Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1889-04-26
The Country Described by Some as
An Immense Red Brick Lime
Kiln.
The Government Officials at Guthrie
Gobbled up the Best Lots Before
The 22d.
Everybody Cursing the Government
For the Way the Country Has
Opened Up.
squatting on the Cherokee Strip.


CHICAGO, April PA Daily News spe-
cial from Diamond Bar ranch. Indian ter
ritory, says: The occupation of the Che
rokee strip has begun along the whole line.
A much harder nut to crack than was any
OF the Oklahoma bOolns, is now presented
to the government The Cherokee strip
which is now in process OF being gobbled.
comprises nearly 100000 acres. being
three or four times as large as Oklahoma,
and it far :trancends the latter in beauty
and fertility. The excitement in Arkansas
City over the prospective free seizure of
the strip is intense. Crowds OF fugitives
! from the famine, thirst. frost and heat of
| Guthrie, are swelling as each train on the
| all but paralyZed railroad comes in. The
| fiercest resentment is breathed against the
government for the outrageously unfair
manner in which the country was
thrown open. The whole federal
machinery, from the president down
to the last deputy. is passionately de-
nounced. Six residents of Arkansas City
went out on the strip yesterday and staked
claims Some invaded the Chilico Indian
school reservation and We're ordered off by
the superintendent. They moved their
stakes to neighboring spot Off the school
| land, there to remain as the forerunners of
a horde Of invaders. To-day the Cherokees
are aroused to the situation. Patten chair
man OF their land commission. passed
through Arkansas City this morning on
his way to Washington to urgently protest
against tine invasion that he regards as inc
vitabe. The soldiery assigned to pro-
tect The Cherokee outlet, under Capt. Jack
/ Hayes. have not yet returned from the south
border. where they accompanied the main
| body OF boomers bound for Oklahoma.
/ Hayes command, however, is expected Ill
| Camp Pride. near Arkansas City, at any
] hour. 1t VIII be the duty of the soldiers to
! clear the strip. and a turmoil is bound to
| ensue. The people. except for their pres
| ent excitement. seem disposed to be law
abiding. The conservative opinion is that,
While they will claim land in the strip as a
redress for the wrongs suffered in Okla
homa. they will not offer organized armed
resistance 1t is plain however, that
something must he done. and done quickly
to relieve the pressure OF the homeless
throngs.
~ RETURNING piSGCSTED.
ST. Louis. April PA Republic special
from Kansas City, Mo, says: Bulletins in
front of the telegraph Offices at the Union
depot this morning indicated that all early
morning trains from Oklahoma Were over
two hours late. The cause OF the delay
was apparent when a train OF fourteen
coaches crowded with returning boomers.
came in. A more disgusted crowd could
not be imagined. I'll went to Leatlville,.
said one gray whisilered farmer. 80 make
q fortune and come back disappointed,
but knew then had to take my chances.
| l really thought there was something in
/ this Oklahoma business. but l tell you
there amt anything in it at ali.o There
We're over 300 boomers in the train that
left Arkansas City last night. nearly
obliged to wait for the next train. A large
number of returning boomers dropped out
| at various stations in Kansas. Edward
Gliven was at the head of thirty three Il!i-
nols settlers leading them back home. He
said: ''We were on the first train that ar
We We're not looking for townsites but
farm lands. We found pretty fair lands
in the river bottoms, but not near as rich
as the farms that we We're leaving. The
soil is red and loose like brick dust. Ii
fact the greater part of the country looks
like an immense brick kiln. Look AT these
shoes and he displayed a pair Of shoes
covered with fine red dust, that's the
s kind OF land they call good soil
MORE sQUATrERS on THE STRIP.
/ KANSAS City. Mo. April PA Times
1 special from Arkansas City says: One
hundred and fifty men ieft quietly this
morning for the Cherokee strip with the
avowed purpose Of squatting there There
IS no doubt a secret organization is in 5ex-
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