Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-03-17
THE CHEROKEE STRIP,
The Settlers Moving OFF I'm Obedience to
the Presidents Proclamation.

Chief ]. B. Mayes, head Of the Cherokee
nation, is in Washington and expresses a vigor-
Gus opinion of the situation on the strip He
came to the capital to oppose the taking of the
Cherokee land for white men and
says the nation will receive nothing
for their possessions. They will lose
S2OO, 900 a year, which they had received
from the cattlemen for grazing, and s25O, 900
had been laid out in fences and this they will
lose. The Cherokees had been offered $125
an acre for it, but they had refused that, for
they had been offered IS an acre for it.
In February Chief Mayes sent a letter to the
President complaining bitterly of the treatment
shown his people and protesting in the name
of justice and humanity against their being
despOiled of their lands.
A dispatch from Guthrie saws that in that
vicinity the Presidents proclamation ordering
all settlers on the Cherokee strip to vacate is
already having the desired effect This, to-
gether with the orders received by Gen. Mer-
rift at Fort Leavenworth to use troops ii neces-
sary to eject the boomers, has already caused
considerable OF an exodus from the forbidden
territory. All day yesterday the trains were
loaded down with boomers lerving the strip.
THE SCENE ON THE GROUND.
dispatch from Willow Springs, 1T, says:
Neither the Presidents proclamation nor the
order for troops to Gust the boomers has yet
been received there. Consequently the BOOM
ers are arriving. Some are returning to Kan
sas and Oklahoma, but for every one that leaves
there are two to take his place.
dispatch from Arkansas City SAYS: Within
the first forty-eight hours of the invasion at
least 10, 600 persons have invaded the Cherokee
strip from different points along the border
Nearly every quarter section of land for Is
miles south of this city is at present staked off
and many of them are occupied by squatters
'nlr Gasr, Al A.
dent had issued proclamation ordering all
settlers oil the strip was received Some coun-
seled prompt compliance with the Presidents
order but others insisted that it was a wise
plan tc hold their claims until expelled by the
troops, and then. as soon as the bluecoats wer @
out of sight, to return and begin farming ope-
rations.
Should the soldiers attempt to remove the
settlers there will be no organized resistance
but 1t will take an army of 5000 men to keep
them from settling back ON the strip. One
perplexIng trouble the soldiers will labor under
will be to distinguish between home seekers
on the strip and home seekers In Oklahoma
Movers have the right to pass through the strip
on their way to Oklahoma Ask any man in
the strip where he Is going and his answer in
varlably Is Oklahoma" though it is known
that 80 per cent of them are hunting claims in
the strip.
The cattlemen are completely routed their
fences cut, grass burned, cattle stampeded and
their range destroyed for the near future at
least They will be compelled to get their
cattle together as well possible and hunt
other pastures.
Prof. Coopeck Of the Indian children's
school telegraphed last evening Tor troops to
expel the boomers from Indian school lands,
as many, not knowing its boundary. located
therein. Prairie fires could be seen all over
the strip last night. No casualties have oc-
CURED so far as known.
An unusual scene accompanying the rush
Friday was the presence among the boomers of
two women, armed in a cowboy style, with
knapsacks on their backs, Winchesters over
their shoulders and brace OF revolvers in
their belts. They were mounted Oh Mexican
ponies. They were May Cleveland and Hattie
WAGNER, from Guthrie, and secured claims
near Ponca.