Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-03-20
R0UND-UPS.
rbe Extent of the Damage Done by the
Boomers in the Cherokee Strip
poef Cattle Srou'd b. More Eq0ai'y ristrib.
rted among the Markets. eueral STOCK
n ties and P, rsouals

Refore the stampede Of the boomers
rbo had invaded the Cherokee Strip took
,Iace and the grand back-rush TO the
Uorsas border had begun, desperate
,rork WIS done 10y desperate men, and
.ba result is that large portions of the
,orn,rv is now a blackeued waste, incen-
diary prairie fires having entirely
dastroyed the range and the cat
,renan who had cattle there
.bere have suffered immensely. A mem
her # the Cherokee Strip livestock asso-
zion At Topeka has received advices from
Tho border TO the effect that the entire
Cherokee Strip, sixty-six miles wide,
from the Arkansas river to "No-Man g.
land - has been burned off by band Of
consDirators who are working in the in
tarests Of the boomers.
An eyewitness to the destructive prai-
RE fire says that when the fire started
q deem red glow was seen springing up
On ali sides, lighting up the heavens
Nth a Iurid glare. Gradually the
Glow deepened to blood-red, and the
skv which was unobscured by a single
cloud. became covered with smoke. As
far rs the eye could reach was sea of
curlIng flames. The great clouds of
smoke assembled gradually to- the zenith
and we're waited northward by a gentle
breeze.
what was at first supposed to be q
drove Of antelope caught in the fire
nrored on closer inspection, to be an
organized band Of mounted men, who
we're engaged in kindling fresh fires in
the tall grass. The country is now de-
void of all vegetation. 1t is one great,
barren waste.
wild animals OF all kinds fed by the
thousands before the advancing flames.
Nv lighting "back-fires' the boomers
managed 10 eEade the fearful effects of
the flames The idea was theirs, and it
was a preconcerted plan to rid the Strip
of 200 600 head of cattle and remove the
greatest barrier to Immediate settlement
Of the country.
A cowboy at Ponca reported that not
only had the cattle stampeded, mad
dened by the flames, but the game,
large and small, which failed to escape
fell a prey to the flames. Bands of jack
rabbits fed, herds of antelope bounded
away with the speed Of the wind, and
even the reptiles of the earth crawled
endeavor to save their lives, while fiOcks
of birds SCARED to mid-air and, suffocated
bv the smoke, fell to the ground and
were devoured by the flames.
In the background of this wieTd scene,
advancing over the barren waste was the
lone line of nyas-covered wagons-the
lnvinCible army of boomers moving stead
lily forward.
The Cherokee live stock association has
lost thousands of dollars by this cOnfla-
grafton. Not only are they deprived of
the pasturage on about 900 900 acres of
the best grazing land in the world, but
hundreds of their cattle lie dead on the
prairie, having been unable to escape the
flames. They had hoped to enjoy undis-
puted possession of the lands by virtue of
their lease with the Indians until OctO-
Der ! next, the date set by President
Harrison for the final removal of the
cattle.
At meeting of the principal directors
of the cattle company it was decided that
the cattle would be given into the hands of
Kansas farmers to bs fed until the grass
on the Kansas plains has sufficient growth
TO make good pastuTage. The president
of the Kansas livestock sanitary commits
sion was appealed to by wire to at once
tdll p uGelluS Ol lLS DOd1o W SbSDCL
the quarantine against the importation
Of Texas cattle, and in all probabilities
this will be done at once.
Millions of bush Is of corn lie in the
Kansas cribs to-day because of the de-
pressed condition of the market. and all
the cattle in the West can be fed there for
months if necessary. The Cherokee cat
tie barons will take advantage Of this
fact and give the farmers an opportunity
TO sell their surplus corn at fair prices.
Eac1 farmer will take such a number of
cattle as be can conveniently care for,
and in this way the 200 900 will be dis
tributed over she entire southwest part of
Kansas. The cattle were in good Condi-
ton before the fire, and if cared for at
once and If properly fed will get through
the winter in fair shape.