New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-26

|
| he would find chicMen-yards in the neighborhood
wheyeon TO practise his professional skill. The
| sun was high when he awolSc Greatly 10 his as
| tonishment. he found himself lying in pool OF
| rcb black mud. and man standing in front oil
him leading n painting horse.
| Say. mister, do You stake this claim p asks
the stranger at random. The tramp. scarcely
awake yet, replies yes and then. suddenly
rccollectng that hc has heard something Of Okla
homa ard the Oklahoma boomers. he thinks:
| This must be an Oklahoma boomer. and
must have struck the boom 50 be adds, Yes, l
| do stake this claim mister
| Well says the stranger. " III give you $3.50
for your CLAIM
| Il don't know about that cautiously replies
the tramp. at last realizing that he has fallen
| into clover up TO his ears
| Make il $500 and I'll surrender
Done says the stranger promptly and ripping
the stitches OF small side pocket in his trousers
he produces the money and hands it over The
| tramp departs, makes his way to Guthrie and is
| now believed to be on his way to Kansas City
where lie may be depended upon TO paint the
| town red"
The truth Of the tale is vouchcd for by a
leading citizen of Guthrie, who runs the only
hack in town. and conveyed the inanimate form
| Of the gentleman tramp to the depot The lead
| ing citizen Is known rs Fatty, the ltoci<man,
name bestowed upon him when an equally famous
business in Guthrie twcnty-four hours. His is
one Of the oldest establishments in town.
Fatty" has never been known to tell lie in
| Guthrie.
day was that of a lot for 500 TO physician
who is DESTROYS of opening drugstore. lie is
evidently more hopeful man than the pro-
fcSSiona gravedigger who came Iere with the first
train Monday last. every feature Of his counte-
nance disclosing the interro@tory, What will
the harvest bc?' but who left Guthrie in disgust
"A Al a GnIl fltnf Nhn
not good form as yet. Before boarding the train
he declared that the only job he could have got
would have been by killing al man or two himself.
lie didn't leave the territory, however, without
doing some business. lie sold his spade for 80
cents The first authenticated death in the ter
ritory by the way, occurred on Monday, near
O'Neal by name who died on his claim of a con
geStive chill. His body. wrapped in
. blanket, passed through her, today Three
DEATHS from pneumonia recorded. This shows
an encouraging state Of civilization. Four natural
deaths in as many days; not one case. as it were.
with boots on"
picture of hanged man. II taken on Sat
urlay in front OF a railroad depot. The obliging
victim permitted himself 10 be drawn up by rope
for sufficiently long time, giving the enterprsing
photographer every opportunity Of taking an " in
Simultaneous" II Is not recorded that
the photographer requested his subject to smile
or 10 lift his chin just little, or TO put
On pleasant cOuntenance IL might have been So
however because in the picture now in the pos
session Of Lieutenant Martin, the hanged mans
features are as placid and peaceful as if he had
been caught in the stcalthy contemplation Of
bentfc visions
one deputy marshal who seized upon
quarter-section on Monday last, contrary to and
in violation of the spirit of the law
stood TO have been eX-COngreSsman Weaver,
of Iowa. Ii, had himself appointed "A
deputy last week and when the critical hour came
was on hand in his official capacity. lie could
not have entered the Territory in any other man
ner to stake a quarter,sectlon which he had
previously picked out. The papers in the case are
claimed by Mr.. Weaver is situated near oklahoma
City II must be said, in justice TO the Atchson
Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, that il has done
and is doing everything in its power TO keep up
the traffic and give everybody an equal chance.
There Is some surprise at the statemn Mt made by
General Merritt, in communI Of the Territory, TO
the Secretary Of War, regarding the number of
people at present in Oklahoma General Merritt
estimates the number at from / ., 900 to 5000.
IL is conceded that Guthrie alone has now 5000
hyng IN l,o23 tents The &c. Ter figure Is estab-
lshed by actual count. An almost equal
number Of people are encamped near
Oklahoma City. The boomers who crossed the
border in wagons cannot nImbcr less than
$4,000. Altogether $4,000 or 10000 does not
seems an cXtravagant estimate OF the number of
Tor the present Equally fallacious seems Cen
eral MerrttS assertion that there is room for
plenty more; large part of Oklahoma as the
Merritt is correct. however, Is in asserting that
everything is quiet and orderly so far
On the platform Of the depot at this point this
afternoon were found the first victims OF the Ok
lahoma fever. The one Teposed in coarse pine
box, six feet by twenty-One inches, labelled
Guthrie. April % 1850.
hereby certify thar Thomas O'Neal died a natural
death The cause was spinal meningitis, u disease
which IS not cCntdg!Our.
CHARLES a. DELABAR, NJ. u.
1t Is learned that O'Ncal on Monday, when the
first train arrived al Guthrie, made dash for
his claim in the brOilng sun, and after driving
his stakes, drank freely Of the alllali water
in the creek near the depot. Toward night he
was seized with congesivc chills and the next
morning died, still cllnglng to his claim. The
other victim AT the depot worse than dead. |
He raving maniac. LaShcd TO the box
containing his modest kit by strong ropes, his
feet and hands securely tied, he kept talking |
incohercntIy about defending his claim and the
attempts Of others 10 rob him Of it, Every once !
in while he would make Il wild dash for
liberty, only 10 be restrained by the men |
who accompanied him. lie, too, had secured |
Il claim, and had stood patiently in the line in front
of the land office for two DAYS. There was some |
irrrgularity Ia the papers. lie worried so much |
about it that he grew sick and finally succumbed
10 the strain. His home is in Missouri, where he
left wife and children behind
Captain Hays, who was expected 20 arrive at his
old camp Oh the border of the Indian Territory, |
five mil es from here last night, received nstruc-
tons 10 Inport in person TO General Merritt at |
believed, because the orderly bearing dispatches !
from General Merritt to Captain Hays Was on
his way here thrown from his horse The horse |
ran against wire fence became unmana gea bic |
and finally dashed away into the prairie. carrying
away in the saddle-bags the military dispatches |
intended for Captain Hays. Up 10 the hour this |
dispatch is sent the horse has not been caught |
and may AT the time that this reaches The Tribune |
readers, still be roaming somewhere in the Indian |
Territory.