The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-09-23
Neither Age, Sex Nor Color Is Con-
sidered in the Rush for
Indian Land.
Sights and Scenes Attending the
Opening of the Former Sac
and Fox Reserve.
Some Went on Horseback, While Others
Rode stecrs-A Colony OF Women
The Negro Settlers.

GuTuRIE, o. r., Sept. 22.-simultaneou
with the arrival OF the hour of noon the
gathered on the border made
a headlong rush over the line into the COW
etcd country and onto the quarter sections
upon which their eyes had been feastinR for
days, and others for weeks and months
The rush WAS a mad one made so by the
fact that the number of homeseekers great
ly exceeded the number OF quarter sections
available for settlement.
There is room en- the lands for about b.
GOO settlers, allowing 160 acres for each.
There were on the border waiting to claim
available land fully 15.000 people; 80 that
there were three people for each quarter
section. It was no wonder. then, that the
rush was a mad one. Like scenes were
never witnessed before, except in Oklahoma
two years ago. q.
The craze to become the owner Of part
of the new lands caused strange COM
mingling of various elements of society.
A half kour's diligent work would have
been sufficient to prepare the most elabor-
ately equipped boomer for the race into
the new country, but the preparations were
begun long before the hour of noon.
Horses were hitched, wheels creased, sad
die 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. When the noon hour did
arrive all the pent up excitement found
vent in the firing of revolyers and rifles
and singing and cracking of whips and the
furious driving and running. The horse
man, of course, had the advantage over
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 be-
came a horseman. After locating his
claim he will return and direct his pos
sessions to his new home.
One of the moro desperate cowboys
mounted steer and the latter, joining in
the stampede, carried his rider to the inte-
rior. Others were unceremonlously un-
horsed or unsteered. not far from the bor-
der. The boomers were distributed among
the various starting points about as fol-
lows: At Tohec, 5000; Langston. 1000; on
the border of the Kickapoo, 5000; and on
the Pottawattomie borders, !. 600. The al
lotment to the Pottawattomie Indians has
nearly exhausted the lands in their rest r
yation, 80 that the home seeker had little
chance of locating claim there. At Lang
ston the negroes gathered by the negro col
onization society to the number of 1900
were to move enmasse into the Cimarron
valley, the most fertile region, and locate in
bunch. Two bundled whites, mostly cow
boys, also had their eyes on that section,
and each party made all sorts of threats of
taking the land by force. force of dep
uty 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 party to
proceed to the new lands and settle on ad-
joining claims. They were mounted OH
Texas ponies, and were attired as near as
might be in cowboy costume, armed with
revolvers and equipped for camping out.
They made the race in a body. So far as
ascertained up to the present time no SER
ious conflict has taken place between the
rival claimants.
The governme Mt supervision of the OPEN
ing seems to have been sadly deficient.
The entire government force was composed d
the forces of three United States marshals,
numbering about $50 men. OF the latter
fifty we're sent to Langston to preserve the
peaco between the cowboys and negroes.
Fifteen we're required at each Of the three
land offices and twenty-five at Tohee. OF
the regular troops squad of men was
stationed at each of the two county seats.
This left only some 300 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 and fifteen
men to a mile, while at others there
were stretches of five and ten miles entirely
unguarded. Under these conditions it
might have been expected a number of
boomers would enter before the appointed
1ohee about 200 boomers had gathered in
secluded spot. knowing the government
force was massed at the border towns.
They all set their watches three hours
ahead last night, 30 their testimony would
agree as to the time. if their claims were
''sooners." At 8 O'Clock their watches in
dicated the noon hour, and they rushed over
the border and began the race for choice
sections of land. ''Sooners'' at other un-
guarded portions of the border we're also
very numerous and it is estimated that
fully 5000 settors entered land before the
legal time.
Tohee this morningwas an Indian town;
tonight it is a white mans city of 1900
inhabitants. 1t fell into the hands Of the
townsite company, organized here. The
president of the board of trade, president
of the First National bank, Mr.. Joseph
Mcneil, and the city marshal Of Guthrie,
represent five of the company. They this
afternoon filed at the land office II plat Of
the town and the company's claims. At the
election held this afternoon McNeil was
chosen mayor. At Tohee the boomers
waited until the noon hour before making
n rush for the lots and homeBteads. and the
occupations Of land there was peaceful.
Among the boomers Mt n point below Tohee
was one woman, who crossed the line be-
fore time. A deputy marshal forced her
bnok over the line. Soon after she again
crossed the line prematurely, and when the
deputy second time ordered her back. she
drew revolver from her dress pocket and
opened fire upon him. The 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 unable to
make the race. When the time came tho
others left her under the tree on this side
of the border. She has since been brought
here.