Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-04-21
A QUIET SUNDAY.
Gossip in Regard to the Boomers in
- Oklahoma
T KISGFISHER AND ELRENo.
Eniivening Scenes on the Streets of These
and Other Border Towns-A General
Movement Along the Line to
Secure Better Positions.

kINGFIsHER, Ok, April 1S.-Easter
Sunday in Kingfsher and Elreno was a
very quiet If not a religiously observed
cay. Down here, indeed, it was not Sun
day at all, but 'sbig medicine day." Tor
on the first day of. the week the Indians
out at Darlington agency always have
their medicine dance. They are doing
the ghost dance, too. right along.
The vast swarms OF boomers in Elreno
put in the day very 1azily. They have
about got their beasts and traps in shape
for Tuesdays rush and there is little to
do but to wait
Many of the boomers are putting for
the south. They are bound for county
ID. This county is believed to contain
the best lands in the new country ard
| the rush across the line there will be
terrific. The line is far from the rail-
road and boomers congregating at Min
co drive across and camp on the border,
There will be good many more set
tiers than claims in county H 1t is
fromathe south to the county and into
| county G from the east line that the
most of the land hunters will enter the
new country.
There is much talk at Elreno and
h1nghsher over the reports about
Wichita men going to set up a big town
at Okarche, small town just inside
the Indian land on the Rock Island A
special train carrying 1000 men is to
run down from Wichita and stop just
outside the line mile and half north
of Okarche. At noon the train will run
| into the new country. The boomers
Will pile OFF and set up a big town at
Okarche.
than ever. The line formed at the
Kingfsher land Office four weeks ago
has no legal status. The receiver has
so decided and published it in his paper,
but now it is understood that the mar
shall will recognize the sooners and
there is serious talk of forming another
line.
There has already begun a general
movement along theSline of boomers
camps scattered along the streams along
the border toward securing more adj
vantageous positions directly on the
line of the new territory and at the
nearest and easiest approaches to where
the settlers intend LOCATING homes. The
request of United States Marshal
Grimes that the boomers collect in
groups along the lines is not so gener-
ally being followed out, as there is a
feeling that they do not require groom
ing.
There are less disreputa bles among the
boomers at this opening than in the
history of the west. As a rule there IS
a class of loud-mouthed irreconcilab les
| who, not content with grumbling on
their own account, are continually
| picking up the troubles of others as
| their own. Happily there are few of
this class in this movement.
There are some enliyening scenes on
the streets of the towns in the path of
the boomer at times. In Kingfisher
Elreno, Hennessy, Minico, Oklahoma
City, and even at Little Chicasha, at the
terminus of the Rock Island, the streets
are lined with boomers provisioning for
the siege until the stores will have been
established in their prospective county
seat towns. The streets are blocked at
a dozen places in a square with horse
jockeys and an eager throng crowGing
around them, bidding on the animals
put up at auction.
Ponies are cheap enough; from s25 to
$50 will buy a good riding pony, but to
get runner one must pay $50 and SIS.
There are few horses offered that bring
800, although the animals on sale viii
compare favcrably with the ponies of
Kansas and Missouri. Indeed. neaIsy
all offered north of Elreno come from
| those states, while south of that point
the ponies offered are usually from
Texas or the Chiclzasaw country. The
Missouri and Kansas animal is superior
to the Texas or Indian pony and is
much better natured and more easily
managed.