The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-22
Thousands Ready to Pounce
Upon the Reservation.
"SOONERS" ALREADY INSIDE.
Gamblers, Thieves and Rumsellers
Accompany the Motley ThrOng.
NOT Nearly Enough Farms to Go Around
io"n Lots in County Seats in De-
nand-Trouble Between Negroes and
Cowboys Feared-Another Oklahoma

WICHITA, Kan, Sept 2i.-The first VIC
tim to suffer at the hands of the boomers
Is Al Giazler, Santa Fe conductor who
was badly cut aud otherwise injured by an
enraged mob on his train. Some of the
boomers had no tickets, and the conductor
denaanded the extra 10 cents levied in
such cases. This caused trouble. num-
Der OF rioters were arrested and are in iail.
GUTHRIE, .. T., Sept. 2l.-From earty
TINS morning the streets of this town have
been blocked with wagons, horses and
people-men, women, boys and girls,
scrainbllng to take part of the govern
nent land. Everything is wide open.
Liquor Is plentiful, and gamblers
are here with their outfits. Trains
continue TO arrive, bringing peo-
PIE anxious TO secure homes
lhe men in line before the land office are
stlli there, determined to make entry.
hotels, printing offices, stores and shops
are taxed to their utmost capacity. Some
estapllshments, especially those of the
newspapers, are seriously crippled on ac-
count of their help leaving to Join in the
race.
The land to be opened for settlement to-
morrow noon consists of the country of
the Sacs and Foxes, Iowas and Pottawat-
tomles-in all, 1,10l, ,595 acres. The In
dlans do not lose all their lands. Each
buck gets quarter section, and
not only that, but he is a law
fui sooner" and has already picked
out prize spots. He cannot sell his
land Tor twenty-five years, but during that
time does not have to pay taxes. After the
Indian land and land for school purposes
has been deducted from the /, ,iOI. .595
acres, about 100000 acres are opened for
actual settlement. This makes 1000 home
steads, and about twenty-five men for
every homestead are on the ground. Some
are lowering along the line. and some are
already in what is until noon tomorrow.
forbidden country.
1t is the old Oklahoma rush over again
with some notifications. There are not
as many boomers, and small number are
IN wagons. For the last week, however
there has been almost continuous stream
of wagons over the Santa Fe trail across
the Cherokee strip, and there are boomers
all around the border. The nearest point
of the new country is only little over
nine miles from Guthrie and a great
crowd will enter from near this point,
but the truth is the greater part of the
crowd is not waiting to enter. The country
is already full of "sooners." The plan is
for one man to go in and "jump" claim
and then turn it over to his partner. who
starts in after the legal hour Thus, be-
tween them, they get good claim There
will be a great rush for town lots The
government has selected sites for county
seats, although there is not now even
shadow of a town IN either county.
One that is to be the county seat of
Northern county is Chandler, named for
the assistant secretary of the interior, and
the southern town is Tecumseh. The gov
ernment surveyors are not through with
their work on townsites, and Governor
Steele has announced that sites shall not
he taken up until the survey is finished
No attention will he paid to this, however,
and the force of soldiers on the ground
will not be large enough to keep them off.
A crowd of Guthrie men has been organ
lied to move on the Chandler land. Every
one is going. Cooks have deserted their
stoves, lawyers their offices and merchants
their stores. Many are bound to be disap-
pointed, whether they go for lots or quar-
ter sections, for there are at least $1,000
people waiting for the gong to sound at
noon tomorrow.
Couriers from the Langston negro colony
rode in this morning and purchased twenty
carbines and FASTENED back to the
front. They report that the entire
township is covered with the
tents of emigrants. and that they are de-
termined to protect themselves from any
attempts on the part of the whites to keep
them from the land IN Cimmaron valley.
A squad of negroes visited the command
er's camp last night and delared their
intentions. They say they will make
a raid for the lands, and if they
get there first they will defend their rights
with their lives. If the cowboys do not
imbibe too much of the whisky that is
being sent out by wagon loads, there will
probably be no trouble But on the other
hand, if they grow reckless under the in
huence Of liquor, bloodshed is certain.