San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-24
WILD TIMES IN GUTHRIE.

The Ex-Mayor of Oklahoma City
Relates Some Experience,
Washington Post
A 6-footer and built proportiOnately
wearing long beard, slightly tinged
with gray, pretty fully describes Col
ID. M. Ross, who is now in this city
looking after legislation before Con-
gress in the interest of the new terri
tory of Oklahoma. But Col. Ross
lays claim to a higher distinction,
and one of which he is very proud,
and that is during the dubious
days when the new domain
was first opened for settlement he was
mayor Of Guthrie, and proved himself
the right man for the position.
Stroking his beard careIessly, and
with his kindly eyes beaming from
beneath his high forehead, Col. Ross
told a representative OF the Post yes
terday afternoon some of the vicissi-
tudes of life in Oklahoma in the days
of the rush to settle upon claims.
II was on one of the fifteen trains"
said Colonel Ross, "that left Arkan-
ras City for what is now Guthrie on
that memorable 22d of April, and
as I look back, it scarcely seems that
only brief ten months has sufficed to
make such an attractive spot as
Guthrie is Today. AsI remember the
scene the 22d of April, 1T was a clean
case of squatter sovereignty, and law
lessness was the order of the day and
night. But it did not take long to
evolve order out of confusion, and be-
To hat
arrangement had been perfected for
policing the city, and by noon of the
23rd of April police court was organ
lied and in full blast.
lone of the greatest troubles that
we had at first was in ejecting set
tiers from lands upon which streets
and alleys were projected. At mo-
ment's notice crowd of 5000 or
1000 angry and excited men would
spring to the rescue of some squatters
whose claim was apparently in jeop-
ardy, and it required pretty firm |
hand to deal with some of the unruly |
MODS so frequent in our streets. How
ever, persuasion and the spirit of fair
play prevailed, and, although there
was no fiinching from duty on the
part Of the authorities constituted by
the people to be their rulers, disturb
ances generally ended as they began,
nothing but wind
Cowboys, Indians, half breeds,
MeXicans, and, in fact every type Of
the human race, swarmed in the
streets and sheltered themselves In
tents, hastily constructed frame
houses, and, in fact, anything that
could be construed to mean priority of
settlement, and in dealing with such
a class Of people considerable diplo-
macy had to be exercised. Affairs,
however quickly shaped themselves
properly, and when l vacated my
office, the 18th of last November, l
would not want to see a more orderly
city than Guthrie, with it's 10000
souls.
lowing to the press of business upon
Congress at the time for the opening
of this land was passed, no provision
was made for Territorial or any
other form of government, nor of any
law, save as the country might be (
governed by the United States courts,
including the recently established
court at Muskogee, 1. T. In criminal
the laws at present in
force in the Territory relate on
ly to crimes against the United
States and the primitive forms Of
such as murder and stock
stealing. With view of remedying
this condition of affairs committee {
was appointed to wait upon Congress e
and present these facts, care being t
taken to select representative men {
from different parts of the Terri
tory. That committee comprises Judge
Robert Martin, Franklin L. Green,
president Of the Oklahoma Territorial
Convention held at Guthrie last T
August, Horace Speed and myself.
We have hearing before the Senate r
Committee on Territories, and will 9
probably remain at Washington for I
several weeks, or, at any rate, until +
definite is agreed upon. .
The passage of a law defining the q
status Of Oklahoma would be an mas '
Unable boon to twenty-seven towns. U
and to Guthrie especially, where, in a
ess than year, eleven school houses. h
i've banks and numerous business r
blocks have been constructed by a
aw-abiding people who want to make h
homes for themselves and q
build up desirable community. n
Ewes Tes+ed