and only heir of Charlotte Wolf.. The trial court found that the deed-of Mose Wolf, approved by the county court of Coal county, was sufficient to convey the interest of Mose Wolf and that by reason thereof the defendants were the owners of a one-half interest in said land; but found that the heirs of Oshway Porter were entitled to a one-half interest in said land, they never having conveyed their interest in the land, and that they were not bound by the decree of heirship rendered by the county court of Coal county on August 8, 1911. Prom the judgment so rendered, both parties have appealed.

The first- question for consideration is (lie validity of the deed executed by Mose Wolf and approved by the county court of Coal county. It was the contention of the plaintiff that Charlotte Wolf was a resident of Pontotoc county, Okla., at the time of her death, and the trial court so found. If is conceded that under section 9 of the act of Congress of Miay 27, 0.0OS, this deed’ from Mlose Wolf is not valid unless approved by the court having jurisdiction of the settlement of the estate of the deceased allottee- Plaintiff contends that, Charlotte Wolf being a resident of the state at the time of her death, jurisdiction in administration proceedings was in the county of her residence, and contends that- this lack of jurisdiction can toe questioned in this collateral proceeding. The defendant contends that the appointment of administrator toy the county court of Coal county i (i n not be collaterally attacked, and that it is not- competent to show that at the time of the appointment of administrator the deceased was really a resident of Pontotoc county. In Presbury v. County Court of Kay County, 88 Okla. 273, 213 Pac. 311, it was held that the right of venue for probate proceedings is an open question until some county court determines it has jurisdiction, but in distinguishing this case from Baird v. England, 85 Okla. 276, 205 Pac. 1098, and State ex rel. Monahawee v. Hazelwood, County Judge, 81 Okla. 69, 196 Pac. 937, the court said:

“Those cases are governed more by Hathaway et al. v. Hoffman et al., 53 Okla. 72, 153 Pac. 184, and other cases of that class, holding that where the county court has taken some affirmative action in matters of this kind, having jurisdiction to pass upon the jurisdictional fact of residence, it will he presumed that it did so, where such action is afterwards assailed collaterally. In such cases, where, from the action taken, it will be presumed that the county court first passed on the juris *8 dictional fact of residence, this court may grant- a writ of prohibition in order to avoid the intolerable conflict of authority that is likely to arise out of the situation presented by these particular cases. But in the case at bar, where the relator has merely filed an application for the probate of the will and the jurisdictional fact of residence is still open to direct assault, and where it appears that counsel is relying upon an inapplicable statute to confer jurisdiction upon the forum of his selection, we see no reason whatever for interfering with the county court of Kay county, where it was found by a court of competent jurisdiction the decedent resided a short time prior to his death.”

In discussing the auestion of the proper court to approve full-blood deeds, the court in Oklahoma Oil Co. v. Bartlett, 236 Fed. 488, said:

“If a regular proceeding for the settlement of the estate of Chunna Gouge, deceased, had been instituted in the county of Hughes, alleging the facts necessary to give that court jurisdiction under the provisions of the Oklahoma statute above referred to, and if that court had found such jurisdiction and proceeded with the-administration, and if the approval of defendant’s deed had followed such regular proceeding for the settlement of the estate, clearly it could not have been attacked collaterally.”

In the opinion it is said:

“Congress, instead of such provision, did, however, condition the fight and duty to approve such deed to the ‘court' having jurisdiction of the settlement of the estate of said deceased allottee.’ This left the determination of the issue to the statutes of the state of Oklahoma. Such statute is as above quoted, and therefore ‘the court having jurisdiction of the settlement of the estate of said deceased allottee’ -was the only court given the right to approve such deed.”

The county court having jurisdiction of the estate of Charlotte Wolf was the county in which she resided at the time of her death; but under the Constitution and law of this state county courts of the state are courts of general probate jurisdiction. Upon administration cases being filed in such courts, the question of the Residence of the deceased must be determined. The county court in which the proceeding is duly and properly filed and presented has jurisdiction to determine for itself this particular .jurisdictional fact, and, having determined it,, the order is not subject to collateral attack. That court is then the tribunal which has been determined under the laws of the state to have jurisdiction of the estate of the deceased and, having been so determined, is the court which must approve full-blood conveyances.

In State ex rel. Monahawee v. Hazel-wood, supra, the court said:

“When the county court of Okmulgee county took jurisdiction of the estate of Lete Kolvin, deceased, and appointed an administrator therein, such taking of jurisdiction and such appointment of administrator were the finding of every jurisdictional fact necessary to such an appointment.” Hathaway v. Hoffman, 53 Okla. 72, 153 Pac. 184; Baird v. England, 85 Okla. 276, 205 Pac. 1098.

It is true that the approval of the deed by the county court was not a judicial act and the order of approval of such a deed is not a determination of the jurisdiction of the court and such, approval can be collaterally attacked (Oklahoma Oil Co. v. Bartlett, supra) ; but in this case the collateral attack on the order of approval was made in attempting to show that the deceased was a resident of Pontotoc county instead of Coal county at the time of her death in order to show that the court of Pontotoc county was the court having jurisdiction of the settlement of the estate.

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Bluebook (online)
1923 OK 725, 219 P. 350, 96 Okla. 6, 1923 Okla. LEXIS 175, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wolf-v-gills-okla-1923.