The San Francisco call., 1910-08-16
Land GRABbERS
PREY ON minors
Organization Members Enrich
Themselves at Expense OF
Young Indians

SULPHUR, Okla, Aug. 15.-Details
Of a scheme by which land grabbers"
organized Systematically to enrich
themselves at the expense of minor In
dians were related at the congressional
investigation into Indian land affairs
today.
In one instance it was asserted that
the cost of disposing of the property
of one IS year old Indian was s2075
more than the property brought, and
the condition which permitted this and
similar deals was declared to be "a
disgrace to Oklahoma"
James Marlborough, a Chickasaw In
Sian by intermarriage, said:
We'll, the people down our way
think it is a scandal that the laws per
nit such a thing, and we think it is
time that congress takes notice of 1t.
The probate court at Durant allowed
the guardian to sell for $4,000 a tract
of 140 acres, of what is known as al
lotted land owned by an Is year old
child.
The guardian then put in a claim on
the proceeds The claim included $3.50
for acting as guardian, $3.50 for i'm
proving the land, $500 for a barn 500
for posts, $3.50 for fences, s6S for wit
ness fees, and more money for other
purposes. 1t was found when the deed
was closed that the child owed his for
mer guardian $2,075, and now the guar
dian is threatening to have property
of the child sold in order to get the
$2,075.
INDIAN HEIRS ROBBED
''The children of deceased Indians in
this state, where are located third of
all the Indians in the United States,
are Systematically being robbed of the
estates allotted them by the govern
ment. The property is sold at prices
dictated by the land robbers The
children are robbed at both ends-at
one end by their guardians, and at the
other by the purchasers
do you mean to say that such
things are countenanced by the pro-
bate courts?"
Yes. they go on with the full knowI-
edge of the judges. Thousands of acres
of property thus are taken from the
Indians and thrown into the hands of
white people. The Indians are getting
poorer and the land grabber richer"
j. F. McMurray, whose 10000 con-
tracts allowing him a 10 per cent at
torney's fee for the sale of $4,000, 900
worth of Indian land caused the pres
ent investigation, sought to show that
a large percentage of the signers were
still in favor of his terms. A. dozen
Chickasaw Indians testified they were
willing to increase the fee if it would
result in the prompt sale of allotted
lands held in trust by the government.
CONTRACTS WITH FREEDMEN
Thomas B. Crews, an attorney of St
Louis, testified that he had contracts
with 700 freedmen, or negroes. who
claim Indian blood or claim to be de-
scendants of former slaves of Indians,
These freedmen assert they were
wrongfully kept off the citizenship
rolls On the basis of his contracts
Crews said he would be allowed a 80
per cent attorneys fee. A citizenship
right is estimated to be worth $4,000.
The attorneys fee involved would be
about S1,225. 600, it was estimated.
Crews said he also had contracts
with about 100 negroes who desire to
tyle advantage of a right to purchase
90 acres of land at an appraised valua-
tion in addition to the 20 acres given
them as freedmen. Under contract,
Crews is to furnish the cash to pur-
chase, and is to receive in return one
half of the land.
INDICTMENTS DISMISSED
w B. Johnson, former United States
attorney, testified that certain indict-
ments against McMurray in 1907 were
ordered dismissed by the attorney gen.
eral The indictments were returned
against McMurray and others in con-
nection with a 100000 expense account
which McMurray's firm had filed against
the Indians in prosecuting citizenship
cases 1t was alleged in the indict-
ment that the expense account had
been padded"
SENATOR CARRIES BULLION Seattle. Aug.
TT. in Srn for