The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-23
Ok|ahOTnan Is Mentioned As
An Owner Of Land
NO ACTIVITY RECENTLY
Senator Owen Entered Into An Agree
ment To Secure Contracts At
One Time, But Quit After
Election

Sulphur, Okla. August 22.--The name Of
United States Senator Robert L. Owen
entered into the land investigation to-
day.
e. P. Hill, an attorney for the Choctaw
nation, testified before the special con-
gressional committee which is investi-
eating the Gore bribery charges. that
Owen is the principal In a suit in which
are involved contracts with the Indians
calling for a so per cent fee.
Mr.. Owen, however. testified Attorney
Hill, entered into the contracts with the
Indians some years before he became
senator. and is not now trying to secure
the 80 per cent, but has left 1t to the
United States court of claims to deter
mine how much he should be paid. 1t
was also said that since his election as
senator Mr.. Owen had shown no activity
In the matter except to testify in behalf
of his claim.
The value of the property which, II was
asserted In Mr.. Owens suit, was restored
to the Indians is fixed by the depart
1nenL OIL Justice dt lIOli SiSrvvpsVoV W VII
000, 600 As attorney for the Choctaws,
Mr.. Hill said he was resisting the suit.
I'm 1885, said Mr.. Hill. ''Mr. Owen en-
tered into an arrangement with Charles
f. winton to attempt to secure for the
Choctaw Indians living east of the Mis-
sissippi river citizenship in what was
then the Indian Territory winton went
to Mississippi and got many Individual
contracts, the number ultimately being
1900. In these contracts the claimants
agreed to give to winton and Owen 50
per cent Of all property which they would
become possessed of II they were admit
| ted to citizenship.
Rights Revert To Owen
"Winton, after obtaining many con-
| tracts died and his rights reverted to
Mr.. owen. After the Indians were ad-
mirted to citizenship Congress referred
Owens claim to the court of claims,
where 1t is now pending. Since he be-
came senator I do not believe Mr.. Owen
has shown any activity in his case except
to testify as he was required"
Senator Owen based his claim, the wit
ness said, on legal services he alleges he
rendered at Washington and In Okla
homa prior to his election to the Sem
ate.
Now" asked Representative Campbell
of Kansas, suppose Senator Owen should
be allowed by the court of claims all
that his contract called for. how much
would he get?"
He would receive so per cent of $l2.
900, 900 or $14,0o0.0Oo according to the value
of the property"
rs he secured in any way?'
1.-THE omnibus Indian bill passed by
Congress in 1908 provides that the Owen
fee shall be a lien on the property of
the Indians
what would be the effect on the In
dians If the fee provided for In the con-
tracts were granted?
"It would take all the property the
Indians have. They would be penniless
If they had to pay the fee"
Mr.. Owen was elected senator in 1907
and lives at Muskogee. 1t was said here
that he Is now in Canada.
McMurray Cross-Examined
Most of todays hearing was taken up
with the crOSS-examlnatlOn OF y. NJ. NC
Murray, holder of the contracts, by which
he seeks to obtain a 10 per cent attorney s
fee on the sale of sso,oo0,oo0 worth of
Indian lands in this state.
Mr.. McMurray said If the Indians got
all their property was worth they would
receive s5O,Ooo.000, and his fee would be
10 per cent of that. Questioned as to
his plans to dispose of the 10000 acres
of the coal and asphalt land. McMurray
said the coal deposits held by the In
dans In this state amounted principally
to a monopoly in the territory west of
the Mississippi, south of the Missouri
and east of the Rocky mountains and
he believed the Indians were entitled to
the value of the coal as monopoly. He
thought the land would bring a higher
price IL sold to corporation rather than
If It were split up and sold to many
individuals.
He said he never had heard of New
York syndicate that stood ready to pay
$40, 900 for the land, as Senator ]. p.
Gore had charged. The surface of the
lands, which aggregate more than 2,500.-
900 acres, the witness thought, might be
sold separately to small holders.
The investigation committee, which ID
headed by Representative Charles p.
Burke Of South Dakota. tomorrow will
go to Pow Huska, Okla, where on
wednesday hearings will be held con-
cerning contracts with the Usage In
dams, who are said to be the richest
people in the world