Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-10-01
The Mail Rush.
Special to the Gazette.

Special to the Gazette.
OKLAHOMA CITY, o. T., Sept 24-The
craze over the opening of the new lands has
nearly subsidized and the crowds that have
been pouring back since noon have ceased.
This city presents lively appearance
once again. Nearly every one talked
with has nothing to say of CON-
plimentary nature over the manner in
which the townsites were opened to
settlers. The whole affair was
mismanaged from the beginning, they say.
and the result will be confusion and endless
litigation. The race for the town site was
hard one. One man was killed and a
number were injured. j. is matter
Of surprise and cons1rat'slas'pa that
greater. Several thousand people were
massed in solid phalanx about the town
site of Tecumseh, and it kept the soldiers
busy keeping off intruders. AS the morn
ing drew apace the eagerness
of the crowd increased. Governor
Steele was present, and frequently
cautioned the people that any person found
given would be regarded as q ''sooner. p"
The signal, he sad, would be given at IL
O'Clock, and would be single blast from a
bugle and which would be followed by the
noisting of flag.
There were several hundred home-seek-
ers in the line, and in view of the fact that
many persons would be knocked down
and trampled under foot in the rush,
Governor Steele was begged to issue an or
der to the effect that no one should be per-
mitted to come on horseback. The settlers
even passed resolutions in nlass-meeting
in which the probable dangers were set
forth, but Governor Steele declared that he
could not strain the law by refusing to per-
nit the horsemen to come In with their
horses.
AS the hour of noon approached the
would-be lot-stakers began to grow ner-
vous. Anxious looks were cast toward the
tent which was known to be occupied Dy
the governor. On both the north and south
sides no less than 5000 persons were
congregated on the grounds. They were
on foot, on horses and in buggies
and in wagons. on in the southeast cor
ner of the town site was clump of trees,
from which the form of man was sudden
ly seen to emerge, pursued by soldier
had attempted TO gain an entrance
by secretinn himself among the trees, but
his object was defeated by the vigilance OF
the guard. This set the crowd on the
lower end of the south line to cheering,
which was taken by those on
the upper end to mean that
the signal had been given, and away
they started for the goal. The crowd
on the north line misinterpreted the action,
and started in a mad race toward the
line, advancing further south. Like a
charge of cavalry on the two lines came
with roar and rumble, the earth shaking
and trembling under the tramping of the
many thousands of feet. Almost directly in
the center of the public quarters the
lines came together with shock that was
terrific. There was moments rebound,
and then there was great scramble. Hun
dreds had been knocked down in the first
shock, and over their PROSTATE forms men
dashed their horses at breakneck speed.
Everybody had provided himself with
stakes and a hammer. and in few minutes
nothing could be heard but the noise made
by the driving OF stakes.
As soon as the excitement had subsidized
the military commenced to look after the
wounded.
ton. In the race his horse STUN bled. threw
the rider TO the ground and before he could
recover his feet he was crushed and
trampled into a state of Inconsistencies.
He was brought into the temporary hos
pital, where he died in few minutes. The
name of the dead man was Doc Rountree,
who resided in the Chickasaw Natipns
where the remains were taken for burial
Another badly injured individual is m
old man named Con Cannon. He has three
ribs broken, besides receiving internal IL
juries, which it is feared will result in his
death.
J. S. Carlton, an Oklahoma City barber,
had two ribs broken
Andy Hutchins, county attorney Of Cleve-
land county, was badly bruised about the
hips and body, as was also Lee Dale, town.
ship assessor of Norman
There are number of others injured and
in the hospital whose identity could not be
learned
There were quite a number of women In
the race, and they proved themselves about
as plucky as the men, il not more 50. One
instance was noted where two women drove
across the line in buggy. Thsy stopped