OCR Text |
Show REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF INDIAN AFFAIRS. 45 the same is hereby, amended 80 as to authorize the Secretary of the Interior, with the consent of the I n d h of that tribe, to allot in severalty, through an allotting agent of the Interior Department, to each Indian woman and child of said tribe born since allotments of land were made in severalty to the members thepof nnder the provisions of said act, and now living, one-eighth of a section of the residue lands held hp that tribe in common, instead of one-sixteenth of a seotion, aa therein provided, a d to allot in severalty to each sllottee under said act, now living, who received only one-sixteenth of a, section thereunder, an additional one-sixteenth of a section of snoh residue lands. He was also authorized to give allotments to those members of the Winnebago tribe who were entitled to allotments July 1,1887, and who failed to receive the same owing to conflicts between their sections and certaiu outstauding patents which had been treated by Special Agent Fletcher, under instructions from this office, as fictitious. The instrnc-tions given Special Agent Rankin were approved by the Department April 26, and he entered upon duty thereunder soon after. He was engaged for the most part untii some time in July in the investigation of the so-called fictitious patents. September 30 he reported that he had made 270 allotments. Colville Reservation, Wash.-October 11, 1898, instructions for the guidance of Harry Humphrey, who had been appointed a special agent tc make allotments on the north half of the Oolville Reservation, under the act of July 1,1892 (27 Stats., 62), were submitted to the Depart-ment. They were approved October 12,1898, and shortly afterwards he entered upon dnty. September 30,1899, he reported that he had made 264 allotments. Representations having been made to the Department that there was urgent need for opening the north half of the Colville Reservation to public settlement at the earliest date practicable, William E. Casson, an experienced special allotting agent, was designated by the Depart-ment to assist in this work, and July 11,1899, he was instructed accord-ingly. September 30 he reported that he had made 86 allotments. Special Agent Humphrey estimated on May 5 that there were 520 allot. ' ments to be made. Owing to the fact that the Indians are scattered over a large extent of territory, and the communication between various points is difficult, the work is necessarily slow. Special Agents Hum-phrey and Casson have been instructed to prosecute it with the utmost vigor. Shoshone Reservation, Wyo.-Special Allotting Agent John T. Wertz is engaged in the work of making allotments on the Shoshone Reserva-tion. Up to July 15 last he had made 175 allotments. As statr,din the last annual report, 1,310 allotments had been made by his prede-cessor, John W. Clark. The completion of this work has been retarded by the delay in making the official surveys of certain townships and fractional townships. These surveys have now been made, and copies ~f the field notes and plats will be furnished this ofice as soon as they are received by the General Land Office from the surveyor-general of Wyoming. |