Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-30

become cities were the goals for which
over 4oOoO people raced from the borders Of
the new territory. So many of these beat
the pistol" on the start and reached the goal
nrst that, In consequence, the efforts ever
since TO run this race over again through the
law conrts has kept Oklahoma City from grow
ing with even mole marvellous rapidly than it
has already done.
THE SUNDAY BEFORE
the 22d was warm bright day and promised
well for the morrow. Soldiers and deputy
marshals were the only living beings in sight
around the depot and those who tried to de-
scend from passing trains at the station were
pushed back again at the point Of the bayonet.
The course was being KEEP, clear for the COM
ing race. But freight cars loaded with raw
lumber and furniture and all manner of house
mold goods, as well as houses themselves. ready
TO be put together Gae the joints OF trout
rod, were allowed free entry and stood for q
milo along the side track awaiting their own
srs, who were hugging the border lines from
nfteen to thirty miles away. Capt. D. y. Stiles
OF the tenth infantry. who had been made
provost marshal OF the new territory, and
whose soldiers guarded the land before and
maintained peace after tine invasion, raised
his telescope At two miuutes to twelve
on the evensful 22d of April, and
saw nothing from the depot TO the horizon but
An empty green prairie OF high waving grass
Merritt and his staff in their private car on the
side-track decided) one hour and a quarter at
least to cover the fifteen miles from the near
est border. They accordingly expected to
catch the first glimpse Of the leaders IN the
race with their glasses in about half an hour.
The signal on the border was a trumpet call
given by q cavalryman on a white horse, which
he rode in q circle that those too far away to
hear the trumpet might zee that it had been
sounded like signal was given at the depot,
kr-t tAfN Ill l,zl or,1 vxn% halt
hour later. 900 men sprang from the long grass,
dropped from the branches OF trees, crawled
from under freight cars and out OF the canons
and bitches, and the blank prairie became alive
with men running and racing about like pack
OF beagles that have suddenly lost hot trail.
FIrrEEN MINUTES AFTER TWELVE
the men OF the Seminole Land and Town
Company were dragging steel chains up the
street on . run. the red and white barber poles
and the tTansits were in place all ever the
prairie and neat little rows Of stakes stretched
out in regular Ines TO mark where they hoped
the town might be. At twenty minutes after
IL over forty tents were III position and
the land around them marked out by wooden
pegs. This was the work Of the ''sooners," as
those men were called whs came into the ter
ritery TOO soon, not for tbslr own Interests, but
!or The interests of other people. At quarter
past l the Rev. James Murray and MIR. Kim
caid. who represented the Oklahoma colony.
stopped n sweating horse and creaking buggy
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