OCR Text |
Show ment, acting in a ~emijndicial capacity, to determine what names are illegally upon the Osage rolls. The Osages, April 23, 1895, were advised of this decision, and August 19,1895, their acting agent snb-mitted on their behalf a list of the names of 446 persons claimed to be nnlawfully apon their rolls, which was submitted to the Department September 12,1895. The Department obtained the authority of the President to allow an expenditure of Osage moneys for this investigation and Messrs. Wash-ington J. Houston, of North Decatnr, Qa., and Clarence E. Bloodgood, of Catskill, N. Y., were appointed as commissioners. The latter com-missioner, however, declined the appointment, and Mr. George Y. Scott was appointed in his stead. Pebrnary 19,1896, the Department requested this office to prepare instructions for these commissioners, and the following day they were submitted to and approved by the Secretary. These instructions con-tained the following paragraph which fixed January 1, 1888, as the date back of which the investigation should not go: Yon will not, however, take up and investigate cases of persons charged to be illegally or improperly upon the Oaege rolls who were admitted to tbe Same prior to Jsnuary 1,1888, even thangh their name8 may appear on the list furnished by the Osage council hereinbefore referred to. However, if doring the course of your investigation any oaae or casss should be brought to your notice of persons having gained admittance thereto by maniferlly jagrmt fraud, prior to that date, yon will take testimony and submit pmof thereon, with your findings and recommendations, as in other oases, for the information of this Department. Additional instructions were submitted and approved by the Depart. ment April 30,1896, in which the date was changed by the Secretary to January 1,1880. The pamgraph relating thereto reads as follows: You will take up and inveatigste a11 cases of persons ohmrged to be illegally or improperly upon the Osage rolls who were admitted or placed thereon, by adoption or otherwise, since January 1,1880, but no osae of any p e r m 80 admitted or plseed thereon prior to that date. Nor will you take up for investigation theosaes of chil-dren admitted or enrolled either before or since January 1, 1880, who were minomst the time of the admission or enrollment of their parents or whohave been barnsinae the 1st day of January, 1880. Some time in June, 1896, the commissioners returned to this city, having completed their work at the Osage Agency, and made separate reports to the Secretary, who referred the same to this office, November 26,1896. Eightytwo names were added to the original list of 446 by reason of the change of the date from 1888 to 1880. Of the 528 names nyo then challenged liat prepared by the Osage national council, 296 were reported as exempt by reason of having been enrolled prior to 1880. The rem&inder, 232, who were investigated by the commission were reported as follows by ,Mr. Houston: 80 rights as Osages proved by evidence, and recommended anstained on roll (3 dead); 5 erroneonsly entered on challenged list, and cases therefore dismissed; 147 without evidence to sustain enrollment, and recommended stricken off the roll |