St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-04-23
SCUFFLING FOR SOIL.
Free-FoP-All Cross Country
Race Of the Oklahoma
Boomers.
Trains Crowded From Roof
to Brake Beam With Set
tiers.
Scenes Exciting and Funny
When They Reached the
Tract.
Guthrie, Four Hours Old, Has
an Eleetion--Wayside In
eidents.

ST. LOUIS. April %. = The Repub-
lican's special from Arkansas City,
Kan. says: Oklahoma is open. The
trials. struggles and sacrifices of
years are partially rewarded, but
the events of to-day. and those of
the DAYS, weeks and months TO follow
will prove how far the supply is below
the demand. and neceSsitate further
concessions to avert disorder. bl0OdShed
and other conditions but little short of
anarchy. The history of this one day
will forever be memorable i'll frontier
heritage of litigation which will be
fruitful to land sharks and
claim attorneys, but be destructive TO
the claims of poor and honest settlers.
The AtchiSon. Topeka IL Santa Fe rail-
road began running its sectional trains
out of Kansas City last night and pick
ing up cars at almost every station along
the route. Hundreds of people were wait
ing at every depot. and if the cars, all of
which were filled before the border line
was reached. could have been coupled,
they would have made a train miles IN
length. The crowds were composed Of
spectators. adventures, Sight-seers.
thieves. gamblers. and a sprinkiing of
was not largely represented, as all
the homesteaders have gone on before.
There were men in the cars from every
great city and important point in the
country, and there was not a state or
territory in the country which did not
have its representatives They filled all
of the seats. occupiedtall of the standing
room in the aiSles and filed up the
spaces between the coaches, hanging on
the iron baniSterS and girders with
grip born of despair and determination.
The newspaper coach was the
FIRST OUT OF ARKANSAS CITY.
It contained representatives of all the
leading newspapers in the country, who
were compelled to yield room and COM
fort for the good of the cause. The con-
ductors were vigilant in tie collection
of fares, but it is certain that a great
many deadheads went through
to the promised land . in
the rush and hurry and roar
of the boomer campaign. There was
but little sightseeing INDUCED in. as
the crowd did not care TO look at any
thing until it got to Oklahoma. like the
emigrant at Castle Garden who refused
to pick I'D silver dollar because he eX-
pected TO find gold in the street in
the next block. At Arkansas City
there were over seveEty-tive 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 plat
form 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 pre-
sented a live, picturesque appearance.
After the sun rose
CROWDS WERE RUSHING
toward the centeuR of action from all
parts of the city. Hotels emptied their
hundreds into the street: the cOt-hOuses
contributed hundeds more out of the
hOSpltable homes Of the city, nearly all
| of which have entertained guests during
| the past week. Soon long strings of men
carrying grips, bundles. knapSackS and
/ parcels of every possible and impossible
/ description: hundreds Of boomers and
rustiers in their impatience TO get
/ aboard. rushed down Ell maSSe to the
/ yards and attempted to force an en-
| trance into the cars. all of which were
! securely locked. The excitement may
! be judged from the fact that large
! number of coach windows were broken
| out by people who we're anxious to Sc
! cure seats. A strong guard of railroad
! men was detailed to protect the COM
| pany's property, and they had a con-
tTyct of unusual dimensions on their
! hands. The crowd was panic-stricken.
! After waiting so many eventfui days
! and nights for the hour of action tO
J come, men were seized with a sudden
| fear that they would be leftin the luTch.
and that fear served to make them like
a drove of stampeded cattle. There was
! a vain attempt at good humOr in the
| struggle. which concealed the grim pur-
! pose behind. and there was no quar-
Ter shown in the rush for place
1t was a 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 of it. 1t was 9:4(
when the sign which marks the state
line and the dividing line from the
Cherokee strip was reached. 1t was
greeted with a cheer which rolled
from the news car in front to
the rustler's cabOose behind. 1t marked
the departure from state government
toward a country where government /:
yet to be created and established. Still
the Cherokee country lay between then
and the rainbow land. There were NJ
Indians to be seen until after Willow
Springs was passed, when a Wagon
load of bucks of the Ponca tribe
passed up the trail, who res
bonded to the shouts and cheers of those
on board the train with sullen look.
and gesticulatioDs of defiance, as no
evidently pleased at the coming of tht
paleface. Along the Pawnee trail tht
train also passed caravans of boomers
wagons, many going south. bu
some returning towards Kansas. Be
tween Willow Springs and the Ponci
agency, somebody in the newspaper ca
discovered a man riding on the truck
beneath the coach. Immediately al
effort to open up negotiations with hin
were made. but they resulted unSuc
cessfully until the train stopped a
Ponce, when the adventurous boone
Oh wheels was taken up into the car
elected
AN HONORARY MEMBER
| of the press association and furnished
with refreshments out of bottle. .Whicl
he drank with relish amidst enthus
iastic applause. He gave his name a
Harvey Saddlep and said he was borl
in England, but had been in this cOun
try for pine years ana had come all tn
way from Seattle, W. T.. to get foot
hold in Oklahoma. He was elected a
the representative of the London Time
and also as the mascot of the new cit,
of Guthrie. and to make the bargain
sure it was agreed ne should have on
of the best lots in thelheart of the city
At the last station outside of the Okla
homa territory there was a grea
crowd of boomers who hat
forsaken their teams and hoped {
gain entrance quicker by rail. Their
being no room inside they climbed t
| the tops of the coaches, and the entir