The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-05-06

and possess the land. The cattle owners,
who already possessed the land, had enough
influence at Washington to keep the troops
on guard, and several troops of cavalry
were camped on the territory side of the
line opposite the boomers. One day there
was conference between the boomers and
the army officers. and for once Oklahoma
Harry The had by this time earned his title)
was spokesman. The, officers asserted that
would stop every effort TO cross the line :,
and that in the interests Of peace and COM
fort the intention to cross should be
abandoned.
"How will you stop usF' said Harry
I'VE outnumber you and viii just go when
we get ready. You do not dare to shoot US
down, and you have not the strength to
overcome this body of men,"
Very likely you are right" said the
colonel, las you say, but we will get OF out
Of range of your guns and shoot down your
horses II we cannot stop you 10 any other
way" ...,...-. ...-.. o. -. - ~.
"Just wait" said Harry He left the
b tent and came back in a few minutes, car
rying the latest style of a repeating rifle
and full belt of cartridges in each hand.
The weapons were superior to the army
musket.
DO YOU think you can get out of range
Of these" be asked.
The report which the colonel made to his
"
of the interior department, is interesting
The officer wanted to know if he was
authorized to shoot invaders, and urgently
asked for the aid of an agent OF the interior
department who could distinguish between
the white men in the territory who were in
vaders and those who were not. He never
got either information or agent. The trail
of the cattle barons led through the depart
ment of the interior from the beginning of
M IF ha do
of Cleveland
When the boomer movement was sus-
pended temporarily, Oklahoma Harry
turned his attention to the more profitable
occupation Of booming Western Kansas.
Whenever county was to be organized,
Harry was the man selected to open a stage
route from the railroad to the new county
seat. he thus got chance on the ground floor
for real estate speculations, and what with
the town company's subsidy, the contract
for carrying the mails and express matter,
and the carrying Of passengers at 10 cents a
mile he accumulated money. Then when
the boom came ct Wichita he was bright
enough to go in and get out at Just the right
time. By 1889 he owned fine estate in the
suburbs and had an independent income.
In the final movement for the opening of
Oklahoma Harry was a wheeler. Meetings
of citizens were held all about the border to
agitate for the opening of the land by con-
gressional action, while Harry kept the op.
position on nettles by ostentatiouslv or
ganizing boomer parties to force an entry
to the land. He kept Pawnee Bill, a long,
haired, wild west show sort of a frontiers
man, grub-staked in Wichita for months as
the ostersible leader of these NOV ements,
until congress, under the lead of MIR.
Springer, passed the bill that opened the
way for the forming of great state.
Since that time he has been actively en-
gagged in real estate speculations in various
parts of the new territory, but has not done
anything to attract newspaper comment
until the race for the county seat lands in
he was killed. He was counted square man
by all who knew him, and his taking off
made great sensation among all who were
acquainted among the old boomers.