Yarhola v. Duling

1922 OK 181, 207 P. 293, 86 Okla. 171, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 137
CourtSupreme Court of Oklahoma
DecidedMay 16, 1922
Docket12636
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 1922 OK 181 (Yarhola v. Duling) 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
Yarhola v. Duling, 1922 OK 181, 207 P. 293, 86 Okla. 171, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 137 (Okla. 1922).

Opinion

McNEIDL, J.

This is an original action commenced in this court by Cussehta Yar-hola, an incompetent, by Dudley Buell, probate attorney and next friend, against S. A. Duling, county judge for Okfuskee county, and H. A. Dolen and H. G. House, joint guardians of Cussehta Yarhola. The petition alleges that the plaintiff is a full-blood Creek Indian, whose restrictions have not been removed, and was declared an incompetent by the county court of Okfuskee county in 1918, and H._ A. Dolen and H. G. House are regularly appointed guardians. It is alleged the plaintiff has a large estate amounting to approximately $190,000, a portion of which came to him by will; that $160,000 of said estate consists of United States Liberty Bonds. The petition alleges that certain parties filed an application with the county court of Okfuskee county seeking an order to permit the guardians to loan $50,000 worth of Liberty Bonds to the applicants, and that applicants be permitted to secure said loan by note and mortgage upon certain real estate. That said application was set for hearing and the plaintiff, although an incompetent, filed objection to the making of said loan for the reason he considered the Liberty Bonds a safe investment. At the hearing the court announced he would make an .order permitting the guardian to make the loan of said bonds and to take as security therefor applicants’ note and mortgage bearing interest at the rate of seven per cent. That the probate attorney appeared for the incompetent, in his official capacity, and also as next friend of said incompetent, and gave notice of appeal. The judge advised the plaintiffs in this action, if they desired to appeal from the order permitting the loan, he would fix the supersedeas bond in the Sum of $16,000, and if they desired a stay of said proceedings and to prevent the loan of said bonds, it would require an additional bond in the sum of $60,000, or a bond in the total sum of $65,000.

The petition alleges there was another application made for a loan of the same amount of bonds, and the court made the same order and fixed the supersedeas bond in that proceeding in the sum of $65,000.

It is next alleged that the bond is excessive and the plaintiff is an incompetent, and under guardian, and it is impossible to perfect such a bond, and that the fixing of the supersedeas bond in said amount constitutes an unwarranted and arbitrary use of judicial power upon behalf ,of the court, and that prohibition is the proper remedy to prevent such unauthorized application of such judicial force. This court, upon the filing of the petition herein and proper showing why the cause was commenced in this court, issued an alternative writ of prohibition against the county judge and the guardians. The defendants filed an answer and response to the alternative writ. This answer raises certain questions of fact, and also questions the right and authority of the probate attorney, in his official capacity, to appeal from the order of the county court or to represent the ■ incompetent in this proceeding, for .the reason that the funds to be loaned came to the plaintiff by will and are unrestricted, and the same being unrestricted, the probate attorney, in his official capacity, has no authority to represent the incompetent in a transaction where his unrestricted funds are involved. The answer admitted that the court made the order authorizing the loaning of said funds and the court fixed the bond in the sums heretofore stated. The plaintiff admits the funds were acquired by him by will executed by a restricted Indian, in compliance with the acts of Congress.

We. will first consider the question of whether the probate attorney, in his official capacity, has any power or authority to appear for the incompetent in this court, or had any such authority to appear in the county court, in his official capacity, for the reason :the funds attempted to be 'loaned were unrestricted, it being contended that neither the United 'States nor its agents have any supervisory control over said funds. iSection 6 of the act of May 27, 1908 ( 32 Stat. 312). in referring to the jurisdiction of the probate court and empowering the Secretary of the Interior to appoint local representatives, commonly known as probate attorneys, to advise and appear for members of the tribes, said:

"And such representatives of the Secretary of Interior are further authorized, and it is made their duty, to counsel and advise all allottees, adult or minor, having restricted lands of all their legal rights with reference to their restricted lands without *173 charge, * * * and at the request of any allottee having restricted land he shaE prosecute an appeal thereof to cancel and annul any deed, conveyance mortgage or lease, * * * or any other incumbrance of any hind or character made or . attempted to be made or executed in violation of this act or any act of Congress and to take all steps necessary to assist said allottee in acquiring and obtaining possession of their restricted lands.”

The different appropriation acts appropriating money for the payment of. probate attorneys must all be construed in connection with the above act, and the above act refers only to the restricted lands and funds of adults. Yarhola being an adult, although an incompetent, the Secretary of the Interior and his representatives have supervisory control only over the restricted lands or restricted funds. See Barlow v. Soldofsky, 84 Okla. 153. 202 Pac. 1009; McKinney v. Bluford, 81 Okla. 166, 197 Pac. 430; Cochran v. Techee, 40 Okla. 392, 138 Pac. 565; Armstrong v. Phillips, 82 Okla. 182, 198 Pac. 499.

The next question for consideration is whether the funds sought to be loaned, being acquired by Yarhola by will, are unrestricted. The Supreme Court of the United States, in the case of LaMotte v. U. S., 254 U. S. 570, 65 L. Ed. 410, held, in substance, that the devise of restricted land by will approved according to the act of Congress operates as a conveyance of the land free of restrictions. By applying the same principle to restricted funds that were devised by wEl, executed in accordance with an act of Congress, the devisee would take the same free of restrictions. See, also. McKinney v. Bluford, supra, and Barlow v. Soldof-sky, supra. We think the position of the defendants is well taken and the probate attorney, in his official capacity, has no authority to appear in this case, nor did he have such right or authority to appear in the county court in his official capacity, for the reason the funds were unrestricted and not under the supervision or control of any agency of the United States.

It is next contended that the incompetent could not appeal from the order of the county court by his -next friend nor prosecute this action by his next friend, because said proceedings must be taken by his guardian. In support of this contention, the defendants cite the case of Clark v. De Graffenreid, 64 Okla. 177, 166 Pac. 736. We cannot agree that this case supports that contention. On page 738 the court states as follows:

“Although a next friend ordinarily has no standing to prosecute an appeal where the interests of the minor are prosecuted by a guardian (Lawless v. Reagan, 128 Mass. 592; E. B. v. E. C. B., 28 Barb. [N. Y.] 299), there are cases in which minors having guardians may appeal notwithstanding this general rule (Patterson v. Millions, Adm’x, 3 Ky. Law Rep. 538; Miller v. Cabell, 81 Ky. 178, 4 Ky. Law Rep. 962; Williams v. Cleaveland, 76 Conn. 426, 56 Atl.

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Bluebook (online)
1922 OK 181, 207 P. 293, 86 Okla. 171, 1922 Okla. LEXIS 137, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yarhola-v-duling-okla-1922.