The morning call., 1891-09-23
OYER THE BORDER.
Government Lands Thrown
Open to Settlement.
Oklahoma Land Cf1CGS BeSieSGd by Crowds
Of Excited Boomers.
An Indian Town Quickly Transformed Into a
Lively City-RumOrS Of RiOtlng Be-
tween Negroes and Cowboys.


EIecial TO THE MORNING CALI.
GUTHRIE %. IT,, Sept. %. - Simulta-
neousy with the arrival OF the hour of noon
the home-seekers gathered on the border
made headlong rush over the line into the
coveted country and on to the quarter
sections upon which their eyes had been
feasting for some days, and others for weeks
and months. There is room on this land for
about 5000 settlers, allowing 160 acres for
each. There were on the border waiting to
claim the available land fully $4,000 people,
SO that there were three people for a quarter
section. 1t was no wonder then that the
rush was a mad one. Like scenes were
never witnessed before except in Oklahoma
two years ago. The craze to become an
owner OF TART of the new lands has caused
a strange commingling of the various ele-
ments of society. A half-hour's dlligent
work would have sufficed to prepare the
most elab9rately equipped boomer for race
into the new country, but the preparations
were begun long before the hour of noon
Horses were hitched, the wheels creased,
sadde-girthS cinChed. and everything made
snug as early as 10 o'clock. so anxious was
every one to be in readiness to move at the
appointed time.
A GENERAL STAMPEDE.
When the noon hour did arrive all the
pent-up excitement found vent in the firing
of revolvers and rifles, and the shouting and
singing and cracking OF whips and furious
driving and running. The Eorsemen, of
course. had the advantage Of every other
man in the race, and most of the racers
were horsemen. The man who proceeded
to the border in prairie schooner with his
family, left his schooner. family and one
horse on the border and mounted the other
and became a horseman. After locating
his claim lie will return and direct his pos
sessions to his new home. Some more des-
perate cowboys mounted steers, and the
latter, joining in the stampede, carried
their riders to the interior, while others
were unceremoniOusly unhOrsed or un-
steered near the border.
POORLY GUARDED.
The Government supervision of the open
ing seems to have been sadly deficient.
The entiie Government force was composed
OF two companies of troops, numbering 200
men, and the forces of three United States
Marshals, numbering about $50 men. or
the latter, fifty were sent to Langston to
preserve the 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 800 men
to patrol the borders Of about 200 miles in
extent. The men were not stationed at
regular intervals. In some places there
were ten or fifteen men to a mile. while at
other points there were stretches of from
five to ten miles entirely unguarded.
EvADED THE LAW.
Under these conditions il might have been
expected that a number Of boomers would
enter before the appointed time, and they
did Two miles north Of TOhee about two
hundred boomers had gathered in n Sc
cluded spot. knowing the Government
force to be masSed at the border towns.
they all set their watches three hours ahead
last night, so that their testimony would
agree as to the time, it their claims were
contested on the ground Of their being
''SOOners" Al 9 o'clock their watches indi-
Gated the noon hour, and they rushed over the
border, and te.an race for choice sections
of land ''Sooners" at ether unguarded por-
tions Of the border were also very numer-
Gus. and tits estimated that fully 5000 settlers
entered on the land before the legal time.
NEW TOWN.
Tnhee this morning was an Indian town;
tonight it is a white mans city of 1900 in
habitants, 1t fell into the hands of a town.
site company, organized here by the Presi-
dent of the Board of Trade. The President
of the First National Bank, Mr.. Joseph
Mcneil, and the City Marshal Of Guthrie,
representatives III the company, this after
noon filed at the Land Once plat Of the
town and the company claims. He re-
ports that at an election held this afternoon
Mcneil was chosen Mayor At TOhee the
boomers waited until the noon hour before
making rush for lots and hOmestends, and
the occupation Of land there was peaceful.
Among the boomers at a point below Tohee
was one woman who crossed the line before
the time. A Deputy Marshal forced her
back over the line. Soon afterward she
again crossed the line prematurely. and
when the deputy second time ordered her
back she drew a revolver from her dress
pocket and opened fire upon him. The
Marshal returned the fire. and shot her in
the left leg just below the knee, shattering
her limb and disabling her so that she was
unable to make the race. When the time
came the others left her under a tree this
side of the border, and she was brought
here.
SCENES IN GUTHRIE.
Guthrie was an animated town this morn
Ing. Many belated settlers were skurrying
around to find means OF conveyance to the
new lduuS. hOTSP-lTdueTS were selllD8
stock and farmers we're soliciting men to
ride with them to the border of the new
lands. Ten dollars was the fare, and anxious
boomers eagerly accepted chance to make
the journey even at that price. The farmers
did thriving business; so did the store
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 to-day was lively one. About $50 old
soldiers, armed with declaratory statements,
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 to them by theiI wives,
children or friends.
The Land Office was opened Mt four sec
onds past II o'clock, and the first man to
present his papers was s. +. DeamOnd, who
had stood in line day and night since last
Friday. He was almost exhausted from eX-
pOsuTe and want OF sleep and rest, and as he
staggered up to the window it was necessary
for friend to assist him. The rush from
here to the border began before daylight
this morning. Ten thousand persons would
be a moderate estimate of the people who
passed through this city en- route for the
new country.
DISTRIBUTION OF BOOMERS.
The boomers were distributed among the
various starting points about as follows: At
Tohee 5000, Langston 1000, on the border of
the Kickapoo reservation 5000 and on the
pottawatomie border 20O0. The allotment
to the Pottawatonlie Indians nearly exhaust
ed the lands in their reservation so that the
hOme-seekerS had little chance TO locate a
claim there,
AT LangstOn were the negroes gathered
by the negro colonization society TO the
number of 1900, and they were to move en-
masse into Cimarron Valley, the most fer
tile region. and locate in a bunch. Five
hundred whites, mostly cowboys. also had
their eyes on that section, and each party
made all sorts of threats of taking the land
by force. a force of Deputy Marshals and
Deputy Sheriffs have been dispatched there
TO preserve order, and it is believed they
will be able to maintain peace
One of the unique sights at Tohee was a
company OF young ladies from Guthrie, who
had formed a colonization company to pro-
ceed 10 the new lands and settle on adjOin-
ing claims. They were mounted on Texas
ponies and were attred as near as might be
In cowboy costume, armed with revolvers
a nd anuinpad fnrp mi ha, 10