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Show Indians. No contract for services rendered ~J.V Mr. Lee to these Indians was evey authorized or approved by the Department, and this office, as well as the Department, has uniformly denied his cIailu and refused to pay any part of it. Mr. Lee therefore appealed to Con-gress for relief. Senate hill No. 3499, Thirty-sixth Congress, fist session, reads an follows: The Secretary of the Interior is hereby direrted to pay to Henry W. Lee, or his legal repreeentstives, the sum of ten thousand dollars, provided to he paid him out of the moneys of the Winnebago Indians of Wisconsin by the art of Congress a~pmvedA ugust twenty-third, eighteen hundred and ninety-four, said sum when so paid to he in full discharge of the claim of said Lee for services rendered said Indians. This bill was referred to the Court of Claims under the folIowing resolution from the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs: Reaoloetl, That the bill (8. 3499) entitled "A hill for the relief of Henry W. Lee," now pending in the Senate, together with all the accompanying paper6 be, and the mme is hereby, referred to the Court of Claims, in pursuance of the provisions of an act entitled "An act to provide for the bringing of suita against the Government of the United States," approved March 3, 1887 And the said court shall proreed with the same in accordmee with the provisions of such art, and report to the Senate in accordance therewith, showing, among other pertinent matter, the value of the serv-ices referred to in said bill, if any, which were performed by thesaid Henry W. Lee, what eompenaation he has already received therefor, and what balance, if any, is still his due. It will be ohserved that the hill increases his claim from $5,000 to $10,000. In his original and amended petitions now pending in the Court of Claims and under investigation and consideration by the Department of Justice he claims a fee of $64,144.90, less $508.14 paid him, as he admits, by the Indians. Upon a communication dated June 14, 1901, from L. C. Pradt, Assistant Attorney-General, relating to this claim, this office reported that after a very thorough investigation of the matter it was confirmed in the belief that the claim of Mr. Lee was not only unjust, hut frand-ulent, and that he should not be allowed any additional compensation for services alleged to have been rendered the Indians. In fact, the rapidity with which his claim increased from its original sum is suffi-cient to stamp the whole matter as a fraud. Very respectfully, your obedient servant, W. A. JONES, Cornmi.s8imer. The SEOBETARY OF TEE ~'TEIUOB. |