Wichita eagle., 1889-04-24
TEEMING WITH LIFE.
Confined from First page.)

a
gon top to hold his claim. This morning
he struck job at IS day In draying
He asked some of the men on lots
adjoining his, to keep an eye" on his lot
He had not been gone long when some
claim jumper came along and staked off q
| lot in the street on the side of his lot
The "yahoo" cry was set up and the
crowd, after having ordered him to get
out of their street and been met with q
refusal, started to pitch him and his
traps out Of the way but be called out,
let me go, and Pl get Off" He did so
promptly. In the contemplated town site
as petitioned for by the citizens meeting
there will be reserved proper plots OF
ground for churches, schools and public
parks.
| Four blocks will also be reserved to be
known as Capitol square.
PICKED UP IN GUTHRIE.
! A good illustration of the percentage oil
| Kansans in Oklahoma was given here
| Monday evening. When the chairman OF
a meeting assembled for the perfecting OF
the town plot, asked all kansans to with
draw to certain knoll and elect their man
| for committee about three-fOurths Of the
crowd responded.
Monday, those who had come unprovid-
| ed were without resource for food, drink
or sleep. There was but one public place
the supplies there soon gave out. All af-
| ternoon there was a steady line at the
Santa Fe water tank, but towards evening
this was refused the people and soldier
stationed to guard it. All available vessels
| were brought into use. Bottles, cans,
pals and canteens were at profit. Peo-
| pie do not use the river water probably
from the supposed medicinal qualities.
Today the scarcity of water is not so great.
Several enterprising boomers are pursuing
a profitable business in lemonade and
water. Another man has also ice upon
the place, but the two commodities are
not combined unless by some private party.
A greater part Of the immense crowd here
last night slept out in the open air with
no covering other than a blanket or an
overcoat. Others sat upon their lots all
night to guard it from the depredations
of night providers. Those who happened
to have tent and bedding, usually
had the difficulty of contending
with the projecting tufts of grass, if they
number of eating places were erected,
several supply depots commenced business
and food could be procured without much
difficulty The number of tents put up
today is five fold that Of yesterday, but on
account of the confusion at the baggage
and express offices, many are unable to get
possession of their tents and will probably
There are great number of queer
eouipages here, at least queer for this
country Several Kansas City 'busses ar
rived last night which have been on the
road for two weeks. John Green, former
Wichita hackman, has cab on the
grounds. Two or three veterinary surgeons
and patent incidence mems wagons were
also visible.
The Indians seem to have but very little
in khic oct HI { hmpnt of a COLONY
almost in their midst. There are no
Indians here; couple were seen yester-
day near town; they rode away toward
the east and were possibly scouts.
Today the first gamblers made their APP
pearance in Guthrie. The soap man with
the prize dodge, who for some time past,
has been plying his trade in Kansas towns,
was one of the first on the scene.
The three card monte and the she'll
man are also conspicuous. These
have all located their stands some
distance in the eastern part of the town.
so, in case of a wrangle, there will be no
interference of the officers. Today in one
of the passenger coaches on the north
bound train between Purcell and Guthrie
during short stop some one suddenly
cried out that that car would be side
tracked and would not go any further. OF
course there was rush for the door, and
after the excitement had ceased and the
report discovered to be Il mistake, an old
gentleman from Texas found his poker
book and $3.50 missing. Upon being ques-
toned he remembered having been tightly
seized around the arms by some person
behind him, at which time he was fllched
of his pocket book by an old and well
known game.
The gentleman left the train at Guthrie,
where he hoped to find some acquaint-
ances. as all his money went with the
purse. But the above IS an exception to
the rule as there is very little pilfering
about Guthrie. There are no intoxicating
liquors on sale here and an intoxicated
man has not been seen.
A great number of interesting tales are
told of the efforts of men to get across the
border to predetermined places in advance
of others on noon of the 22d. Right across
the river and west of here is very
beautiful piece of land which
great many seem to desire. Quite a num-
Der have been stalking it out in lots all
day. 1t is said that carpenter from Ok
lahoma City who claimed the right by be-
ing resident of Oklahoma on Monday, at
one minute after IL o'clock stepped across
the line of this claim with three witnesses
and took possession, but he now has sever
al companions on the same piece of ground
who will be liable to contest it among
themselves. Another story is related by a
young Texan who had had his eye on
claim some miles north of Purcell. In
order to make the most rapid time he prr-
chased fleet horse, giving 500 for him
for the occasion. AT II O'Clock sharp,
away he sped across the border far In
the lead of everybody. He did
not once quit his break-neck speed until
he had reached the desired land and when
he reached there what should he be-
hold but an old man deliberately blowing
up the land in question with pair of
oxen. Look here old man. he inquired
chow does il come that you could get
here before me- with those old oxen?
How did you get here?" WAL, the old
man replied, Il guess been on this here
ground nigh onto two weeks already.n
There are a great number of cases where
the boomers settled on the land before the
stated time
There are four long necessant lines of
men at Guthrie, one at the land office,
another at the postofHce, another at the
express Office and still another at the bag
gage room. These contain about fifty
men each and are formed the first thing in
at night, There was string
of fifteen or twenty men
in front OF the land of
fice this morning as early as 4 o'clock
At the baggage room everything is con-
fusion, and it is almost impossible TO pro-
cure anything in the present state of
affairs. At the express Office it is not
much better. At the postofice there must
be at least four or five thousand pieces of
mail and there is only one man to attend
to them.
KILLED OVER A CLAIM.
A Fatal Dispute Between Two Men on
the North Canadian