The morning news., 1889-04-13
RUSHING ON OKLAHOMA.
THE ENTIRE BORDER ACTUALLY
BLACK WITH BOOMERS.

Western Rustlers Bound to Make
Some OF the Disputes over the own
ership of the Lands Very Lively
Feuds and Bloodshed Sure to be Nu-
merous.
WASHINGTON, April 13.--The commits
sioner of the general land Office has made
public the following letter. as being of gen-
eral interest to parsons contemplating set
Element in Oklahoma:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
GENERAL LAND OFFICE,
WASHINGTON, ID. G.. April II, 1899
To 0. NJ Wilson. Esq, Kansas Cup:
SIR-Your letter of the 4th inst, addressed
TO the Hon. Attorney General, in reference to
the Oklahoma lands which are to be opened to
settlement under the act of Congress of March
2, 1889, has been forwarded by him to this office
for answer. In reply, | have to state that the
lands in question are to be disposed of to actual
settlers under the homestead laws only. A
party desiring TO become an actual settler
under the homestead laws may initiate
his claim by entry at the district
an6 and office after properly examining
in which case he is allowed six mouths from
date of entry within which to establish bis
actual residence on the land, or II he so elect,
he may initiate his claim by actual settlement
on the land, which must consist of some act or
acts connecting himself with the particular
tract claimed, said act or acts to be equivalent
which the public generally may have notice Of
his claim. Thereafter he is allowed three
| months within which TO make his claim of
record by entry in the district land Office. I
nclose for your further information copies of
| the circular Of Jan. /. 1889, and April ], 1885,
Respectfully.
S. NJ. STocKsLAsER,
Commissioner.
FIVE APPLICANTS FOR EACH PORTION.
In speaking of the great tide Of immigra-
| tion now setting toward Oklahoma Com
missioner Stockslager to-day said, that
| from the newspaper estimates and from
information received through official and
| personal sources, he was OF the
opinion that fully 100000 persons would
enter Oklahoma within a month after
April %. For these 100, 600 people, said the
commissioner, there are only about 10000
homesteads which may be entered under
the Presidents proclamation. Therefore
for each quarter section open to entry there
will be at least five or six
applicants Never before in the history of
the country has there been a parallel to it.
| The inevitable result of this tremendous
influx, the commissioner thought, would be
a great many contests, and probably some
personal conflicts A further result, he
| feared, would be the spreading of this inn
mense surplus over adjoining Indian lands,
from which it would be difficult TO dislodge
| them without much trouble, and possibly
some bloodshed II the commission
appointed to treat with the Chero-
KEGS for the cession of the Cherokee
outlet could complete their labors
within the next few months, so that a new
tract might be open to settlement before
congress again meets, this might and prob
ably would relieve the pressure. Otherwise
he feared that matters would become COM
plicated and the equilibrium be restored
with difficulty. However, the commis-
sioner has no doubt that the precautions
now being taken to preserve order in Okla
homa and to keep intruders from adjoining
lands will be amply sufficient for the
purpose.
THE LAND OFFICE FORCE.
The newly appointed registers and re-
ceivers of the recently created land offices
at Guthrie and Kinghsher stage station,
with their clerks and two special agents of
the department, will meet at Arkanas City,
Kan, on April II, and together proceed to
their post of duty. Every facility will be
extended by the local officers to applicants
in making their filings, and every effort
will be made TO dispatch the business Of the
offices with expedition. In order
officers they will be supplied
with rotary consecutive numbering stamps
instead of making their Endorsements with
| pen. The order in which an application is
received, as indicated by the number
stamped upon it, will determine and settle
its priority over applications.bearing a high
| or number Th eforce Of clerks in the general
land office has been hard at work since the
| Presidents proclamation was issued pre-
| pairing plot books, blank books, blanks and
| supplies of all kinds for the new offices, and
everything is said to be in readiness.
TOO MUCH FOR THE SOLDIERS.
CHICAGO, April IA dispatch from
| Wichita, Kas., says: "Maj Barker arrived
here last night from Oklahoma, and reports
that the soldiers are not equal 10 the task
| of keeping the boomers out. They slip
into the country and conceal themselves so
| effectually in the woods, that the scouts
cannot find them. Every station on the
Santa Fe road is guarded, and only those
having permits ae allowed to get of
trains. The Santa Fe company has nearly
completed a depot at Guthrie, and
workmen are engaged on the land
| office building at Purcell The bor-
| der is black with boomers, awaiting
the opening of the country. Many
| of them are in very destitute circumstances.
| The Santa Fe road people say that arrange
ments have been made to transport all who
apply, and the Rock Island road is prepar-
| ing to run a line Of stages from its southern
| terminus into the territory. Two immense
/ RATS are beng constructed here tor the
| tranSDOrtat1ol OF hllIs colony. Iney ex-
Dect TO float down the Arkansas, as recent
rains have swollen the river and they can
land within seven miles of the Oklahoma
border. Others have arranged for relays
Of fast horses, which are expected TO trans
port them TO claims already chosen. Every
south bound train arriving here is crowded,
and wagon caravans are passing in an end
less chain"
A dispatch from Milwaukee, Wis, says:
| "a gentleman residing in this city has re-
ceived a letter from his brother-in-law, who
| lives twelve miles from the Oklahoma bor-
der. The writer says that the Pre- ident
should have declared the territory open the
day after the issuance of his proclamation.
and continues: There wero at that time in
the neighborhood Of Oklahoma, enough
waitia and anxious people 70 occupy its
every homestead. Many Of them were fol-
lowers OF the late Capt Davis L. Payne,
who labored so long and zealously TO ac-
complish the work that the Presidents
| proclamation does. Many of these. men
will be cut of, and are ruined now. As IL
is there are now ia the nighborhood OF this
territory, ready 10 move at q moments
notice, Ave times the number Of people nee
essary to settle 1t, and every wagon road
converging toward this point from Mis-
souri,, Nebraska, Colorado, Texas and else
where, is groaning under tho burden OF