The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1900-10-29
Some Indian History.

cisiOn OF the supreme OouA' III '"'
case of the ChOctaw nation anc
the Chickasaw nation claimants
VS.. the United States and the
Wichita and affiliated bands OF
Indians defendants, recalls an IL
teresting story.
The lands involved are located
in what is known as the leased
district of the ninety-eighth and
one hundredth meridians eff west
longitude. This diitrict contains
7.7I5.223 acres. and is part of the
country ceded to the Unitedstates
by France ia 1903 in the Louisiana
purchase. The case arose out OF
agreements entered into between
the United States and the defend
ant Indians, by which the Indians
ceded aud relinquished TO the
United States their claim, title and
interest ia the tract of country
within the leased distric and the
United States stipulated to allot
the tract in feveralty to the Indi-
ans. The agreement also proyid-
ed for the opening of the lands
for white settlement.
When the agreement was pro-
mulgated, the Choctaw and Chick
asaw nations claimed that, not
Withstanding an alleged cession
of the land by them TO the United
States. the land was held in trust
by the United States for them.
The defendant Indians denied the
claim and asserted an exclusive
ownership.
The Choctaws based their claim
to the lands on the treaty of 4
October Is, 1920, which provides
for the removal of the Choctaw
Indians from Mississippi and
Alabama and The cession of all
their lands in these two states to I
the federal government In con- -
sideration of the tract of land in
Indian and Oklahoma territories y
which included the lands now in :
dispute. BY the fourth article of =
that treaty the United States !"
stipulated that the cession of the =
Choctaws in Indian and Okla ~
homa territories should remain
without alteration until the time ~
when the Indian nations should -
become so civilized and enlight- 1
ened as to be eligible to citizen
ship of the United States and that :
congress should then lay out
limited portion or parcel of the :
land for the benefit of each family
or individual in the nation.n
In 1886 another treaty was en- ,r
tered into between the United
States and the Choctaw and
Chickasaw nations, by which the
land now in dispute was set aside
for the use of homeless Indians. ST
in consideration of which the
United States paid the Choctaws
100000 and the Chick kasaws az
The terms of this treaty -
were further elaborated in the !
treaty made eleven years later be-
tween the government and the tlo
Choctaw and Chickasaw Indians. oo'
In 1891, when the Wichita and
affiliated bands entered into a Ser
reaty with the government by cei
which the lands in the Wichita
reservation were to be allotted in
'eFeralty 10 the Indians and the VI
esidue sold for the benefit of the I
MEMBERS Of the tribe, the Choc. :
avs and Chickasaws disputed M
he claim of the Wichitas and
bands to the lands on Plal
7hich they were living, basing
heir contention on the treaty onic'
greements referred to.
The Wichitas and affiliated w
ands contended that they held
le title to the land in dispute by
n original occupancy. They as
arted, therefore, that the treaty
1920, by which the Choctaws
Id Chiekasaws abqulred title TO
Ie land from the United States
as illegal. As the United States n
S at all times held IN fha noIicv