Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-03-18
The Boomers Road.
1t Seems To Be a Hard One
to Travel.
OKLAHOMA SETTLERS DRIVEN OUT.

United States Troops Descend Upon Those
Who Went Down to Possess the Land
of Promise, and Blast Their Hopes for
the Second Time-The Sharper Pursuing
less to Reflect Upon.
WICHITA, Kan, March 1S-The boomers
were in frightful state of decentralization
Saturday. Friday night the news reached
Oklahoma City that the troops were en- route
from Fort Reno to drive them out of the
country. They fed in terror to the woods
and bushes taking with them all their valua,
bles. The soldiers, uuder command of Lieut.
Carson, arriving at noon, commenced to
search for the boomers, beating the bushes
and securing the woods. They soon gathered
quite body-men, women, and children
and driving them before them, started for
| the Kansas line Houses, tents, claim found
atlons, and marks were destroyed, 1t is said
that Hill has been arrested No excuse was
| received and all found without permits were
taken. Capt Hays started also from the
Cherokee strip with troop X and intends to
carry before him to the south all the BOOM
ers he finds
GPeople IN this region are anxiously await
ing the action of congress in opening up Okla
homa for settlement. Maps of Oklahoma are
IN every store window, and each one is sur
rounded by crowd of eager gazers from
morning until night. Strangers are fiocking
INTO tne city from all directions and in all
imaginable ways; some in prairie schooners
some In palace cars, others via the freight
train and walking route In Purcell, a small
, town on the South Canadian river, in the
Cmckasaw nation, just south of Oklahoma in
Indian territory, fully 1000 people are en-
camped awaiting the presidents proclama-
tion allowing them to enter. Along the
Kansas border there are fully 900
more people. Taken altogether they
make curious and motley crowd There is
the old westerner, who never has a perma-
nent stopping place, but wanders around
from town TO town; there is the small east
ern farmer who wants to better his condition;
there Is the mechanic. the mercant, the pro
fessional man, and the claim jumper.
This last unprinciplei species is numerous
A shark" game that is being worked like a
bonanza by its originators is the town lot
scheme. Several of these combinations have
been organized in Wichita, and more are be-
ing conceived The modus operandi is to
take map of Oklahoma, pick site and
IL to"H-ifi mag lnaIlOn. Options
the lots are then offered at 81 or 81 per GER
tincate One company alone has caught l.
ioO Victims and more are still coming
While Oklahoma may be and undoubtedly
is good country, the boom that is being
worked up is nothing but gigantic money!
making scheme People have all idea, :" said
Col Matheson, for twenty-six years an In
dian agent, now living in this place, that
Oklahoma is a land virtually flowing with
milk and honey. There are a great many
sweets IN 1t, but they will find the extracting
process bitter; they will also find it will be
many wearisome days before the commission
succeeds in inducing the Indians TO relinuuish
their claim upon any part of the territory.
by the different treaties with every one of
which am cognizant, there is not an inch of
soil to which the United States can Law claim.
Oklahoma was origi naly intended for the
occupancy of freed negroes, who had been
held before the war as slaves by the Indians
The scheme did not materiaGZe, and the couu-
try was taken possession of bv the Creeks,
Seminoles, lowas, Kickapoos, Pottawatomies,
and the Sacs and Foxes, who now claim own
ershlp Other portions of the land which the
settlers want are occupied 10y the Osases.
Cherokees, Poncas, Wichitas, and Pawnees ~
There is land in Kansas Nebraska, Arizona,
and New Mexico-in fact any of the western
states or territories-much superior to that in
Indian territory. But Oklahoma has been
doomed; every body has the craze and wishes
to go there
The colonel intimated that some of the
leaders were adventures with everything to
gain and nothing to lose "All they care for.n
he said, lis the successful accomplishment of
the scheme TO enrich themselves out of the
capital of the boom-crazed people, and they
are doing it,"
In Wichita, Topeka, Emporia. and all
southern Kansas towns everything has been
dead since the boom of two years ago The
crops have failed, trade is dull and every
one except the lucky real estate ADVENTURE.
who made his pile in the boom, is impover-
erished