Telegram-herald., 1891-09-24
CAPTURING TIL ACRES
Hosts OF Greedy Land Seekers
Crowd Iato Oklahoma
CREATING TuRHOIL And CONFUSION
Th.rs Are Five aIsa For kssry elai IA
90 30 Hsa-Aaay Blister CoaGss1s
Have Resulted and yiSieaes
an4 Elsodshed ImElaeat-

has opened "A the history OF the won
derful territory OF Oklahoma. aud
million and quarter acres OF land, al
sunrise Tuesday a wilderness, are now
"a tblekly settled al New England
Ten thousand people have acquired
homes AID farms. and half score OF
cities have sprung up as il by magic.
Along the line OF the Iowa reservation
at aybrsak TUESDAY morning there
was not space OF l00 yards where there
was not froa hfty 10 a hundred
PEOPLE eamped All Monday night
hOrsemen crossed the line aud disap-
peared Ia the interior, there being fully
2. Oo0 .ssooners" in the land ct sunrise
Tuesday morning. Some of the scenes
along the line were very pathetic The
first place visited was the negro settle
rnent at Langston- Here were 900 ne
groes Most of them were on foot, be-
ing too poor 20 buy a conveyance, and
walked the Is miles from Guthrie, over
rough roads, under the hot southern
sun. All ages and both sexes were
represented.
at one place was found an old col
ored woman with two children In her
arms that she had carried IS miles, hay-
Ing lost her husband in the crowd at
Guthrie At another place an old lady.
co years old was found on horse back
ready 70 rush for claim 30 miles away.
Scores OF ladies OF all ages were found
waiting patiently on horseback and in
wagons and carriages, and everywhere
the men accorded them every courtesy,
always allowing them 10 take the best
starting points
at five minutes before 10, several
miles 10 the north, two covered wagons
shot out of the timber and started
across the prairie. This was signal
for the cow boys to dash through the
Cimarron and down the most fertile
valley in the west The negroes at
Langston fred volley and rushed into
the level valley extending for miles
east of the village. Two minutes later
two shots were fired a. the trail cross
ing below the hill. and 500 people
rushed up one hill and down another.
Far in the lead were the horsemen.
well to the front being the lady aged
CO In line on the trail followed the
wagons. and across the gulleys and
into the timber went the people on foot.
Every claim along the line was
jumped by from six 10 twenty people.
One claim which belongs.to an Indian is
being held down by three negroes and
four white men. 1t was but few
minutes after the signal was given
when the last wagon disappeared over
the hill, and with the exception OF the
few people on the border claims the
country looked as deserted as it did be-
fore
In the interior wild scene was be-
ing enacted Up and down every val
ley and on every ridge dashed horse
aud wagon and through the draws"
hurried the claimants On foot Half of
the good claims were taken by soon
ers," however, and within an hour be-
gan quarrels and disputes which will
end in feuds and murder. Enough con-
tests are aSeady insured to
enrich all the lawyers of Guthrie.
There are about 5000 quarter sections
OF land To be taken wheE the selections
of the indians are made, and as there
were at least %. 900 people in the mad
rush most of them are sure to be disap-
pointed. There is hardly valuable
quarter section in the strip but has
more than one claimant, and some OF
them have as many as dozen.
Couriers from Tohee. Langston.
Perkins and Cimarron City report all
quiet on the line of the Indian lands.
There are reports of several deadly af-
fravs, but nothing authentic. There
viii be undoubtedly trouble at the
northern county seat and more troops
have been ordered there, with
orders TO keep the crowd out
II necessary to shoot About
500 have come in from the claims
and are in line in front OF the land Of
fee. At 10 O'Clock Tuesday night Miss
Dorkev Jones. a handsome young lady
OF Arcadia, O. T., arrived at the land
Office and took her place in the line.
SIZE had beaten forty men in the race
for q fine claim and then ridden %
miles to file.
GUTHRIE, o, T., Sept o3.--Bloodshed
marked the opening of the Oklahoma
lands Tuesday. The most serious
trouble occurred at Langston, where
the negroes and cowboys had a lively
exchange Of bullets. So far as Is now
known two people were killed there.
Particulars OF the fight are hard to OBJ
tai n.
At a point miles below Tohee quite
number of boomers were gathered 10
make the race. Among them was one
woman whose name has not beer
learned. whose impatienes got the bet
tsr OF her discretion She crossed the
line before the appointed time, aud on'
Of the deputy narshais guarding tbs
PARTY arrested her and forced
her back over the line. Soon after
ward she again crossed the line prena
turely. and when the deputy SECOND
time ordered her back she drew re
voIver from her dress pocket ane
opened FIRE upon hin. The marshal re
turned the Ere and sho, her in the lef
leg. Just below the knee, shattering the
limb and disabling her so that she was
unable 30 make the race.
TIVE miles north Of Tohce about 2oI
boomers had gathered IN . secluded
spot knowing that t-e government
fierce would be massei at the bcrdel
towns. They had ali set their watches
tee hours ahead Mohdsy night a
that their testimony would agree as 4
the time IL ever their CLAIMS wer'
contested on the ground o
their being ssooners" A. ? o'clock
therefore. their watches inaicatsd th'
ncon hour aud they rushed over tsa'
4. - f. .sfs-treA