9 Ind. C l .
C m .
346
BEFORE THE INDIAN CLAIMS COMMISSION
ABSENTEE DELAV-ARE TRIBE OF OKL-4HOM4,
DELAWARE NATION, EX E L . , W. E
EXENDIhT AND MYRTLE HOLDER,
.
)
1
1
)
1
Petitioners,
1
v.
)
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
1
1
Defendant.
)
)
Docket No. 337
Decided: June 22, 1961
FINDINGS OF FACT
The Commission makes the following Findings of Fact:
1. The petitioner tribe, the Absentee Delaware Tribe of Oklahoma,
as represented by individual pet itioner members, W. E . Exendine and
Myrtle Holder, has the right and capacity to bring and maintain this
suit on behalf of the descendants of the Delaware Nation as constituted
in 1818, pursuant to the provisions of the .Indian Claims Commission
Act (Findings 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, Dockets 27-A, 241; 2 Indian Claims
Commission 253; Commission's Interlocutory Order and Conclusions of
Law, September 20, 1957, Docket 337).
2. By the treaty of October 3, 1818 (7 Stat. l88), the Delaware
Nation of Indians ceded to the United States all its right, title, and
interest to the lands in Indiana. On the effective date of this treaty,
the Delaware Nation of Indians had a recognized one-half interest in
some 3,859,000 acres located in the southern part of that area in
Indiana officially designated as Royce Area 99, and being that country
watered by the White River (Findings 2, 3, and 4, Docket 67 (consolidated),
2 Ind. Cl. Comm. 617; see Interlocutory Order, September 17, 1956).
9 Ind. C l . Corn. 346
3.
AS of October 6 , 1818, the agreed d a t e of e v a l u a t i o n between t h e
p a r t i e s h e r e i n , t h e Commission found t h a t t h e s u b j e c t lands w i t h i n Royce
Area. 99 had a f a i r market value of $1.15 per a c r e .
(Findings 6-46> Docket
67, 4 Ind. C 1 . Corm. 346, a s amended June 30, 1960, 9 Ind. C 1 . Corm. 1 ) .
4.
I n c o n s i d e r a t i o n of t h e c e s s i o n of a l l Delaware claims t o any
lands i n Indiana under t h e 1818 Delaware T r e a t y , i t was provided among
o t h e r things t h a t :
I1
...
t h e United S t a t e s agree t o provide f o r t h e
Delawares a country t o r e s i d e i n , upon t h e west
s i d e of t h e M i s s i s s i p p i , and t o guaranty t o them
t h e peaceable possession of t h e same."
(Art. 2,
7 S t a t . 188).
Thereupon and i n accordance w i t h t h e provisions of t h e 1818 T r e a t y ,
t h e Delaware Nation removed t o a t r a c t of land west of t h e M i s s i s s i p p i
River, and l o c a t e d upon t h e James Fork of t h e White River i n t h e S t a t e
of Missouri.
5.
There t h e Delawares remained u n t i l 1829.
On September 24, 1829, t h e Delaware Nation e n t e r e d i n t o a t r e a t y
w i t h t h e United S t a t e s which was designated as a "Supplementary a r t i c l e
t o t h e Delaware Treaty, concluded a t S t . Mary's i n t h e S t a t e of Ohio,
on t h e 3rd of October 1818."
(7 S t a t . 327)
Under t h e terms of t h i s supplemental t r e a t y , t h e '~elawaresgave up
t h e i r residence on t h e James Fork of t h e White River and agreed t o a c c e p t
i n l i e u t h e r e o f , and a s t h e i r permanent residence, a r e s e r v a t i o n d e s c r i b e d
a s follows:
11
. . . it
i s hereby agreed upon by t h e p a r t i e s , t h a t
t h e country i n t h e f o r k of t h e Kansas and Missouri Rivers,
extending up t h e Kansas River t o t h e Kansas l i n e , and up
t h e Missouri River t o Camp Leavenworth, and thence by a
l i n e drawn westwardly, l e a v i n g a space t e n m i l e s wide
n o r t h of t h e Kansas boundary l i n e , f o r an o u t l e t ; s h a l l
be conveyed and forever secured by t h e United S t a t e s , t o
t h e s a i d Delaware Nation a s t h e i r permanent residence:.
..
II
9 Ind. C 1 . Corn. 346
34 8
6. The 1829 t r e a t y r e s e r v a t i o n completed t h e o b l i g a t i o n of t h e
United S t a t e s under t h e 1818 Delaware Treaty t o provide a permanent
home west of t h e M i s s i s s i p p i River f o r t h e Delaware Nation.
This
r e s e r v e was p a r t payment f o r t h e 1818 Delaware c e s s i o n of i t s I n d i a n
lands.
The Commission f i n d s , t h e r e f o r e , t h a t before f i x i n g t h e v a l u e
of t h i s p o r t i o n of t h e t o t a l c o n s i d e r a t i o n f o r t h e 1818 c e s s i o n , i t
s h a l l be necessary under f u r t h e r proceedings t o determine t h e acreage
and t h e f a i r market v a l u e of t h e Kansas lands a s of 1829 ( ~ L n d i n g s15,
1 6 ; Docket No. 27-8, 241, 3 Ind. C1. Corn. 622).
7.
Besides providing t h e Delaware Nation with a permanent home
west of t h e M i s s i s s i p p i , t h e United S t a t e s made o t h e r payments a s p a r t
of t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n f o r t h e 1818 Delaware c e s s i o n of i t s Indiana l a n d s .
As s t a t e d i n t h e 1818 T r e a t y , t h e s e i t e m s included payment f o r improvements
on t h e ceded lands, payment of removal expenses t o t h e i r new home, i n c l u d i n g
p r o v i s i o n s , payment of a p e r p e t u a l annuity of four thousand d o l l a r s , annual
payments t o support a blacksmith a f t e r theremoval of t h e Delaware Nation
t o t h e w e s t s i d e of t h e M i s s i s s i p p i , and f i n a l l y a payment of some t h i r t e e n
thousand d o l l a r s t o l i q u i d a t e c e r t a i n claims a g a i n s t t h e Delaware Nation.
AS proof t h a t t h e United S t a t e s d i d i n f a c t d i s b u r s e v a r i o u s sums
of money- t o cover t h e above expenses, t h e defendant introduced i n t o evidence
as "Defendznt's E x h i b i t A-1"
a 1954 G.A.O.
Report, r e f e r r e d t o h e r e i n a f t e r
a s t h e Report, which contains among o t h e r things a d e t a i l e d accounting of
monies d i s b u r s e d f o r t h e b e n e f i t of t h e Delaware T r i b e of I n d i a n s under t h e
t r e a t y of October 3, 1818.
The p e t i t i o n e r s have conceded t h e accuracy and
c o r r e c t n e s s of t h e f i g u r e s a s l i s t e d i n t h e Report (Tr. 170, 171).
9 Ind. C 1 . Corn. 346
8.
349
Under Section 3 of t h e 1818 Treaty, t h e United S t a t e s . agreed
t o pay t o the Delaware Nation,
". . . t h e
f u l l value of t h e i r improvements i n t h e
country hereby ceded: which v a l u a t i o n s h a l l be made
by persons t o be appointed f o r t h a t purpose by t h e
President of the United S t a t e s ; and t o f u r n i s h t h e
Delawares with one hundred and twenty horses, n o t
t o exceed i n value f o r t y d o l l a r s each, and a s u f f i c i e n t
number of perogues, t o a i d i n t r a n s p o r t i n g them t o t h e
west s i d e of the Mississippi, and a q u a n t i t y of p r o v i s i o n s ,
proportioned t o t h e i r numbers, and t h e e x t e n t of t h e i r
journey."
(Art. 3, 7 S t a t . 1-88)
I n "Disbursement Schedule No. 3!' of t h e Report (pp. 24, 25) which
covers disbursements f o r the Delaware T r i b e of Indians under t h e appropriation,
11
Carrying i n t o e f f e c t sundry S t i p u l a t i o n s i n s e v e r a l I n d i a n
T r e a t i e s , " t h e r e i s t o t a l e d t h e following expenditures w i t h r e s p e c t t o
those items under ~ r t i c l e3 of t h e 1818 Treaty:
"Payment of improvements
Provisions
Purchase of 120 horses
Purchase - of perogues
(a)
$4,501.00
3,895.98
4,800.00
The Conrmission coricludes t h a t t h e $4,501.00 appropriated and
disbursed f o r t h e "payment of improvements" w a s t h e equivalent i n money
of t h e appraised value of t h e Delaware improvements on t h e i r ceded land.
The Government's d i s t i n c t obligation i n S e c t i o n 3 of t h e 1818 Treaty was
thereby discharged.
The C o d s s i o n f i n d s t h a t t h e above payment f o r
improvements i s p a r t of the consideration f o r t h e c e s s i o n of t h e
Delaware lands.
(b)
Since t h e removal of t h e Delawares i s a n a t u r a l consequence
9 Ind. C1. Comm. 346
350
of t h e cession of these lands, the Comission finds t h a t t h e $9,895.98,
which was
appropriated and disbursed by the United S t a t e s i n accordance
with Section 3 of the 1818 Treaty t o cover t h e c o s t of t h e removal of
t h e Delaware Indians t o the west s i d e of t h e M i s s i s s i p p i , i s a p a r t oT
t h e consideration f o r t h e cession of t h e Delaware lands.
9.
'
.
I n A r t i c l e 5 of t h e 1818 Treaty, the United S t a t e s agreed t o
pay t h e Delawares a perpetual annuity gf four thousand d o l l a r s .
In
f u l f i l l m e n t of i t s o b l i g a t i o n under A r t i c l e 5, t h e United S t a t e s made
t h i r t y - f i v e ar,nual payments of $4,000.00 each t o t h e D e l a w a r e Nation of
Indians i n t h e years 1819-1854.
By A r t i c l e 4 of t h e Treaty of May 6 , 1854 (10 S t a t . 1048), t h e
Delaware Indians agreed t o r e l i n q u i s h and commute a l l t h e i r permanent
a n n u i t i e s f o r t h e sum of $148,000.
Included t h e r e i n w a s t h i s 1818
permanent annuity which was commuted f o r $78,514-58, and which amount
t h e Commission f i n d s t o be a p a r t of t h e consideration f o r t h e 1818
c e s s i o n of t h e subject Lands.
10.
As f u r t h e r consideration f o r t h e 1818 cession, t h e United
S t a t e s agreed i n A r t i c l e 6 of t h e 1818 Delaware Treaty t o provide and
support a blacksmith shop f o r t h e s e Indians upon t h e i r removal t o t h e
west s i d e of t h e Mississippi River.
Thereafter annual e x p e d i t u r e s
w e r e made by t h e United S t a t e s t o meet t h i s obligation,
Under A r t i c l e 4
of t h e Treaty of May 6 , 1854, t h i s "blacksmith annuity", having an
assigned value of $940 per m u m , was commuted f o r t h e sum of $18,450.92,
which i s t h e amount the Commission f i n d s i s the value f o r t h e c o n s i d e r a t i o n
9 Ind. C l . Corn. 346
351
covering t h e blacksmith s e r v i c e agreed t o be furnished under t h e 1818
Treaty (pages 12, 13, 1 7 , Defendant's E x h i b i t 1-A)
.
11. A s f u r t h e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n f o r t h e 1818 c e s s i o n of t h e s u b j e c t
lands, the United S t a t e s o b l i g a t e d i t s e l f i n A r t i c l e 8 of t h e 1818
Treaty t o pay c e r t a i n claims on t h e Delawares, "not exceeding t h i r t e e n
thousand t h r e e hundred and twelve d o l l a r s and twenty f i v e cents" ( A r t .
8, 7 S t a t . 188)
.
Thereupon Congress appropriated $13,312-25 under
t h e Act of March 3, 1819 (3 S t a t . 5 l 9 ) , and sai d amount w a s d i s b u r s e d
i n accordance with above t r e a t y provision.
(Disbursement Schedule 4
"Claims a g a i n s t t h e Delawares t o be paid by t h e United S t a t e s " p. 2 6 ,
Def
. Ex.
12,
1-A) ,
The Commission concludes that t h e United S t a t e s p a i d as con-
s i d e r a t i o n f o r t h e Delaware d e s s i o n under t h e Treaty of October 3,
1818, a£ . a l l its r i g h t , t i t l e , and i n t e r e s t t o t h e s u b j e c t l a n d s t h e
following amounts:
(1) A r e s e r v a t i o n i n Kansas under t h e supplemental T r e a t y of
September 24, 1829 (7 S t a t . 327) of which t h e acreage and t h e 1829 f a i r
market v a l u e s h a l l be determined i n f u r t h e r proceedings;
(2)
$14,396.98 under A r t i c l e 3 of t h e 1818 Treaty f o r improvements
and removal expenses;
(3)
$78,514,58, being t h e commuted v a l u e of t h e p e r p e t u a l a n n u i t y
under A r t i c l e 5 of t h e 1818 T r e a t y ;
(4)
$18,450.92,
being t h e commuted v a l u e of t h e "blacksmith
9 Ind. Cl. Corn. 346
annuity" as provided under Article 6 or' the 1818 Treaty, and;
(5)
$13,312.25, being the m o u n t appropriated and disbursed in
satisfaction of certain claims against the Delawares, as provided under
Article 8 of the 1818 Treaty.
Arthur V. Watkins
Chief Commissioner
Wm. M. Holt
Associate Commissioner
T, Harold Scott
Associate Commissioner