St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-02-11
A Colonel at Fort Pierre Is a
Bigger Man Than the
President.
Hundreds Cross Over From
Chamberlain and Locate
on Choice Lands.
To-Day There Will Be a Rush
Toward the Famous Mile
Square.
Snecial 10 the Globe.


PIERRE, S. D., Feb. 10.-News of
the presidents proclamation opening
the Sioux reservation was received here
this afternoon at $3.50. 1t was expected.
and the crowd was prepared and only
waiting for the word to start. The first
news was received by two daily diapers.
each of which had extras on the street
teh minutes later announcing the glad
tidings. A cannon in front of the state
house was fired, and this was the signal
to the boomers, thousands of whom had
gathered on the river, bank that they
were at liberty to start. Residents of
this city. who had no intention of join
Ing the throng of intruding settlers,
had stood in great crowds Oh the streets
all day anxiously awaiting tip from
the national capital, and when it was
known that the promised lands had, by
stroke of a pen. been thrown open,
mighty cheer went up, and scene of
excitement ensued that beggars descrip-
tion. The crowd then made break
for the river bank and participated in
the grand rush for the other side.
When the good news was made known
to the members of the legislature,
then in session, the members arose and
gave three long cheers. and motion to
adjourn went through as soon as it
could be heard. Flags floated from
every building and several bands con-
tributed their quota of noise to the bed
lam that reigned. Those who remained
in this city kept up the general hnrrah
until nightfall, and it still continues
without much abatement. Teams
hitched to wagons had been stationed
all along the river bank on this side all
day.and countless boomers remained by,
ready to make break
FOR THE PROMISED LAND.
AS soon as the cannon doomed there
was mighty rush for the reservation,
hundreds of teams, men OH horseback
and others OH foot Joining in the race
towards the famous Mile Square.
There was no hindrance TO their cross
ing the river, the ice being perfectly
sound, but when those in the van
reached the west shore they encOun-
tered an unlooked-for obstacle. The
troops which have been stationed at
Folt Pierre for several weeks were
drawn up in line along the river bank,
and the breathleSS ami excited boomers
who reached there were stopped by
stern command to halt. They did not
nets in the hands of the SOL
diers In sufficient numbers to keep
them back they obeyed. They fell back
onto the frozen surface of the river,
and while they could not proceed their
| numbers were beng constantly swelled
by others who were arriving, until the
crowd easily numbered thousand eX-
cited men. The military had not re-
ceived orders from headquarters to
allow boomers to go on, and so they re-
sisted the crazy thrOng with their fullest
power. The boomers reorganiZed and
proceeded up the river bank again until
| they faced the line of troops. Every
| man was armed, but no guns were
drawn. They were ready to break
| through the line of troops at the first
chance presented. At this point Col.
| Eassin, who is in command of the SOL
| diers. came forward, and mounting a
stump where he could be seen and
heard, parleyed with the boomers. He
explained that he had no orders to let
them enter the reservation, and firmly
| told them that they must go back. At
| first the boomers insisted that they
would proceed. but wiser counSels pre-
| vailed, and finally they returned to this
side
sORELY DISA PPOIN
Down the river, two miles below
East Pierre, the situation was different.
| Another boomers camp was there
| located When the booming of the
cannon announced the opening of the
| reservation several hundreds of them
made a dash for the west bank. It. was
| unfortunate just at this time that the
| guard that had been thrown along the
| river was being changed, and the troops
were not prepared to hold the boomers
in check. Consequently the BOOM
| ers had crossed and were scatter
| ing up over the hills of
the reservation before the troops could
be gotten ready to hold them in check.
The latter, however, Immediately COM
| menced hot pursuit, and finally over
took and captured all but a few. These
they are still searching for, and will
| probably get. No orders have as yet
been received by the military at Fort
| Pierre to let the intending settlers go
on, So the troops have built bonfires
along the west bank of the river at fire.
Quent intervals to head off any who may
try to sneak by the guards strung along
the border. Some of the boomers are
in organized bands and have county
| records and officers elected SO that they
can organize as soon as they reach the
counties they have selected, and in sew
eral cases several organizations are
ready for each county,
WHICH WILL CA USE TROUBLE
when they come together on the
ground. AS it is. the military has
guarded so well the west bank of the
river that 1t is impossible for the boom
ers to make the reservation, even
! though the presidents proclamation
says they can. The Indian police patrol
the reservation further back from the
line of troops, and word has come that
| they have arrested a number of straw
boomers who got through the
guard last night. The people at
Fort Pierre, though allowed to
live there, are not allowed to leave the
mile square except 70 come to the city
by permit from the officer in charge, but
they are holding big jubilee there to-
night. and their bonfres and guns can
be seen and heard from this side. A
number of these privileged persons
tried to slip by the guard and get upon
the reservation, when the news first
came, but We're corralled by the
Indian police. Fred w. PettigfeW. a
brother of United State Senator Petit
grew is one of the leading boomers. and
is at the head of one of the strongest or
ganized bands which will take up lands
there. Capt. w. j. Shinnan. ex-mem-
ber of the Ohio legislature, is another
prominent leader.
SEVERAL LARGE BANDS OF BOOMERS
II A.. A 4 a.