New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-27
AN ELECTION PREVENTED.
THE VOTERS IN GUTHRIE SCATTERED BY A
GALE
~,rrHour BALLOT BOXES, TIE MEN STOOD IN
xoNe LINES TO BE CoUNTED-THE TALLY
NOT COMPLETED WHEN THE STORM
BRoKE-No MAYOR YET. NOT MUCH
TO EAT, BUT PLENTY OF GAM
BLING IMPLEMENTS

BLING IMPLEMENTS
rBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TKIBuNEl
Guthrie Oklahoma April 26.-Thc speclal lhcF
dents of the day were an attempt TO eiecu may
which miscarried, and storm, when oi II" Ni""
was eminently successful. 1t nearly carried 'he
whole town away. There nave oc'n .'ii''
politicsl factions formed already III wouio pe
aificult to say what the principles OF ei'hef "re'
or what the candidate Of any one Oh 'hein p'o
poses to do. Each, Of course claims u ref 'N.'V
the conservative element of the town anu uesns-
mates the other the gamblers par'!:
.ur,or, fact however. remains that while each
party denounces the gamblers IN 'he hoS' ""-
m..su,ed terms. each is willing enough to receive
tho support OF the sporting fraternity. Inc
,atter at present seem to hold the balance OF
-, ard M doubt will seek to retain that
mower as long as possible by preventing an cleo
,ion The candidates are Volney Hoggett, OF
Dakota Doctor Hill, of Oregon, and Judge Kelly
=, Kansas The unsuccessful attempt was made
this morning to hold the election There were
mn ha,lot boxes of course, and to count heads
wh.n a mob of seven or eight thousand people
va+hered in front Of the land Office seemed out
y, the ouestion so the old New-En gland method
was adopted of forming three lines, three feet
anart 70 determine which of the candidates could
master the longest line. From the start II was
apparert that Judge Kelly had no chance OF
winning. and his adherents almost Immediately
after the election had begun dropped out Oh thelr
line While the lines were still forming, extend
ing many hundred yards into the PRAIRIE SUD
den windstorm arose which filled the atmosphere
with the red dust of the plains and made 1t
,rnosshle 10 see distance of fifty feet The
two remaining lines became thoroughly demoral-
ized The more turbulent of the two, the Hoggett
faction. which the gamblers and deputy-marsha hals
supported at that time with suspicious unahini'y'
showed fight, and but for the presence OF troops
would have captured the town and wiped up
the floor with what remained OF the I'LL meh'
The storm increased in violence, ana eVerypouS
was compelled either to look for the s"ie'y oi
his stock or for shelter under the tents The
severity of the gale can be imagined "heh
q sandwich. or the top of glass
a, water before YOU could lift it from the counter
10 YOUR mouth, was thickly covered with layer
Of dust. or when people staying in the open ar
for only five minutes were in that short til'e
c6nverted. as far as their complexion was con-
cerned into Indians of the most pronounced copper
color The storm continued with unabated Jury
until sunset, tearing down tents, upsettlng
sbanties. playing havoc with horses and muleS'
which. terror stricken, tore away and were WIN
difficulty captured late in the evening III 'he
prairie The suffering and discomfort were az
gravated by the fact that yet no water save
that from the muddy creek below the station can
be obtained 1t still is sold at cents glass, or
81 the bucket.
The attempt to settle the election is to be re-
newed tonight and it is feared may lead TO
serious trouble. barrel of whiskey Is said 70
have arrived this afternoon and what mlschiel
that means in q community like this can easily 's
conlectured The military authorities have ro
doubled their vigilance, and have plckcts OUT IN
every available part OF the town. lheS
will have their hands full, however, in con-
trolling turbulent mob of 10000 people "ha'
threatened to become riot this morning was
started by man on horseback, who attempted
to obtain his mail at the postoilice out of the
line Immediately dozen men rushed upon hm.
He attempted to draw his revolver. They pulled
him from his horse, and little would have re-
mained of him, so murderOus were the KICKS
and cuffs and imprecations showered upon HIM
from every corner had not a few soldiers dis
persed the mob and restored order.
The number of people departing with every
train EQUALS that Of the new arrivals Those
who remain get along the best they can. Pro
visions are not to be had anywhere yet. The
newcomers, as a rule, now well provided,
having taken warning from the report of danger
of a famine They often show a spirit of self
denial and dangerous generosity by dividing their
stores with Oldest inhabitants" of Guthrie.
Presently they will know better, perhaps All
values have dropped with the same rapdty
with which they rose early in the week
A bona fde transfer Of property has
not taken place within the last twenty-four hours
The final plat of the town remains much
Of an uncertainty ever In the meantime
petitions have been forwarded to Washington
signed by leading citizens of the town, includ-
ing, presumably all the deputy -marshals," who
looted the town site on Monday, asking for its
enlargement as TO make it exactly two miles
SQUARE. The refusal of Congress last winter to
settle the town-site question: and the uncertainty
as to what il may do when it meets again, render
property holders miserable and make them wish,
when they contemplate the difficulty of holding
down their claims, that they had never been
born Congress might do worse than enact a law
which should declare all the proceedings taken
in Oklahoma in regard to town-sites illegal, and
sbould provide for a new deal all around This
would leave the hundreds Of deputy y-marshals7
and other Government officials, whose scandalous
conduct has outraged every honest settler, out
in the cold as they deserve to be left
The news received here to-day which states
that the Secretary Of the Interior Is
preparing to send special agents to Okla
homa. with a view Of ascertalning the exact
facts in the case, gives general satisfaction,
though it is hardly deemed possible to be pro-
ductive of much practical good. The gamblers
who, up TO the opening of the new territory, had
made Purcell their headquarters seem to have
divided their attention now DetWeesl OKdhoma
(,tv and Gntbrje You see them OccIpylng tents
and and squatting @ ting with the tools of their trade in
the middle Of the street. ANY one wishing to
gamble can be accomm modated. Faro, ntyIonc,
ss to be had. Everything is done in broad
daylight Nobody interferes The victims are
many. One man was pointed out TO-DAY VINO ioSi I,
he had With whiskey freely lowing, this would
be mighty lively town. Fortunately tins mas
been kept out with more or less success thus iar.
II cannot be long, however The utmost vlglIince @
cannot prevent the smuggling Of the mysterious