Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-25
The Mail Rush.

special 10 Iile tiEtltt.
OKLAHOMA CITY. O. T.. Sept 2i.-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 a lively appearance
once again. Nearly every one talked
with has nothing to say of 4 com.
plimentary nature over the manner il
which the townsites We're opened 10
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
Il hard one. One man was killed and
number were injured. II is u matter
of surprise and congratulation that
the list of fatalities was not
greater. Several thousand people were
massed in a solid phalanX about the town
site of Tecumseh and it kept the soldiers
busy keeping off intruders. As the moin
ing drew apace the eagerneSs
of the crowd increased. Governor
Steele was present, and frequently
cautioned the people that any person found
ON the town site before the signal was
given \. aid be regarded as a sooner
The signal, lie SAID. would De given At /:
O'Clock. and would be a single blast from
bugi2 and which would be followed by the
nOiSting OF a flag.
There We're several hundred home-Seeli-
ers in the line, and i'll view of the fact that
many persons would ne knocked down
and tramped under foot in the rush,
Governor Steele was begged to issue an or
der 10 the effect that no one should be per
mitted to come on horseback. The settlers
even passed resolutions in a maSS-meetlng
in which the probable dangers We're set
forth, but Governor Steele declared that he
could not strain the law by refusing To per-
init the horSemen 10 come III with their
horses.
As the hour of noon approached the
would-be iot-stakers began to grow uer-
vouS. Anxious looks were east toward the
tent which was known to ne occupied by
the governor. On both the north and south
sides no less than 5000 persons We're
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 Il man was sudden
" seen to emerge, pursued by q soldier
with Il pointed bayonet. The man
had attempted 70 gain an entrance
by secretinn himself among the trees, bat
his Object was defeated by the vigilance of
lower end of the south line 10 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 misiuterpreted the action,
line, advancing further south. Like
charge Of cavalry on the two lines came
with a roar and rumble. the earth shaking
and trembling under the trdmping OF the
many thousands of feet. Almost directly III
the center of the public quarters the
lines came together with a shock that was
terrific. There was u moments rebound,
and then there was i 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 d 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.
One man was picked up in dying condi-
ton. In the race his horse stumbled. threw
the rider to the ground and before he could
recover his feet he was crushed and
trampled into Il state of UnconsciouSneSs-
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 Nation,
where the remains were taken for burial.
Another badly injured individual is an
old man named Con Cannon. He has threa
ribs broken, besides receiving internal in-
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 number Of women in
the race, and they proved themselves about
as plucky as the men, if not more so. One
instance was noted where two women drove
across the line in buggy. They stopped