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Show If UT RMG !!,' Ill CASES Indian Agent Here N'otified of Reversal of Derision of Judge Marshall. ALLOTTED INDIANS COM UNDER FEDERAL COURTS Opinion. Which jlay Affect. Rice Case. Will Make Convictions Convic-tions Easier. United Starrs Indian Agent V. E. Johnson, with headquarters In Salt Luke City, was notified Monday of nn Important Im-portant opinion handed down by the l'nltcd Stales supreme court affecting tho jurisdiction of the federal courts in Indian affairs. The opinion reverses a decision- rendered by Judge John A. Marshall some years ago. In which he said that tho federal court had no Jurisdiction Juris-diction over allotted Indians, that Is. Indians In-dians who liavo received their allotment of land from the government. The opinion opin-ion of the supreme courl huldn that the federal court has Jurisdiction over auch Indians. The Imnding down of this opinion Is of vast Importance to the local Indian office, ns It has not for several years been able lo bring its cases before the United States court, but lias been forced to have them tried In tho local courts where the crime was committed. Hard to Get' Convictions. Heretofore cases against while persons charged with selling liquor to the Indians In-dians were taken before, the local courts, in ihe locality of tho reservation, or where tho crime was committed, and as a result there were few convictions. The Juries, according lo the Indian agent, always were in sympathy with the white men, and though a conv iction was gained, tho defendants were let off with a small fine. There were also several cases of cattle stealing from the Indians on the I'lntah reservation which were tried before be-fore the stale courts, with the same results. re-sults. The opinion Is welcome news lo the local Indian officers, as they can now take their Indian crises into the federal courts Instead of having to report to Ihe slate courts. The opinion was handed down by the supreme court In the i-aso of the United States against llarvny Sutton Sut-ton nnd Robert Miller, which was heard in Seattle, Wash., where the. defendants wcro charged with illegal dealings with the Indians. May Affect "Rice Oase. This decision may affect the detention of Tom Itlce. the Indian murderer, who killed John Rice, a follow redskin near St. Goorne, December 11. with a tomahawk. toma-hawk. Rice fled lo Callente. where he was taken Into custody and held for the agent of the Sheblt reservation. A preliminary pre-liminary examination will be- held at St. George, nnd If the Indian Is bound over to await the action of the federal grand Jury, a United States marshal will go from Salt Lake to bring him bore for trial in the United States district court. The question of the government's Jurisdiction Juris-diction may be an Important factor in the murder trlnl. |