The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-09-22
THE RACE FOR LAND
The Boomers Are Anxiously Wait
ing For the Signal to Go.
LANGSTON COLONISTs BUY ARMS
The Cowboys May Cause Trouble, But the
Negroes Say They VIII Defend Them
selves and Their Rights.

GUTHRIE, 0. T., Sept. 21.-The land to
be opened for settlement tomorrow noon
consists OF the country of the Sacs and
Foxes, Iowas and Pottawattomies, in all
| l, lOl, 500 acres. The Indians do not lose all
their lands. Each buck gets quarter
section, aud not only that, but he is law
ful sooner" and has ALREADY picked out
the prize spots. He cannot sell his land
Tor twenty-five years, but during that time
does not have to pay taxes. After the
Indian lands and land held for school pur-
poses have been deducted from the l, 101,-
o59 acres, about eight hundred thou
sand acres are opened for actual
settlement. This makes 5000 homesteads,
and about twenty men for every home
stead are on the ground. Some are hover
ing 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 a smaller number
In wagons. For the last week, however
tnere has been an almost con tin uouS stream
OF wagons over the Santa F'e trail across
the Cherokee strip and there are wagoners
all around the border. The nearest point
IN the new country is only a little over
|
VIII 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
Tor one man to go in and Jump a claim
and then turn 1t over to his partner, who
starts in after the legal hour. Thus, be-
tween them, they get good claim.
There will be great rush for town lots
The government has selected sites for
county seats, although there is not now
even the shadow of town in either coun-
ty. One that is to be the county seat of
northern county is S. Chandler, named for
the assistant secretary of the interior, and
southern town is Tecumseh. Government
surveyors are not through with their work
on toWnsites, and Governor Steele has an
nounced that sites shtll not be taken I'D
until the survey is finished. No attention
Will be paid to this, however, and the force
OF soldiers on the grounds will not be large
enough to keep them off. A crowd of
Guthrie men has been organized to move
on Chandler. Everyone is going. Cooks
have deserted their stoves, lawyers
their offices and merchants their
stores. Many are bound to be
disappointed, whether they 60 for
lots or quarter sections, for there are at
least 10 1000 people waiting for the hat to
drop at noon to- morrow. Couriers from
Langston City, the negro colony, came in
this morning and purchased twenty car
bines and fastened back to the front. They
report that the entire town 10 covered with
tents of emigrants and they are determined
to protect themselves from any attempts
on the part of the whites to keep them from
land in Cinerron valley. a squad of ne
groes visited cowboys camp last night
and declared their intentions They said
they would make race for the lands, and
If they got there first they would defend
their rights with their lives. If the cow
boys don't imbibe too much whisky that is
being sent out by the wagon load, there
will probably be no trouble; but on the
other hand if they grow reckless under the
influence of liquor, bloodshed is certain.