But the Supreme Court of the United States, in the cases of Union Oil Co. v. Smith (249 U.S. 337), and St. Louis Mining & Milling Co. v. Montana Mining Co. (171 U.S. 650), held that even without a patent, the possessory right of a locator after discovery of minerals upon the claim is a property right in the fullest sense, unaffected by the fact that the paramount title to the land is in the United