The Saline County journal., 1889-04-25

Il - 'shSaA W AaANo81
men was detailed to protect tn,
compsny's property aud they had {
contract Of unusual dimensions on
their hands.
The crowd wss panic stricken. II
bsd leaked out, during the wakefuI
hours of the night. that the press
special coach would be . part Of the
first train To move out. The rail-
road management had succeeded
we'll In keeping this fact . secret.
Every ear brought up to the line
was greeted with tremendous cheers
- the coaches which were to be at
tsched To the newspaper special
were brought OF the siding. and
there Was . simultaneous rush oi
two or three thousand men towards
them. They were filled to overflow
Ing la less than half . minute, and
countless throng, struggling for q
place on the steps. II was in vain
Tor the officials to say that trains
would ruH In sections fifteen
minutes apart; every mAn there
wanted to be fifteen minutes ahead
Of everybody else.
The FIRST TRAIN.
The first section made up,
consisted Of nine coaches, the news
paper coach and one eabOo-e. II
pulled out at = ~. IL was drawn by
engine 80 In charge OG Captain
Cooper, who has been On the santa
Fe for fifteen years and is one Of the
oldest aud most trusted engineers In
its employ. TraIumaster FOukes
Was In charge of the entire train.
4 This Was the first train that ever ran
out Of kausss loaded with settlers
for Oklahoma, aud even those who
were disappointed in getting aboard
OF II, Joined in . wild. enthusiastic
cheer which rent the Kausas air ~
the first step toward the realization
| OF the hopes aud dreams Of years,
aud the reward for the sacrifices OF
the past, was taken
The train ran slowly ~ there was
/ great danger Of misplaced rails aud
switches, or distractions Of various
kinds placed there by those gone
before, aud who wanted n corner on
the best lands in sight. II was $40
/ when the sign which marks the
state line and the dividing line from
| the Cherokee strip was reached.
II was greeted with a cheer which
| rolled from the neWs ear in front to
the rustler's cabOUss behind. IL
marked the departure from . state
| government toward . country where
. government l. yet to be created
aud established.
Still the Cherokee country lay
between them aud the rainbow land.
There Was NO Indians To be seen
until after Willow Springs was
II II
/ Of the POnra tribe passed up the
/ tnaIl, who responded to the shouts
aud cheers Il those on board the
i train xith sullen looks aud ge-ticu-
i IatiOns Of defiance a. not evidently
i pleased 81 the ruIIIins ~ ilir pale
face.
Along the Pawnee tract the train
i also passed caravans OF boOm-rs'
wagons, many going south, but some
| returning towards Kansas.
A. the last station outside Of the
Oklahoma territory there was q
great crowd of boomers who had for
/ sAken their teams aud hoped tO get
In quicker by rail. Their. being no
room inside they climbed to the top
nf the coaches aud the entire train.
from one end tn the other. wa- roof
ed with them. In this way the line
was reached about ave minutes
after }. o'clock.
swARNINa INTO THE LAND.
The ride Of Paul Revere dwindles
into obscurity beside he feats Of
horsemsnship performed In Okla
hOma to-day. Rides Of fifteen or
twenty miles we're made In an
incredibly short time by oil boom
ers familiar with the country and
Who knew where desirable lands
were located. The train stopped at
. military post. The white tents Of
the soldiers aud the officers tents.
surrounded by the national cOlors,
were q gratifying evidence Of =
power sufficient 20 maintain order
Troop ID" OF the Fifth regiment Of
Cavalry, United states Army, was
quartered there and the Offirers said
that, at the sound Of the bugle at
nigh noon, there bad been q move
meut among the boomers camped
along the border, which he'd exten-
ded scross the entire frontier line,
aud that the riding has besu fast
aud furious ever since. Some Of the
prosJertorr running TO Guthrie, aud
others going to locate on the land
and secure . prior right To possess
sion by sctual occupancy.
IL was 1870 p. m. when the fret
section Of the great AtchisOn traiU
reached the line, and lts progress
from that point on to Guthrie was
not rapid enough for the rapid men
who wanted to get there in . hurry,
before all the cream was skinned
of the milk. Nevertheless it lacked
but q few minutes Of O'Clock when
the train stopped at the Guthrie
station, O handsome and substanti-
ally built edifice, which has recently
been libeled by the newspaper
artists, who have drawn on their
Imagination for its picture since
this excitement began.
ALREADS THERE.
Before the train came to . stop it
vas seen that somebody was already
there; in fact, the town was already
we'll populated. Tents we're numer-
Gus on the eastern slope, aud stakes
Sere sticking mp out Of the ground
like poles In q bean patch. Men
could be seen rushing In the dlree-
scene vas ~ busy ~ 10 n possible To
ttunkluG- huc RtCtoutAy ouAChI AbN
Ark ansas City aud the Wichita men |
aud those from the other points vas |
both loud aud deep. if there has
been . prospect of shooting at any
tIms to-day, it wa. when these men !
found themselves bAfiied at the
game of freeze-Oat. But they were |
eompeiled 10 svAilov their wrath,
for ,sccordlng 10 all the teehniealities I
Of she Law, the men In possession |
were the rightful Ovners and the !
mea Who had beea moss persistent |
for their demands for the Laws en- I
foreemeut. There wss NOTHING 20
do bat take . sshet vas len, and IL
vss In the sffambls 10 get this that /
the most ludierous. scene Of the day /
was presented. Falling over eaeh /
other in the Effort 10 get out OF the I
ears, every variety sf man along the !
frontier made 81 army which i
charged the land osiiee ~ the top OF /
the knoll. not In body, bat In de- I
taehmensp. The land efiiee vas not /
thafr mimi of de1ffnaffog thouRh n Il