The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1889-04-25
FOUR MEN KILLED.
Four Men Murdered by Claim
Jumpers.
Confusion Rsisns Supreme Among
the Boomers.
Guthrie. Oklahoma City and Edmunds
the Three Towns Entered.
AGreat Scarcity OF Water and Much
Suffering Thereby.


ARKANSAS CITY, Kas., April D.
A special from Guthrie at an early hour
this morning says that four men who
took claims there yesterday were foul
ly murdered about O'Clock by claim
jumpers. The names OF the assailants
and their victims could not be learned.
"A vigilance committee is now securing
the country in search Of the miscreants.
InTefiance of the fact that no town
was supposed to exist until noon yes
terday the several hundred interlopers
held an organization meeting at 10
O'Clock. IL. A. Pierce, one OF the To-
peka crowd secured the presidency,
but when he tried to foist his plat upon
the meeting he was beaten amid the
cries: Down the Topeka outfit" The
railway runs sOuthwesterly past the
town and 1t was proposed to lay out
the streets on direct angles with the
track, but plat with north and south
and east and west sections was adopted.
This was proposed by George H. Clay
ton OF Arkansas, brother OF Congress
man Powell Cayton, and twin of the
lately assassinated congressional can
didate. IL was decided that town lot
shall be thirty by l4O feet and
that the ST. eets shall be eighty feet
wide except two one hundred feet inter
secting avenues which were named re-
spectively Munford avenue for Doc
Munford Of Kansas City, and Harrison
avenue for the president. Meanwhile
the whole TOWNSHIP was hOmesteaded
repeatedly. Forty applications under
this right of public domain were filed
at the land office and some very beauti-
fully complicated law suits will follow.
IT looks only fair that those who were
there in advance of the
authorized hour, and who
grabs the land for the corporation that
backs them should be dispossessed and
the whole townsite placed in the fair
and even reach of all. 1t is almost
certain, however, that for all its pres
ent prestige, for everything is going to
Guthrie, there can never be a town of
any Importance there. The surround
ing country is sterile and with the eX-
ception of small pieces of bottom land
can grow nothing but buffalo grass
and cactus. The adjacent stream is
small and alkaline and well water is
deep and scarce. The temperature
bounds from bliRhting cold to wither-
ing heat, and there are long periods
of drouth and irregular occasions of
Hoods and hurricanes. AS the sun
went down little tents and unsheltered
men dotted the region over an area
large enough for and eastern metrop-
oils. There is covering enough for
about one thousand persons ON liber-
al estimate and the nights after the
warm days are absolutely chilly.
Whether 1t rains or not, great suffer-
ing must be endured by the thousands
of unsheltered. Arkansas City is filed
up with great crowds from northern
trains, that Will descend upon Guthrie
in the morning. A break out of here
will be sure to be the event of the
next few days, as there are many
thousands more here than car be sup
piled with food and shelter. Mean
while the rush continues and the ex-
element is at very high pitch.
ON THE OKLAHOMA BOUNDARY.
Lieutenant Foster, who started the
pilgrims Saturday, coming via the Ar
least 1000 outfits and 10000 people
ranged along the border of his trail,
started at the sound of the bugle.
Lieutenant Waite, nephew of the late
Chief Justice Waite, started those en-
tering at the Caldwell trail, and Col.
Ware started those on the Hume
well trail, he being in charge
started those entering by the
Black Bear trail. 1t seems like fairy
tale but there is scarcely doubt that
from 10000 to 10000 entered by these
trails while the six trains that came IN
from Arkansas City to Guthrie brought
at least six thousand people. The
wagon road runs within 100 yards of
the railroad all the way. The Cimar-
ron ford on the Cimarron or Little Ar
kansas river Is just three-fourths of a
mile from where the railroad crosses
that stream near the old site of Camp
Russell. all along the route were TO
be seen deer, antelope, prairie chickens
ard quail. Two deer were within 100
rods of the train and at least fifty shots
G..oA Nd hn
dowS and those on the roof without
effect. The prairie chickens and quail
that were near enough to the train to
sight were also treated to a similar sa-
lutte. When the train crossed the last
stream. Cottonwood creek, just before
entering Guthrie, the passengers
began jumping off aid rushing
towards the land office, where town.
site Is TO be laid out. One fellow be-
came so excited that he jumped
through car window. When the
train stopped at Guthrie station there
was an indiscriminate rush, men and
boys running over each other to get to
the land Office first or squat on a claim
The scarcity of water will cause suf.
fering until wells are dug, unless the
water in Cottonwood creek can be i'll
tered. An enterprising real estate
man had "A carryall at the depot when
the train arrived, and offered to carry
people to his lots on the east side and
sell lots at a dollar apiece. The crowd
around the land Office is too great tn
be numbered. and those who did not
get in to file their claims last night
slept where they were in the line. to be
on hand this morning. Two miles each
way from Guthrie station townsites are
staked Oft and there is not a section
between Eere and Alfred that did not
have one or more quarter sections
staked off. People are dumfoundp
and look at the vast multitude GROVE
into the country in silent wonder. Re.
turning on the train hundreds of prai-
RE schooners were passed still winding
their way to the promised land. AS
Guthrie was found already staked of
when The first train got there some
ugly rumorS were at once started re-
hecting on the United States officers
and the officials of the Santa Fe road
1t is claimed that the directors car o.
that road has been at Guthrie tor sew
h eral days, and they, as we'll as the gov
eminent officials. conniyed with thu
men hiding in the brush on the ives
bottom shielding them from the scruti
ny of the soldiers and that those official
on both sides had the town. All laid on
quietly and held on UNDERSTANDINGS
with the these brush hiders s
they all rushed in and staked off claim
before any train arrived, although tn
regular train from the south whicl
arrived about 12:45 p. m. was not al
lowed to carry any boomers. When
reached EdmundS at ll:4S. ard lai
there until 1905, party Of surveyor
got OH said to be railroad men. Whe
the people at Edmunds saw this the
rushed out and began stalking off claim
also persons who arrived ON the reguls
CIal5 rom ths south say that hundred
or claims were staked out at Guthri
when they got there. A sixty roc,
hotel will be shipped from Kansas eli
and ready for business at Guthrie i
Saturday.
FL ST HOMESTEAD.