, 1891-09-23
LIKE BEES.
The Great Rush Into the Newly
Opened Lands.
Ready Made Town with Fiji
teen Hundred People.
Tricks Resorted to by Boomers
to Get an Early Start.

III Ut Litt
GUTHRIE, Sept. 22.-Tohee this morn
ing was an Indian town; tonight 1t is a
white mans city of 800 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, Mr.. Joseph Mcneil and
the city marshal OF Guthrie. The repre-
sentative of the company this afternoon
filed at the land Office a copy of the plat
of the town company's claim. He repre-
sents that at the election held this after
moor Mcneil was chosen mayor. At To-
hee the boomers waited until the noon
hour before making the rush for lots and
homesteads, and occupation of the land
was peaceful. Among the boomers at a
point below Tohee was one woman who
crossed the line before the time. The
deputy marshal forced her back over the
line. Soon afterward she again crossed
the line ~prematurely, and when the dep
uty a second time ordered her pack she
drew a revolver from her dress pocket and
opened fire upon him. Tho marshal re-
turned the fire and shot her In the left
leg just below the knee, shatterIng the
limb and disabling her so that she was I'M
able to make the race. When the time
came the others left her under a tree on
this side OF the border. She has since
been brought here.
Guthrie was an animated town this
morning. Many belated settlers were
skurrylng around to find c%onveyances to
the new lands. Horse traders were SELL
ing stock and farmers were soliciting men
to ride with them to the border Of the
new lands. Ten dollars was the fare and
the anxious boomers eagerly accepted the
chance to make the Journey even at that
outrageous price. The farmers did a
thriving business. So did the stock
keepers. They all agreed last night to
double the price OF their wares, and even
then the supply was nearly exhausted be
fore night. The scene at the land Office
here today was a lively one. About 26O
old soldiers armed with declaratory state
ments had been in line before the office
door for four days past. Some slept in
chairs. some on the ground and some
hardly at all. Their meals were brought
them by their wives, children or friends.
The second man was j. l.. Kaikloich
and the third mar was Thomas b.
Knapp. here was no disturbance aboutthe
office and business proceeded quietly and
swiftly. At 7 o'clock all the old soldiers
had got in their papers. The line did not
decrease in length, however, as the
settlers who had located claims in new
lands began to arrive to file entrance
notices. The land Office was kept open
until 7 o'clock. AT that time fully 200
men were still in line and others were
arriving every linut
A dispatch from Oklahoma City says:
1t was expected there would be a riot at
the land Office when it opened for bust
ness at noon today The crowd which
has surrounded it for the last four days
became very boisterous last night and this
morning it was found necessary to guard
the office with deputy marshals. The
latter succeeded In preserving peace and
shere was do disturbance.
The government supervision of the OPP
ening seems to have been sadly deficient.
The entire government force was compos.
ed of two companies of troops, 200 men
and the forces of three United States
marshals, numbering about $50 men. OF
the latter fifty were sent to Langston to
preserve peace between the cowboys and
negroes; fifteen were required at each OF
the three land offices and twenty-five at
Tohee. OF the regular troops a squad of
men was stationed at each of the two
county seats. This left only some 300
to patrol the borders of about 200 miles in
extent. The men were not stationed at
regular intervals. In some places there
we're ten or fifteen to the mile, while at
others there were stretches of five or ten
miles unguarded. Under these condi.
tions it might have been expected that a
numbea,of boomers would enter before
the time, and they did.
Two miles north of Tohee about 200
boomers had gathered in a secluded spot,
knowing government force to be massed
at the border towns. They all set their
watches three hours ahead last night so
their testimony would agree as to time il
their claims were contested on the ground
of their being ~"sooners." At 9 o'clock
their watches indicated the noon hour and
they rushed over the border and began to
race for choice sections OF land. The
'~'sooners" at the other upguarded points
of the border were also very numerous
and it Is eitimated that fully 1900 settlers
entered the land before the legal time.
Reports from Langston state that there
has boen riotIng between the negro set
tiers and COWBOYS. Two negroes are re-
ported killed. But no one seems to know
how they met their death. Two negro
woman have secured quarter sections I'M
mediately adjoining LanRston. The town
site company plated the town on a quar-
ter section Immediately adjoining the gov
IN town site at Chandler. and eveay
lot has been taken. The South Counties
town site has been surveyed and it will be
opened tomorrow. All is reported quiet
there. With the exception that large
numbers entered the strip before the
legal hour, the opening has been remark
ably successful. and their settlement more
peaceful than any one anticipated.
Sea Bathing 1000 Miles From the