Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 12.djvu/683

 THIRTY—SEVENTH CONGRESS. Sess. III. Ch. 37. 1863. 653 families of the State of Minnesota who sudered damage by the depreciations of the Sisseton, Wahpaton, Medawakanton, and Wa[h]pakoota bands of Sioux or Dakota Indians, or by the troops of the United States in the late Indian war in the State of Minnesota, not exceeding the sum Limit in time of two hundred dollars to any one family, nor the actual damages afore- wd ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤- said, and no moneys shall be paid under this section except upon those claims which shall be presented to said commissioners on or before the first day of June next, for the payment of which the said commissioners shall take and return to the Secretary of the Interior and to the Secretary of the Treasury duplicate vouchers therefor, certified by them. mc. 3. And be vit further enacted, That, for the purpose of making the Three commisproper distribution of the moneys hereby appropriated for the present ¤lQ¤“’3 *° be “P‘ relief of such families, and for the purpose of ascertaining the whole P°mt° ` amount of said damages and the persons who have sufiered the same, it shall be lawful for the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to appoint three commissioners, not more than one of whom shall be a resident of Minnesota, who shall take an oath in the manner prescribed by the laws of the United States to faithfully discharge their duties; Duties. they shall entertain and hear the complaints (in writing, duly verified on oath) of all and every person aggrieved by the depredations of said Indians, and by the troops of the United States in said war; they shall have power to oompel the attendance of witnesses, and to administer the proper oaths to them to testify the truth; they shall have power to compel the powers, claimants to be examined and cross-examined on oath, to be administered by them, as to their said claim; they shall hold their sessions at such Sessions times and places as will give the persons complaining the fairest opportunity of verifying their claim with the least expense ; they shall take care that no unjust or fictitious claim shall be established; and if they have any reason to suppose that any such claim is presented, they shall have power, and it shall be their duty, to procure any countervailing proof, to their knowledge, that the same may be finally rejected. The testimony Testimony. of the witnesses and the examination of the complainant shall be reduced to writing, signed and certified by them, respectively, and shall, with the petition and all the papers relating to each case, with the finding of the commission, be transmitted to the Secretary of the Interior for his approval, rejection, or modilication, to be by him laid before the next Congress. A majority of the commission may select their presiding officer, Presiding omand shall be competent to decide all questions arising before them. °°'· Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That said commissioners shall hold First session. their first session at Saint Peter’s, in the State of Minnesota, on or before the first day of April next, For the hearing of claimants, and that all claims must be presented to said commissioners on or before the first day Limit of exist— ol' September next, or the same shall not be heard by them ; and the said *9% °*` commiscommissioners shall make and return their linding, and all the papers Sm"' relating thereto, on or before the first day of December next. Sec. 5. And be it fur!/zer enacted, That said commissioners shall re- _Pay ofcommis— celve for their services and expenses the sum of two thousand five hun- ¤*°¤°¤· dred dollars each. And they are authorized to depute a proper person t0 summon witnesses, who shall be entitled to receive his actual expenses, _Summoning of to be allowed by said commissioners, and the sum of three dollars per day '"*“°“°°$· for his services. Witnesses subpoenaed in behalf of the United States shall receive pay for attendance, not to exceed the fees allowed by the pq, laws of Minnesota for witnesses attending justices’ courts. And, for pay- Contingencies ing the expenses of said commission, the further sum of ten thousand dol- °f °°mm’”*°¤- lars is hereby appropriated out of the said annuities in the Treasury of the United States, or so much thereof as may be necessary to pay the same. Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the Secretary of the Interior, This act to be immediately after the passage of this act, shall cause the same to be pub- 1>¤l>li¤h<¢d i¤ four