New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1889-05-01
OKLAHOMA OR BUST
Inc Race for Land Across the Erst-
While Dead Line Wild and
Woolly.


little short of anarchy. The history of this
one day will forever be memorable in from
bier annals and will leave behind heritage
OF litigation which will be fruitful to land
SHARKS and Claim attorneys, but be destruc-
tive to The claims of poor and honest set
TIERS. The Atchison, Topeka q Santa
re railroad began running it's sec
tlonal trains OUT of Kansas City last
night and picking up cars at
almost every station along the route. Hun
dreds OF people were waiting at every depot
and If the cars, all of which were filled be-
lore the border line was reached, could have
been coupled, they would have made train
miles in length. The crowds were composed
of spectators, adventurers, sightseers,
thieves, gamblers and sprnkllng Of the
demi-monde. The farming element was not
largely represented, as all of the homestead
ers have gone on before. There were men
in the cars from every great city and impor-
tant point in the country, and there was not
state or territory In the country which did
not have its representatives These filed
ali Of the seats occupied all OF the standing
room in the alsles and filed up the spaces
between the coaches, hanging on the iron
banisters and Orders with grip
BORN OF DESPAIR
and determination. The newspaper coach
was the first out of Arkansas City. It
con AIMED representatives of all the leading
newspapers in the country, who were COM
PEELED to yield room and comfort for the
good Of the cause The conductors were
vigilanU in the collection of fares, but it is
certain that great many dead heads went
through to the promised land" IN the rush
and hurry and roar of the boomer campaign
b,1tI itt1 iubt ind, in
as the crowd did not care to look at any
thing until it got to Oklahoma, like the emil
grant at Castle Garden who refused to pick
up silver dollar because he expected to find
gold in the street in the next block. At
Arkansas City there were over seventy-fve
coaches tracked in the yards awaiting
the rush. All of these were lowered
into the yards some distance below the
depot. The crowd began gathering on the
platform two hours before daylight, and
long before the first faint streak of the dawn
OF the fateful day. the city was awake and
stirring. The streets presented live, pict-
uresque appearance. After the sun rose
crowds were rushing toward the center of
action from all parts of the city. Hotels
femptied their hundreds into the street; cot
houses contributed hundreds more; out OF
the hospiJable homes of the city, nearly all
of which have entertained guests during the
past week, came long strings of men carry
ing grips, bundles, knapsacks and parcels of
every possible and impossible de cription.
Hundreds OF boomers and rustlers in their
Impotence to get aboard rushed down en-
masse to the yards and attempted to force an
entrance into the cars all OF which We're Sc
cureiy locked The excitement may be
judged from the fact that large number Of
coach windows were broken out by people
who were anxious 10 secure seats
A STRONG GUARD
of railroad men was detailed to protect the
company's property and they had a contract
of unusual proportions on their hands. The
crowd was panic-sGrieken. After waiting so
many evenUful days and nights for the hour
of action to come, men were seized with
sudden fear that they would be left in the
lurch, and that fear served to make them
like drove of stampeded cattle. There was
a vain attempt at good humor in the strug-
gle which concealed the grim purpose be-
hind, and there was no gu arter shown in the
rush for pace. It was wild west
crowd headed toward a new field
of enterprise and Development, and
no one who has never seen such thing
in action can have the remotest conception
pathetic incident of the early morning was
cattle train laying on a side track loaded
with boomer, his horse, wagon and a COW,
wife and children and all his little house
hold effects He was a merry fellow, and
guved the crowd numerically for not going
through, as he expressed It, without change
of cars to avoid the rush. -.. ..... :
IT travel in my own special COACH" said he.
like Jay Gould or Vanderbilt
You'll get there too late" yelled somebody in
the crowd. Era.ga.-.s ..=z
Never mind" replied the boomer, I'll get
there all the same.
1t had leaked oat during the wakeful
hours of the night that the press cial
coach would be part of the first train to
move out. The railroad management had
succeeded well in keeping this fact secret.
No one but representatives of the press were
informed of the fact, or knew the location
of the coach and the time of its departure
but it is impossible to keep such information
from people who sit up all night to find out
the shortest and easiest way of getting into
the promised land. The result was that
when the newspaper coach was backed up
at point below the depot the entire crowd
chare ed upon it. The newspaper men We're
ranged in a solid phalanx, but had to fight
for access to the rear platform of the car
There were rusters there who had been
fighting along the border for years and who
had death grip on the iron railing and ex-
preset determination to go In that car.
These were not easily disposed of, but after
them came a sw arm of men with
BOGUS CREDENTIALS,
presuming they represent every great news
paner in the United States, nearly every cor
respondent was called upon to dIscreuit two
of these assumed journalists, and scores of
others failed of identification or recognition,
and had to fall back with more of precip-
itancy than good order. Every car brought
up the line was greeted with tremendous
cheers as the coaches which were to be at
tacbed to the newspaper special were
brought out of the siding. and there was
simultaneous rush of two or tfreeihousand
men towards them. They were filled to
overlooking In less than half minute, and a
countless thrOng was struggling for place