The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-11
OKLAHOMA BOOMERS,
Army Officers Heartily Tired of Chasing
the Piucky and Persisting Settlers.

Army Officers Heartily Tired of Chasing
the Piucky and Persisting Settlers.
at is not half so much fun chasing
these boomers out of Indian Territory
as some folks imagine" an army Off
Ger observed when questioned on the
subject 'You see, most of them are
full ofYankee pluck and independence,
and they don't care any more for the
United States army than they would
for swarm of mosquitoes. You can't
scare an American with the army, be-
cause he knows that the soldiers won t
shoot, and 50 we go marching around
in military fashion, chasing this man
and that man, until the thing gets to be
good deal of farce.
''What is needed out here is police
force of about two hundred men, armed
with clubs If had such a command
would keep Oklahoma clear until the
Government got ready to open it. The
other day | found two or three men
and women, with about dozen chill
dren, over the line getting ready to
settle, and | told them they would have
to move on.
where to?" asked one of the men.
Anywhere, " says l, so long as
you get out of here. You can't stay
here
why not?' says he.
"'Because. explained, this is Gov
ernmslt land and you know it. You'll
have toskip.'
"Wen they piled all their things
and thef children into a couple of big
wagons and started north. We watched
them awhile, and concluded that they
were goiig for sure, but the next day,
when wepassed that way, there they
were agan in the old place. The
spokesman colored up little when he
saw me, and said:
TO tell the truth, Colonel, I just
thought this thing was all red tape and
that so long as you had done your duty
I'd take ths Responsibility of comm
back. l didnf think you'd be here so
soon. It's nun, is it?'
Il told him it was run and that if
he came in again l would have to place
him under arrest. Then we escorted
him and his purity over the line, and
watched them for two or three days
until they strelled away.
'Some of the boomers are worse than
heas. PLENTY of them have no women
and children with them, and they move
about with great celebrity, l remember
few weeks ago we came across an old
fellow away down about twenty miles
from the line. He had actually hauled
in lumber and built himself a little
shanty, in which he had been living a
month or two. Over the door he had
scratched with lead pencil, John
Riley's Claim. When we rode up he
was sitting out in front smoking his
pipe and reading his Bible.
What are you doing hereP
asked.
q" Locatin', said he
"'Well. you'll have to get out
continued
." What fer?' he asked.
because this land isn't open vet,
and our orders are to remove every
body found here
"'Well, by thunder said the old
man, you can't remove one side of
me- Not much. you can't Stepping
inside of his cabin, he brought out a
rifle, and continued: Il wore that
there Uniform of yours five years in
Virginia when there was some mighty
tall hustlin' going on between the
James and the Potomac, and I'm cussed
if I'm going to be lassooed in this
way; I'm a peaceful settler, a-hurtin'
of nobody, and if the United States
army comes a-pickin' on me, then all
there is to that me and Uncle Sam will
have a row, and it's the first time, too.
You just 60 along, now, and let me
alone.
II didn't want to make war on one
old soldier who appeared to be enjoy.
ing himself, and so | gave him week
to vacate his claim and passed on. AS
| luck would have it, it was fortnight
before we got around that way again,
and then the cabin was gone. He had
moved it away somewhere else, but
we'll run across him after awhile.
81 don't wonder that the people want
to get into that country. It's the pref
test in the world. We destroyed some
houses near a river bank that had been
occupied by several families. We had
put them out two or three times, and
finally, to make a sure job of it, We
burned their houses. They had 8
magnificent site for town, and had
selected it for that purpose. Theil
leader, shrewd young fellow, came tc
me afterward, and wanted TO make an
arrangement by which he could get his
clamps on that particular section the
day the Territory was opened. He
thought ! could help him to it if
wanted to, and he said if / would, he
would give me my pick of the corner
lots. had to tell him that that was q
matter with which l could not inter
fere.
1--WE meet with good many sac
cases, too, and | shall be glad wher
| +ho oountrx, ic onnnnd mn - - H1f01a.