192 F. 597 | U.S. Circuit Court for the District of Eastern Oklahoma | 1911
This is an action in the nature of ejectment brought by the plaintiff to recover from defendants the possession of a tract of land described in the petition, as follows:
“All of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter, and the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter, and lots five (5) and six (6) section*599 two (21 township nineteen (19) north, range thirteen (13) east, and lot five (5) section twenty-nine (29), township eighteen (18) north, range thirteen (13) east, containing one hundred and fifty-eight and ninety-four hundredths acres, more or less.”
The petition is in that brief and general form permitted by the Code of the state. The defendants are husband and wife. By their answer „they deny the title and right to possession asserted by plaintiff, admit their possession, assert ownership of a portion of the land by virtue of certain conveyances made to defendant I. L. Cook, and title and possession of the entire tract by defendant W. A. Cook. To this answer a reply was filed, and on issues so joined the case came on for trial on its merits before the court and a jury. Thereupon it was stipulated and agreed by the parties in writing to waive a trial by jury as to all matters in issue save alone the single fact of the age of one. Melinda Higgs, née Davis; and, this question being determined by the jury, it was discharged, and the case was submitted for determination to the court on the evidence, briefs, and arguments of counsel, and comes now on for decision.
The facts necessary to an understanding of the questions presented for decision may be summarized, as follows:
On the 13th day of October, 1902, there was by the duly accredited representatives of the government made, executed, and delivered to one Melinda Davis, a freedwoman, member of the Creek Tribe of Indians, theretofore duly enrolled as such, a deed conveying to her as a homestead the S. E. ¾ of the N. W. ¾. of section 2,, township 19 N., of range 13 E., of the Indian Meridian, containing 40 acres. And on the same day, by the same authority, there was by deed of allotment conveyed to her the remainder of the tract described in the petition of the plaintiff, to wit, the S. W. ⅛ of the N. W. ½ and lots 5 and 6 of section 2, township 19, and lot 5 of section 29, township 18, all north of range 13 E., of the Indian Meridian, containing 118.94 acres, more or less. Theretofore said Melinda Davis had been duly enrolled and entered on the Creek freedman rolls prepared and made by authority of the government, a public record, under No. 3,862, as of six years of age at the date of enrollment, which was therein specified as September, 1898. At a date left uncertain by the evidence, but before the making and delivery of any conveyance by her to the property in dispute in this action, or any part thereof, said Melinda Davis intermarried with one Albert Higgs. Thereafter, said Melinda Higgs, née Davis (hereafter for sake of brevity referred to as the “allottee”), sold a portion of the land in controversy to defendant I. E. Cook, and on the 17th day of January, 1908, and again on February 5, 1908, she and her husband made, executed, and delivered deeds containing covenants of general warranty purporting to convey to defendant I. L. Cook a portion of the lands theretofore allotted and conveyed to her; that is to say, lots 5 and 6 and the S. W. t/4 of the N. W. ¾ of section 2, township 19 N., of range 13 E., of Indian Meridian. Thereafter, and on the 28th day of July, 1908, said allottee and her husband made, executed, and delivered another deed of general warranty to defendant I. I* Cook, purporting to convey
In response to interrogatories submitted, the jury found by special verdict the allottee, Melinda Higgs, née Davis, was born January 29, 1892, and was 18 years of age January 29, 1910.
. From the foregoing statement of facts it is apparent as between the parties to this action there is no controversy over lot 5, section 29, township 18 N., of range 13 E., of Indian Meridian. Defendants have no claim of title thereto by virtue of any conveyance shown in the record. The plaintiff has. Therefore, as defendants by their joint answer in paragraph 5 allege W. A. Cook to be the owner and in possession of all the lands described in the complaint as to said tract, plaintiff is entitled to judgment, unless it appears the conveyance to her was of no validity whatever; hence said tract may be and is''dropped from the present consideration of the case.
Coming now to the remainder of the land which comprises both the homestead and other lands conveyed to the allottee, it may be ob
Again, as to the strength of their own title, defendants contend the conveyance made to defendant I. L. Cook by-the allottee and her husband, bearing date July 28, 1908, was made at a time when all governmental restrictions on her right to convey her allotted lands, whether homestead or otherwise, had been removed by act of Congress of May 27, 1908; the contention of defendants being the said act in express terms removed restrictions theretofore existing against the alienation of lands allotted to the members of'the Five Civilized Tribes, as follows: (a) From all lands of intermarried whites without regard to age; (b) from all lands of freedmen, without regard to age; (c) from all lands of mixed bloods of less than half Indian blood, without regard to age; (d) from the surplus lands of mixed blood Indians having half or more than half and less than three-fourths Indian blood, and to impose restrictions or to retain restrictions theretofore imposed by law until «April 26, 1931, upon lands allotted to members of the Five Tribes, as follows: (x) All lands of full blood Indians; (y), all lands of mixed blood Indians having three-fourths or more of Indian blood; (z) the homesteads of mixed blood Indians having half or more than half and less than three-fourths of Indian blood.
It is therefore the insistence of defendants as said act removed all governmental restrictions theretofore existing against the right of the allottee to make said conveyance, and as her right to convey the land's in question was dependent solely and alone on the laws of the stajc, atid as at the time- said conveyance was made the allottee was lawfully
In considering this case, it is thought a part at least of the difficult questions presented on the record may be eliminated from consideration by reference to the provisions of Act Cong. May 27, 1908, c. 199, 35 -Stat. 312, and by a consideration of the effect of that act on the rights of the parties hereto. The act provides, in part, as follows:
“Section 1. That from and after sixty days from the date of this act the status of the lands allotted heretofore or hereafter to allottees of the hive Civilized Tribes shall, as regards restrictions on alienation or incum-brance be as follows: All lands, including homesteads, of said allottees enrolled as intermarried whites, as freedmen, and as mixed blood Indians having less than half Indian blood including miners shall be free from all restrictions. All lands, except homesteads, of said allottees enrolled as mixed blood Indians having half or more than half and less than three-quarters Indian blood shall be free from all restrictions. All homesteads óf 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 be subject to alienation, contract to sell, power of attorney, or any other in-cumbrance 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 be prohibited by this act from continuing to remove restrictions as heretofore, and nothing herein shall be construed to impose restrictions removed from land by or Tinder any law prior to the passage of this act. * * ⅞
“See. 2. That all lands other than homesteads allotted to members of the Five Civilized Tribes from which restrictions have not been removed may be leased by the allottee if an adult, or by guardian or curator under order of the proper probate court if a minor or incompetent, for a period ■not to exceed five years, without the privilege of renewal: Provided, 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: And provided further, that the jurisdiction of the probate courts of the state of Oklahoma over lands of minors and incompetents shall be subject to the foregoing provisions, and the term minor of minors, as used in this act, shalf include all males under the age of twenty-one years and all females under the age of eighteen years.
“Sec. 3. That the rolls of citizenship and of freedmen of the Five Civilized Tribes approved by the Secretary of the Interior shall be conclusive evidence as to the quantum of Indian blood of any .enrolled citizen or freedman of said tribes and of no other persons to determine questions arising under this act and the enrollment records of the Commissioner to the Five Civilized Tribes shall hereafter be conclusive evidence as to the age of said citizen or freedman.
“Sec. 4. That all lands from which restrictions have been or shall be removed shall be subject to taxation and all other civil burdens as though it were the property of other persons than allottees of the Five Civilized*603 Tribes. Provided, that allotted lands shall not bo subjected or held liable, to any foi'm of personal claim, or demand, against the allottees arising or existing prior to the removal of restrictions, other than contracts heretofore expressly permitted by law.
•‘Sec. 5. That any attempted alienation or incumbrance by deed, mortgage, contract to sell, power of attorney, or other instrument or method of incumbering real estate, made before or after the approval of this act, which affects the title of the land allotted to allottees of the Five Civilized Tribes prior to removal of restrictions therefrom, and also any lease of such restricted land made in violation of law before or after the approval of this act shall be absolutely null and void.
“Sec. 6. That the persons and property of minor allottees of the Five Civilized Tribes shall, except as otherwise specifically provided by law, be subject to the jurisdiction of the probate courts of the state of Oklahoma. The Secretary of tlie Interior is hereby empowered, under rules and regu-lalions to be prescribed by him, to appoint such local representatives within the state of Oklahoma who shall be citizens of that state or now domiciled therein as he may deem necessary to inquire into and investigate tlie conduct of guardians or curators having in charge the estates of such minors, and whenever such representative or representatives of the Secretary of the Inferior shall be of opinion that the estate of any minor is not being properly cared for by tile guardian or curator, or that the same is in any manner being dissipated or wasted or being permitted to deteriorate in value by reason of the negligence or carelessness or ineompeteney of the guardian or curator, said representative or representatives of the Secretary of the Interior shall have power and it shall be their duty to report such matter in fpll to the proper probate court and take tbe necessary-steps to have such matter fully investigated, and go to the further extent of prosecuting any necessary remedy, either civil or criminal, or both, to preserve the property and protect the interests of said minor allottees; and it shall be the further duty of such representative or representatives to make full and complete reports to the Secretary of the Interior. -All such reports, either to the Secretary of the Interior or to the proper probate court, shall become public records and subject to the inspection and examination of the public, and tlie necessary court fees shall be allowed against the estates of said minors. The probate courts may, in Ibeir discretion, appoint any such representative of the Secretary of the Interior as guardian or curator for such minors, without fee or charge. And said representatives of the Secretary of the Interior are further authorized, and it is made their duty, to counsel and advise all allottees, adult or minor, having restricted lands of all of their legal rights with reference to their restricted lands, without charge, and to advise them in the preparation of all leases authorized by law to be made, and at the request of any allottee having restricted land ho shall, without charge, except the necessary court and recording fees and expenses, if any. in the name of the allottee, take such steps as may be necessary, including the bringing of any suit or suits and ttie prosecution and appeal thereof, to cancel and annul any deed, conveyance, mortgage, ¡ease, contract to sell, power of attorney, or any other in-cumbrance of any kind or character, made or attempted to be made or executed in violation of this act or any other act of Congress, and to take all steps necessary to assist said allottees in acquiring and retaining possession of their restricted lands. * ⅞ * That no restricted lands of living minors shall be sold or encumbered, except by leases authorized by law, by order of the court or otherwise.”
Viewed in this light, it is clear the allottee, being a minor female freedwoman under 18 years of age at the 'date of her conveyance to I. L. Cook, was freed from all governmental restrictions against her power of alienation except such disqualifying conditions as were common to all minors under the laws of the state. As has been seen, the statute law of the state above quoted does authorize its female citizens under 18 years of age, lawfully married, to convey their property regardless of the fact of minority, because .in contemplation of such law the fact of marriage in and of itself removes this disability of minority; yet, as to such wards of the government, as was the allottee freedwoman in this case, although married, still, as shown by the public rolls, she remained a minor under the act in question. Therefore she could dispose of her property by that method only open under the law of the state to persons of her class, minors, regardless of the fact of her marriage. And, as this method was not pursued in the. conveyance by her made to defendant I. L,. Cook on July 28, 1908, it must be held insufficient to convey the legal title to the property described and for the reason that the grantor therein, as shown by the public rolls, was a minor tinder the disabilities of a minor, though married. Therefore said conveyance was ineffectual to pass the legal title of the property to defendant I. IY. Cook. As to the effect of a conveyance so made, see Jefferson v. Winkler, 26 Okl. 653, 110 Pac. 755.
As to the conveyances between the same parties of dates January 17 and February 5, 1908, it is sufficient to say of them, not only the same disability of minority existed as is above referred to, but at the tim’es the same were made such governmental restrictions against alienation were in force as to preclude a court from giving them any valid effect wdiatever.
“Every person who buys or sells, or in any manner procures, or makes or takes any promise or covenant to convey any pretended right or title to any lands or tenements, unless the grantor thereof, or the person making such promise or covenant has been in possession, or he and those by whom he claims have been in possession of the same, or of the reversion and remainder thereof, or have taken the rents and profits thereof for the space of a year before such grant, conveyance, sale, promise, or covenant made, is guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Prior to September 1, 1910, this provision of the statutory law of the state had been construed by the Supreme Court in the cases of Huston v. Scott, 20 Okl. 142, 94 Pac. 512, and Powers v. Van Dyke, 27 Okl. 27, 111 Pac. 939, and it was therein held a conveyance of land made in contravention of the act, although by the rightful owner, was utterly void as against the person holding adversely claiming to be the owner thereof under color of title. Hence the statute so construed by the Supreme Court of the state at the time of the making of the conveyance to plaintiff in dispute had become a rule of property of the state, and, if applicable to the facts of the case at bar,
As defendants have shown no title or right of possession to lot 5, section 29, township 19 N, of range 13 E., of the Indian Meridian, but by their answer deny the title and right of plaintiff to the possession thereof, as to so much of said tract, judgment must enter for
The costs of action will be equally divided between the parties. It is so ordered.