Legal News

Law Blog Lawsuit of the Day: Geronimo v. Yale

By Ashby Jones

Of all the strange lawsuits to which this blog has devoted pixels, this one definitely ranks among the very strangest.

Descendents of the Apache chief Geronimo (pictured) have sued Yale University and the school’s famous secret organization, Skull and Bones, asking for the release of Geronimo’s remains.

Let’s write that again, just to make sure it sinks in:

Descendents of Geronimo are asking a secret society at Yale called Skull and Bones to give back Geronimo’s, well, skull and bones. (Hence the name?) Here are stories from Fox News and the Yale Daily News.

According to reports, the complaint (not yet available), filed in federal district court in Washington, D.C., alleges that members of Skull and Bones long ago invaded Geronimo’s grave to steal his skull for, as Fox puts it, “fraternal” (and, it seems, skull-related) “rituals.” A handful of others, including Yale, are reportedly named in the complaint.

The descendents say they are investigating claims that in 1918, members of Skull and Bones, including Prescott Bush, the father of George H.W Bush and grandfather of George W. Bush, invaded Geronimo’s grave at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, and stole his skull, some bones and other items buried with him. Three members of the Skull and Bones, including Prescott Bush, served as Army volunteers at Fort Sill during World War I. The suit asks that Geronimo’s remains be returned to his native land in Oklahoma and given a proper burial.

Who’s leading the fight for the descendents? None other than Ramsey Clark, who served as attorney general under LBJ. “In this lawsuit, we’re going to find out if the bones are there or not,” said Clark.

Gila Reinstein, a spokeswoman for Yale University, said that Yale can add nothing to the mystery of the Indian chief’s whereabouts. “To the best of my knowledge, Yale University has no relics or bones belonging to Geronimo,” she said, adding that she couldn’t speak on behalf of Skull and Bones because it is independent of the university.

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on February 18, 2009 (boomark / email).