The weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1891-1894, 1891-09-26
FEMININE HASTE MEETS A REBUKE
And Deputy Marshal Shoots all
Ambitious Woman Who Was
in a Hurry.
Two Negroes Killed-EX-AuditOr Me-
Cabe Chased From the
Strip.


GUTHRIE, o. T., Sept. 22.-The from
door of the land Office here was opened
at four seconds past l. o'clock today
and the first man to present his papers
was S. +. Desmond. who has stood in
the line day and night since last Friday.
He was almost exhausted from exposure
and want of sleep and rest, and as he
staggered up to the window it was nee
essary for a friend to assist him. 1t re
CURED only a few minutes to examine
his papers, and they were passed to Wal
lace. chief of the land Office, who took
the claimants S14 and gave him a re-
ceipt for it. The rush from here to the
border began before daylight this morn
ing. Ten thousand persons would be a
moderate estimate of the people who
have passed through this city enroute
for the new country. Every description
of vehicle has been pressed into service
for transporting passengers to the bor-
der. farmers charging as much as so per
person for a ride in their farm wagons
for a distance Of eight or ten miles, and
did not move a wheel until ten passen-
gers were seated and the money collected
in advance.
The government supervision of the
opening of the lands seems to have been
sadly deficient. The entire government
force was composed of two companies of
United States troops or two hundred
men under Capts. Hayes and Styles. and
the forces of three United States mar
shals, numbering about $50 men. OF
fhncn 1ntfnr tftx, IN cnrf 30 ,-.
to preserve peace between the cowboys
and negroes. Fifteen were required at
each of three land offices and twenty at
Tohee. OF the regular troops a squad of
men was stationed at each of the two
county seats. This left only some 300 men
to patrol the borders of about
two hundred miles in extent, or one man
to every two-thirds of a mile of border. |
The men, however, were not stationed at
regular intervals. In some places there
were ten and fifteen men to the mile,
while at others there were stretches OF
five and ten miles entirely unguarded.
these conditions it might have |
been expected that numbers of boomers
would enter before the appointed time,
and they did.
Two miles north of Tohee about two
hundred boomers had gathered in a Sc
cluded spot, knowing the governments
force would be massed at the border
town. They had all set their watches
three hours ahead last night so that
their testimony would agree as to the
time il ever their claims were contested
on the ground of their being ~'sooners."
At 9 o'clock, therefore, their watches all
indicated the noon hour and they rushed
over the border and began the race for
choice sections of land. The ~''sooners''
at other unguarded portions OF the Dor
der were also very numerous and it is
estimated from all reports that the num-
Der of %"sooners" who entered the land be
fore legal time was fully 5000. Tohee
morning was an Indian town just
over the Iowa border due east from this
place. Tonight it is a white mans city
l,5OO inhabitants. 1t fell into the
hands of a TOWNSHIP company organized
here by the president of the board of
trade, the president of the First National
bank, Joseph McNeal, and the city mar
shall Of Guthrie. A representative of the
company returned this afternoon and
at the land office a plat of the town
and the company's claims. He reports
an election was held this afternoon at
which McNeal was chosen mayor. At
oic tilc DOOlltIS Wdlteu unlll noon |
hour before making their rush for lots
and homesteads and occupation of lands
there was peaceful.
At a point five miles below Tohee quite
a number of boomers were gathered to
make a race. Among them was one
woman, whose name has not been
learned, whose Impotence got the better
OF her discretion. She crossed the line
before the appointed time, and one of
the deputy marshals' guarding party ar
her, and forced her back over the
line. Soon afterwards she again crossed
the line prematurely, and when the dep
uty the second time ordered her back
she drew a revolver from her dress
pocket and opened fire upon him. The
marshal returned the fire, and shot her
in the left leg just below the knee, shat
tering the limb and disabling her 30 she I,
was unable to make the race. When
loon arrived the boomers left her this
side Of the border, stretched under a tree
unable to move.
Reports have been received from sew
eral other places along the border, all Of
which agree that there has as yet been
serious disturbances. Several indi-
vidual alterations between rival claim
ants and several personal encounters are
reported, but the consequences we're not
serious. News is anxiously awaited from ]