The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1889-04-25
OKLAHOMA OR BUST .
The Race for Land Across the Erst-
while Dead Line Wild and
WOOlly.

uOuh is open. hG LAldlS, sbL 'AiN
sacrifices of years are partially rewarded,
but the event OF to-day and hose of the days,
weeks and mouths to follow, will prove how
far the supply is below the demand and
necessi; alto further concessions TO avert dis
order, bloodshed and other conditions hut
little short of anarchy. The history of this
one day will forever be memorable in from
Tier annals and will leave behind u he itage
of litigation which Will be fruitful to land
sharks and cl"im attorneys, but be destruc
tive to the claims of poor and honest set
tiers. The Atchison, Topeka Il Santa
Fe railvoad began running its sec
tionaI trains out of Kansas CITY last
night and picking up cars at
almost every station along the route. Hun
dreds of people were waiting at every depot
and if the c,rs, all of which were filed be-
fore the border line was reached, could have
been coupled, they would have made train
miles in length. The crowds were composed
of spectators, adventurers, sightseers,
thieves, gamblers, and sprinkilng OF the
demi- monde. The farming element was not
largely represented, as all of the homestead
ers have gone on before. There were men
in the cars from every great city and impor-
tant point in the country, and there was not
a state or territory IN the country which did
not have it's representatives. These filled
all of the seats, occupied all of the standing
room in the aisles and filled up the spaces
between the coaches, hanging on the iron
banisters and girders with grip
BORN OF DESPAIR
and determination The newspaper coach
was the first out of Arkansas City. 1t
con:alned represent atives of all the leading
newspapers in the country, who were com
PEELED to yield room and comfort for the
good Of the cause. The conductors Wer2
vigilanL in the collection of fares but it is
certain that great many dead he1ds went
through to the promised lanu" IN the rush
and hurry and roar Of the boomer campaign.
There was but little sightseeing in du ged in,
as the crowd did not care 10 look at any
thing until it got to Oklahoma, like the emil
grant at Castle G arden who refused to pick
up silver dollar because he expected to find
gold in the street in the next block At
Arkansas City there were over seventv-fve
coaches tracked in the yards awaiting
the rush. All of these were lowered
into the yard, some distance below the
depot The crowd began gathering on the
platform two hours before daylight, and
long before the first faint streak OF the dawn
of the fatefuI day. the city was awake and
stirring. The streets presented a live, pict-
uresuue appearance After the sun rose
crowds were rushing toward the center of
action from all parts of the city. Hotels
emptied their hundreds into the street; cot
houses contributed hundreds more; out OF
the hospiGubIe homes of the CITY, nearly all
of which have entertained guests during the
past week, came long strings of men carry
ing grips, bundles, knapsacks and parcels of
every possible and impossible de cription
Hundreds OF boomers and rustlers in their
impatience TO get aboard rushed down en-
masse TO the Yards ana attempted to force an
entrance into the cars, all of which were Sc
cureiv locked The excitement may be
judged from the fact that large number of
coach windows were broken out by people
who were anxious 10 secure seats.
STRONG GUARD
of railroad men was detailed to protect the
company's property and they had contract
of unusual proportions on their hands The
crowd was panic-strieken. After waiting SO
many eventful days and nights for the hour
of action to come, men were seized with a
sudden fear that they would he left in the
Iurch, and that fear served to make them
like drove of stampeded cattle. There was
a vain attempt at good humor in the strug-
gle which concealed the grim purpose be-
hind, and there was no quarter shown in the
rush for pace. 1t was q wild west
crowd headed toward a new field
of enterprise and development, and
no one who has never seen such q thing
in action can have the remotest conception
of it. An amusing and at the same time
pathetic incident of the early morning was O
cattle train laying on a side track loaded
with boomer his horse, wagon and cow,
wife and children and all his little house
hold effects. He was a merry fellow, and
guved the crowd numerically for not going
through, as he expressed Il, without change
of cars to avoid the rus1
Il travel in my own special coach" said he
like JAY Gould or Vanderbilt"
You'll get there too late, yelled somebody in
the crowd.
Never mind" replied the boomer, I'll get
there all the same.
1t had lenked oat during the wakefu
hours of the night that the press specia
coach would be a part of the first train tc
move out. The railrc ad management haC
succeeded well in keeping this fact secret
No one but representatives of the press were
informed of the fact, or knew the location
Oh Lu6 COdCu anu Eu6 0!ulS OL lLS
but it is impossible to keep such information
. from people who sit up all night 10 find ou
the shortest and easiest way of getting into
the promised land The result was tha
when the newspaper coach was backed W
at a point below the depot the entire crowt
charged upon it. The newspaper men were
ranged in a solid phalanx, but had to fgh
for access to the rear platform of the car
There were rustlers there who had beer
fighting along the border for years and who
had death grip on the iron railing and ex
pressed a determination to go IN that car
These were not easily disposed of, but afte
them came sw arm of men with
BOGUS CREDENTIALS,
presuming they represent every great news
pager in the United States, nearly every cor
respondent was called upon to d1scredit twC
of these assumed journalists, and scores O
others failed of Identification or recognition
and had to fall back with more of precp
itancy than good order. Every car brough
up tho line was greeted with tremendou
cheers as the coaches which were to be at
| tached to the newspaper special wer
brought out of the siding, and there was
simultaneous rush of two or three thousant
men towards them, They were filed t,
overfowing in less than half minute, and
countless throng was struggling for p!ac
on the steps l. was in vain for the offic al
| to say that trains would run in sec
tions fifteen minutes apart Every maj
there wanted to be fifteen minute
ahead of everybody, and not fifteai
minutes behind anybody. The first section
made up consisted of nine coaches, tn
newspaper coach and one caboose. Train
master Foukes was in charge Of the entir
train. This was the FIRST train that ever raj
out of Kansas loaded for Oklahoma with set
tiers, and even those who were disappoiute,
J in getting aboard of it joined in wild en-
thusiastic cheer which rent the Kansas al
| as the first step toward the realization o
| hopes and dreams of years and the rewar
for the sacrifices of the past was taken. Th
train ran slowly as there was great DANCE
| of misplaced rails and switches or obstruc
tions of various kinds, placed there by thos
| gone before, and who wanted a corner in tn
| best lands in sight, 1t was $40 when til
| sign which marks the state line and the di
1 a.