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Show REPORT OF TEE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AXTAIRS. LXV . BLACK BOB SHAWNEE LANDS IN KANSAS. In my last annual report I referred to the report and,accompa~~ying papers submitted by Special Agent E. E. White, on April 8, 1880, rel-ative tohisinvestigations in regard to twenty-five deeds of conveyance of lands in Kansas from members of the Black Bob band of Shawnee Indians, or their descendants or representatives, to Thomas Carney, filed in this office for approval on October 30,1885. On examination of the report I have concluded that$3per acre, the considerationnilmed ineach deed, is grossly inadequate. The special ageut,after making a thorough investigation, estimates. the value of the lands exclusive of improvements thereon at from $10 to $35 per acre, the average value being $19.50 per acre, and the ?reragevalues of the land and improve-ments at $29.40 per acre. The following is quoted from Mr. White'are-port : Finding the cons~derationn amed in each of the twenty-five deeds in question eo greatly inaufioient, and also that base misrepresentations and gross fraud were used to procare the same to induce the Indians to sall at the low price of $ 3 perm~e, I reoommend :hat none of them be approved. In view of the question of fraud thus presented, and of conspiracy r e l a t i~eto the procurement of said deeds, also raised by said report, and of the apparent inadequacy of the consideration, the subject was submitted to the Department, under date of February 25,1887. A full history oftheBlack BobShawnee lands wasgiven, and Istated that in my opinion the lands embraced in said twenty-five deeds, and all other lands patented to members of said band, conveyances of which had not been declared valid by decree of the United States circuit court for the district of Kansas, under the joint resolution approved March 3, 1879 (30 Stat., 458), or the title to which had not passed by approvalof the Secretary of the Interior, and also the improvements theeon,should be appraised separately and the lands sold (with the oonseut of the In-dians severally to whom the same were patented) to the highest bid-der, the bona fide settler to hive the preference right to purchase the tract resided upon and improved by him j and in case a settler should fail to purchase within a specified time and the land should be sold.to any other than a settler, the purchaser to pay the settler the appraised value of his improvements ; the proceed8 of the sale of the lands to be for the benefit of. the Iudians severally entitled.thereto, subject to refi~ndment therefrom to the grantee in said twentyfive deeds (Mr. Gamey), of the consideration money paid by him, if, in the opinion of the Attorney-General, he should be equitably entitled thereto. With this report was inclosed a draft of a bill, in duplicate, covering the points indicated, and copie8 of all papers bearing on the subjeat, with the recommendation that the matter be laid before Congress with re-qoest for favorable consideration. The Department concurred, and pre. wnted the subject to each branch of Congress. (See Senate Ex. Doc. No. 111, 49th Congress, 2d session.) 8375 I 1 1 - 4 |
