In
the latter part of 1906 stretching into 1907 an investigation about the conduct
of William O. Beall; lead clerk of the Choctaw - Chickasaw Dawes Enrollment
Division was launched.
Complaints and allegations
concerning his possible "conflict of interest" within the Division
arose because he worked during a work furlough to accept a position with the
attorneys that represented the Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes.
Mansfield, McMurray and
Cornish were being paid a substantial sum of money to prevent as many
individuals from receiving land allotments in the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nation.
Melven Cornish; who prior
to becoming an attorney for the tribes worked for the Choctaw and Chickasaw
Division of the Dawes Commission as a stenographer.