The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-30
SENECAS TO FIGHT IN COURT.
A WOMAN CNITES THEN ~ A
STAND FOR THEIR LANDS.
II Was Mrs. Harriet Maxwell Con, erse Who
Got Them In Harmony After Years OF
DisaEreement-Th Ogden Claimants
Appeal 70 Congress Gets Q Seth ack.

DNaGreement-1he Ogden Claimants
Appeal TO Congress Gets . Setback.
The courts have at last been appealed to
In behalf OF the Seneca Indians Of this State
III an effort to preserve o them their lands
| on the Cattaraugu- reservation. their pos
session Of which is at present more than
| ever menaced by the Ogden Land Com
pany's claim.
Tie Vreeland bin is scheduled to come
before Congress again AT the December
session, and friends of the Ogden interests
have expected It's passage. Under its pro-
visions the Ssnecas would be forced froE.
the ownership Of their lands and would be-
obliged to pay to the Ogden claima n, r
100000 for nothing whatsoever.
Ia this emergency that stanch friend of
the Indians. Mrs. Harriet Maxwell Con-
verse of this city, stepped in to aid her red
friends and block, If possible, the project
Of the Ogden claimants, which has been
freely sioHen Of in the form it takes in the
Nreeland bill as very much resembling a
land-grabbing scheme.
Absolutely alone in her negotiations witt
the Indians themselves, and aided In matters
OF law by friends IN the western part Of tie
state, Mrs. Converse has set In motto u
legal machinery which, it Ii believed vii
at least Induce Congress to paws. in it,
consideration Of the Vreeland bill and |
tlie e..d may save the Indians from spolia
ton.
Tie indians themselves are the plai o.
IFS in the litigation. ard Lave retail =,
former Congressman John J. Van NHrhi
II Rochester to prosecute their suit. bl
Il WAS only 10y tie irdefatigabe zeal ,
,Irs. Converse that their Possible course Z,
seE-protection was revealed to them NJ
Van Noorhis is an authority Oh India
matters IL the State of New York.
Willie she was s"archilg for possiil
way Of ESCAPE from the Indians from Il
Ereeland bills threatened oppression
ccurred to Mrs. Converse that perhal,
la Ogden claimants might be compel,,
20 come l. To court and show there, for H.
hcnefit of Congress AID the Indians, jul
what shadow Of right they claimed to a.
title in the Senecas' lands and what rig
they could show to $2OO,OOO Of Seneci
money
She went up to Rochester and consulted
with Mr.. Van Voorhis. who counselled hei
that such a suit was perfectly proper
one for the Indians to bring, and he told
her further that he did not believe an,
Congressman would vote upon the vree-
land bin or any other such bill while sue l.
suit, brought in good faith in de-
fence Of the Indians right to their lands.
was pending
Mrs Converse then went straight to the
reservation and called a council Of the
Indians, among whom she Is looked upon
a. n sister, her grandfather, her father ana
l,a h,r..R hax l..
nation.
Sh" got there Is an nauspicious moment
for the Indians had had an election on tn,
same day as tho State election and Their.
were dlsagrceible feelings over an ged
fraud At the polls The Senecas are d.
viicd into two parties, the party Of IN"
y ,,ion and the party Of the p ,ople. tn,
former headed by President VII liam G.
hoag and the latter, by eA- President Thomas
Kennedy.
Tho election had been for new Presiden,
and Council, and the ballot boxes which
should have been opened NJ sunrise n al
not been presented for the voters use until
O'Clock in the afternoon The inspectors
for the People therefore, refused TO ioin
in count Of the votes and left the place
and the decision "a 10 the election new rests
With Indian Commissioner Jones
IN p"oplcs party men would not como
20 ia Council cal led by Mrs. Converse for
fear Of ratifying the elect ion, and she had to
cali convention Of M whole people. Fran
,h'n IA refused TO come, for fear il might
Ice uncnnstitutional and Mrs. Converse was
obliged 70 keep runners busy all over Tho
reservation until III had procured conv
Of IN" nations constitution and shown Tho
people tnat they mad right to assemble in
convention. ~
IN" People . party had employed lawyer
TO object to n, Pres,d cnt and Ioincii CON.
tinuins in Office after he election. In, III.
constitution ehpwed them also that as there
nad not been lawful election The officers
held over. This appearing to the satissac-
ION OF every one Mrs Converse IA n brought
III matter Of the ogden claim before ~,
Council and advised them to consider n
resolution relative TO bringing it into court,