The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1889-05-08
THE PROMISED LAND.
A. Wild Race for HOmeSteadS
in Oklahoma;
The Signal Sounded and 10000
Pioneers Cross the Borders.

The gates of Oklahoma were swung open
at noon on the day appointed by President
Harrison, and resistless torrents Of humanity
began to pour upon its soil. From the Chero-
kee strip came the great feet of prairie
schooners across the Canadian; from the
Chickasaw Nation came troop after troop Of
sturdy ponies, each one carrying boomer;
from the Arapahoe and Cheyenne reservations
on the west came 4 yelling mob Of horsemen,
who fred volley after volley to celebrate
their final victory.
The Kiowa of the Southwest and the Cher
okee and Creek Nations on tho east, also
furnished their contingent of boomers.
PunctuaIy at noon the trumpetcr OF Troop
D, 5th Cavalry, at a sign from Lieutenant
Waite sounded the dinner call" 1t was
the signal agreed upon for the start. I'm
mediately there went up shouts and cheers.
A hundred pistols discharging their contents
into the air but family echoed the joy,
the enthusiasm, the feeling of relief on
the part of the crowd that the supreme mo-
ment had arrived at last. Away dashed the
horsemen in mad gallop, lashing their horses
as if life depended upon reaching the top of
by buggies, buckboards, and road wagons,
and the rear was brought up by the heavy
drays, all lashing up that steep incline.
At the starting signal they moved all to-
gether, great waves Of cheering breaking
upon the air.
The wagons continued on over the level
green plain until they were about halfway
across the northern tier of claims, and then
upward of hundred of them were brought
to a standstill. The others rolled on to the
lower tiers.
Men, women and children poured from the
stationary schooners, and in an incredibly
short time. the foundations for the pioneer
homes of Oklahoma had been laid by willing
hands.
Every farm had more than one claimant,
all ready to swear that they crossed the
border first, and that theirs was the first i'm
provements.
So it is ell over the Territory and especially
on the sections adjoining Guthrie and Okla
homa City.
Between 10000 and 10000 people were
dumped at Guthrie, Indian Territory, by the
Santa Fe road, which ran twenty immense
trains from Arkansas City. The trains moved
across the Cherokee Strip and arrived there
scarcely more than five minutes apart.
At the last station outside of the Okla
homa Territory there was great crowd Of
boomers who had forsaken their teams and
hoped to get in quicker by rail. There being
no room inside they climbed to the top of
the coaches, and the entire train from one
end'to the other was lined with them.
In this way the line was reached about
1905 o'clock. Before the late dead line was
reached and passed, however, the great
Transformation scene had begun and was
plainly visible to the watchers from the
train. First came in view the white-topped
wagons in groups in the level prairie or in
the little valleys which diversity the
face of the country. 1t was at
once noticeable that the teams were not to be
seen in any of these camps, and it was plain
they had been taken out of the harness to be
rode across the border by hard riders, who
were to locate claims. A little further on and
this conclusion was proven to be correct, for
the entire face Of the country. as far as the
best field glass could carry the sight, was
overrun with horSemen galloping to the
southwark. Their heetest horses had evil
IDENTIFY been picked for the work, and they
were carrying their riders rapidly to the
longed-for goal.
Out Of the dust which arose toward the
east could be seen, after the train had reached
a high ridge, q wagon caravan fully two
miles in length, and which was driven to
the utmost speed of its horses. These
caravans were plainly out-distanced by
tho horseback riders, and, after sew.
eral miles of the territory had been
were winning the best prizes. One home
steader who had secured a magnificent
quarter section of rolling land, had dug a
hole two or three feet deep at the corner of it
where the surveyors section was located.
There he drove his stakes.
It was curious sight to watch the boomers
after they had got fairly on foot. The ma
jority of them seemed to be dazed by the
vastneSS of their surroundings. Many of
them gazed stupidity to the north, south, east
and west and then moved like men who were
lost.
Despite the orders relating to town site as
sociations, there were already indications Of
bad blood among those speculators who have
been dreaming Of wealth to be gained IN
cities founded by them.
In Purcell rival companies for the same
site across the river, known by one company
as Lexington, and by the other as East Pur.
CELL issued incendiary dodgers headed: DE
fend your rights with rifles if necessary"
Soon afterward a little bill addressed to mem.
bers of the Oklahoma League was posted up
warning the members, "by order Of the
league" to prepare to hold against all comer5
the claims and town sites selected and staked
out by them.
A disturbance took place there between
rival land spectators and their adherents, in
which revolvers and Winchesters were fired
freely, however without any serious result.
Tom Myers was shot in the head, Joe Martin
in the arm, one Simpkins, colored, was struck
in the leg. At daylight the fighting ceased.
Two troops of cavalry arrived at Purcell
and will probably prevent any actual out
break. The streets and hillsides Of that town
were covered with men, four-ffths Of whom
were spectators, determined to enrich them.
selves.