| Show ludlon wives A curious lne In selon aelon it has been a common custom among among the settlers in frontier states to contract co antra t what are called indian ma marriages arige there is scarcely a hunter or trapper in 1 the wilds wilda of the great west who has not an indian wife and a number of halfbreed half breed children they select their wives when among the indians and far from civilization and wed them according to such marriage custom as may be in vogue in the tribe to which the woman belongs the question has now been brought before the missouri courts whether the issues of such marriages can inherit property as legitimate heirs this is a question of great greatt interest in the west as in missouri arkansas texas iowa and nearly all the territories alere there are a great number of persons who are the offspring of such irregular marriages the case which has opened this novel question of legitimacy is one of peculiar interest william gilliss one of the first settlers of kansas city and its most wealthy citizen at the time of his death some time ago died a bachelor as every one supposed leaving his property to liis his niece a mrs who afterwards also died leaving bequests for the erection of an opera house a church and a seminary and for the establishment of a park and it ld other public improvements in kansas city mr hir gilliss it il appears in early life had been an indian trader and had contracted an indian marria marnia marriage e his halfbreed half breed children have contested contested the will of mrs on the ground th thit tt they were the legal heirs of gilliss and the case has been tried before a jury I 1 in the circuit court who decided in favor of the indian heirs thus setting aside the will of course an appeal was taken from this decision and the case will be carried before the supreme court when the question will be definitely settled whether a marriage contracted according to indian customs constitutes such a marriage as the laws la of the country can take 0 cognizance o lazance of and enforce as legal and bin binding gd ing in all respects territorial enterprise |
