The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1884-08-16
Payne and bis Boomers Bounced.

day Gen. Hatch, in company with
Adjutant General Finley and In-
speetOr Greene, of the Interior
Department, visited Payne's camp
at Roekfall, in the Indian country,
and after reading the Presidents
proclamation to him and his as.
sembled followers, directed them
to leave the Territory before this
morning or they would be elected.
This took place in a small board
shanty occupied by the Oklahoma
Chief, a newspaper, the forms of
which were being made up at the
time.
Payne at first attempted to dis
cuss the legal aspects of the case,
but soon became angry and very
abusive in his language, calling all
the officers of the government,
from the highest to the lowest, a
pack of thieves. Cooper, the ed.
itor, chimed in with vituperation
and threats. Failing to provoke
the officers into a quarrel, Payne
said he had a valise full of money,
and he would give $1,000 to be tried
in the United States court, and in
order to assure the officers of a
case against him he would then
and there sell them liquor or ci-
gars without license or permit.
He urged the officers to dis.
charge him, and offered them plen-
ty of liquor if they would do so.
By this time a large crowd had as.
sembled from the tents and shan.
ties along the river.
The officers again admonished
them to leave and not return; the
only reply was a torrent of abu.
sive epithets. The officers then
returned to camp, ten miles dis.
tant. Early this morning two
squadrons Of the Ninth United
States Cavalry, commanded by
Capt. Moore, appeared in the
boomers camp, and, under direc.
tion of Indian Agent Rogers, ar.
rested the whole community and
took charge of the printing Office.
All women and children and men
who were new offenders were es.
corted to the Kansas line, togeth.
er with their personal property.
Six old offenders, named ID. L.
Payne, j. B. Cooper, d. G. Great.
house, 7. w. Ecklebarger, John
McGrew and s. L. Mosely were
loaded into six.mule wagons and
started under the escort of Lieut..
Jackson and fifteen men for Fort
Smith, Ark, 800 miles distant.
The paper was ready to go to
press, and upon inquiry a number
of printers were found in the com.
mand, who soon printed an edi.
ton of 100 copies. The press was
then carefully packed and loaded
into q wagon and started under
escort for Muscogee. I. T., being
condscated property, and, under
the law, unreplevinable. The print.
ing Office and other buildings, in.
cluding two boarding houses and
o drug store, cigar store, restau.
rant and some cheap dwellings
were then burned to the ground,
and the last vestige of Rock Falls
had disappeared. Payne threat
ened to cut the throat of the first
man who attempted to fire them,
but one colOred soldier marched
him about the camp for an hour.
Payne has lost whatever pres.
tige he may have had heretofore
with the thinking class of the com.
munity. He has been on a de-
bauch for week, and was unable
last night to attend the confer
ence of squatters after Gen. Hatch
left Rock Falls.
The poor deluded squatters now
realize that they have paid him
many thousands of dollars without
any equivalent.
The number elected from this
camp was about $50 people. A
large crowd of citizens were pres.
ent from Hunnewelle as specta
tors aud heartily approved the
course adopted to rid the Terri
tory of the intruders. 1t is be-
lieved this will cure the boomers
of trying to force a settlement of
Indian lands. Other detachments
of troops have been sent to the
remaining settlements who will in
like manner arrest the ring lead.
ers and take them to Fort Smith.
The Shameful Truth.