Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-04-22
WAITING FOR THE WORD.
Feverish Excitement Along Oklahoms
Border-Desperate Schemes.

Sr. Louis, April 22.-Specisl dispatches from
the Oklahoma country say that everybody is on
the qHi rioe 20 make a grand rush across the
line into the land of Csanan at noon to-day.
Five hundred dollars was yesterday offered and
accepted for a feet horse at Purcell The
horse was purchased by Tom Horton. a man
who expects 10 reach a claim now proposed TO
be taken up by town site company which ex-
poets TO build across the river. city which will
IN the future rival Purcell. As many feet
horses are being brought in from Texas and
Kansas. the race will be most exciting. as they
ny across the country, the goal stake, the
prize, claim.
THE sTRUGGLE FOR rowN SITES
Ihere is as much, If not more, struggling for
town sites as for sections. Ii is said thirty-two
town companies are going for Guthrie. about that
number for Oklahoma City. and about twenty
for hlngtsher. while there are applicants for
sites on almost every section. This makes the
average settler swear. The trouble between
town-slte companies promises 10 be as danger
Gus as among the claim-hunters There has
also been brewing for the last day or two an an
lmosity between the northern fellows and
Texans especially, including some colonies
from other states. Once within the strip men,
either on foot or in wagons. were 20 be seen
almost continually going southwark There
were no soldiers or officers OF any kind TO pre-
vent their entering the country. Some were
women were cooking the meals and the men
were shooting az either marks or game.
AN OLD BOOMERS STORY.
Few persons know" said an old boomer.
who encamped on the Oklahoma line,
what dangers / have gone through TO reach
here. My party had cowboy guide. and when
we came 20 the Chickasaw We were compelled 20
pay a man $50 to swim the stream and bring us
little boat in which we could cross. and We then
,,,sll. ra.,
The same thing had to be done at South fork
We gave our guide 500 and If he gets us well
located he gets sl50. Another party paid their
guide $3.50.
Scheme TO Seize the Cherokee Slip.
scheme has just developed. the magnitude
of which and the daring character Of the men
engaged ir it, makes ii one of great impor-
tance. 1t is every day becoming more apparent
that the lands OF Oklahoma will be insufficient
for the people who will be here 10 claim it. As
"A consequence, there have been organized
bands or companies the members of which are
sworn 10 project their fellows. The leaders of
the companies have agreed that if any consider
able portion of them fail to get into Oklahoma
they Will league together and take possession
of the Cherokee strip. Two-thirds even OF
these organized men will be left. and in a week
from to-day they will have ten thousand
determined men, desperate from failure
of cherished plans, driving the stock
out OF the strip and holding down claims
The hope of the men who conceived this des-
perate enterprise Is 10 have many people in
the strip in a short time that il viii be thought
better TO leave them than attempt to drive them
out.
Arkansas City is the headquarters of the en-
gineers of the scheme. but auXiliarios are To-
Gated along the line and the rush will be stimuli
taneous az all points. The officers fear this and
VIII endeayor 10 hurry patrol for the strip
from Oklahoma TO anticipate and thus prevent
the expected rush.
1t is well known that such a scheme has been
talked of by Col. Cole and other Oklahoma agi-
tators, and at the present time they find most
opportune TO make their advance.
DENsELY CROWDED TRAINS.
ST. Louis, April 22.-The Republics Wichita,
Kansas, special says: The first train south ON
the Santa Fe, consisting of fifteen coaches. ar
rived yesterday, and there was not standing
room IN the coaches. People filled the spaces
between the cars and cluuS to the steps. One
enterprising boomer road in on the cow-catcher
The crowd cheered him as the train entered
the depot. There were about l. 400 people on
the train. Arrivals yesterday numbered at
least 5000. of this number. one-thlrd went
south to reach the line of Oklahoma in order
to be ready for the word go" Others went
to Purcell. Railroad officials are greatly wor-
ried over the prospects of moving SO .many
people. The side tracks are filled with fat
cars. cattle cars and a gravel train also in the
collection. none of which will be below demand
Everything on wheels will be utilized if neces-
sary.
Thieves are busily at work on the trains. and
many poor boomer has been feeced of his all
A disturbance took place at Purcell between
rival land spectators and their adherents In
which revolvers and Winchesters were
hred freely, however without any
serious results. Tom Myers was shot in the
head, Joe Martin in the arm, and one Smkins,
colored, was struck in the leg.
TO FOUND NEW FRISCO.
A party of capitalists of San Francisco sent
their agent, George w. Perkins, to find a site
for the town they will build and call Frisco.
Perkins and his party stood upon the rear
platform after leaving Purcell, and Just after
the Canadian river was crossed they leaped off
and concealed themselves in the bushes The
chances are that the situation of Frisco will be
near this bridge.
At Guthrie there are in preparation and
agitation the same number and variety of town
site schemes, and on account of the present
prominence of the place as a land Office the
contest for possession will be more intense
Troops are being rapidly as possible sent
into the country, and to-day there are ON its
borders fourteen companies of infantry and
twenty troops of cavalry.
CAPITALISTS GET IN AS DEPUTY sHERIFFs
Last night there arrived at Oklahoma CITY q
queer looking crowd bearing deputy marshals'
papers, thus emitting them 10 enter the coun-
try. There were seven in all in the party, One
man was seventy. lie wore a fine broadcloth
suit of clothes and carried gold-headed cane.
There was not one in the party who had ever
made an arrest, and it was stated that the ag-
gregate capital of the crowd was over 60 OOO. .OOO
They rode down on a Pacific car, and
alighting from the train showed their commis-
sions as deputy marshals. properly signed and
attested. and so the soldiers, much against
their will, were compelled to permit them TO
remain. Their evident intention is to
form some town site. 1t is thought that there
are over thirty deputies now IN and about Ok
lahoma who, at noon, will turn in their resigna-
tions and accept it all by themselves, each in
diyIdually, and turn private citizens. They
will then take claims.