The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1892-04-23
FIGHT FOR LAND.
Lively Scramble for First Place
at the Oklahoma City Land
Office.
Men and Women Trample on
Each Other and Several Are
Injured.

GUTHRIE D. T.. April 2O.--A terrible riot
occurred in front of the Oklahoma City
land office at the hour of opening to-day
and number of people were badly iajurcd.
AT II o'clock Register Leach announced
that no lines would be recognized, and the
first person to get in the door would have
the first filing and others in succession as
they arrived.
This precipitutcd n wild rush, and in o
few moments hundreds of men and women
were engaged in disgraceful scramble,
lighting, pulling and tramping on one
another and for time it secme,i rs though
many would be killed. One man was
struck on the head with revolver and
badly injured, but he remained in the ring
and got the eleventh filing. He had been
third in the line, but sold his place for $3.50
this morning.
Miss Connie Sorensen, clerk in the Unit
ed States land Office, was in the crush, and
by the aid oftwo friends KEEP, we'll to the
front and succeeded i'll getting ii ling on
the quarter section ado ming Arapahoe,
the county seat Of G county on the north.
She says her experience i'll the crush was a
terrible one, and will be long remembered.
On every side were men pulling, hauling,
swearing and striking, and nobody was re-
spected. She was pulled and pushed and
crowded until almost read to faint, but
escaped with no injury. A woman near
her had her clothes torn to pieces, and men
were trampled on and injured. One man
had his head cut open with blow from a
revolver and blood spurted over everybody
near him. The windows Of the land office
in md ~, II
INTO THE RESERVATION.
Ell RENO, o. T., April 2O.-Just at noon
to-day, as provided by the presidents proc
lamation, the cannon thundcred forth the
signal. carbines repeated it and 25,OOO men
on horseback, in wagons aid ON foot,
rushed into the country of the Cheyenne as
and Arapahoes. The horsemen sprang
away as though they were riding quarter
dash. The W; soners put the whip to their
beasts. There was cloud Of dust, and the
flood Of pale:aces swept into the country Of
the red man. The soldiers at the signal put
spurs to their horses and flew to get away
from tho rush behind them. After ride of
mile or so they formed a line Every
man seemed to know Just where he was 60
ing and headed for his longcd-ior land
without even bestowlng glance OF atten-
ton at his brother rushcrs. A few wheels
were lost near the line, and many more will
be left in the gullies this afternoon, but
there were no seri Gus accidents.
The greatest crowd, particularly OF horse
men. was at the points nearest to Walonga
and ltossmerc, the seats of counties and
u. Wa!onga Is twenty-five miles lrom the
line and Rossmore forty. Three different
crowds were organized yesterday for the
purpose taking charge OF the town Or
ganlzation of Rossmorc. One OF these is
made up principally of Texas men and one
largely Of men from Kansas. All three of
these will probably attempt to organize as
soon as they reach there. The officers ut
the different townsitcs, however, will dis
courage any town organization before to-
morrow.
KlSGFlsHER Okla, April 2O.-The OPEN
ing Of the Cheyenne and Ara ahoe rcserva-
ton, as witnessed from this borccr
was comparatively tame affair."
The prettiest individual contest was
between Rock Island train and Charles b.
Pierce, u boomer from Nebraska. who rode
The prize was the townsite 0 Okarche, the
end oi the Choctaw road. The rail distance
was three miles. A bee line from the
border traversed only two miles. The
train was never in it and Pierce
located the whole townsitc as u
homestead. The passengers and railroad
officials We're greatly chagrined at their
defeat. The passengers, however, nadethe
best OF the situation by locating town site
adjoining Picrce's claim, and the Rock
Island people say they will move Okarche
there.
News comes from Wutona, the county
seat of County z, that the opening Of
the town site was successfully
made this afternoon without diff
ticulty and without serl ,.s accident.
The city OF Okarache. zen wiles south OF
kingtisher, OH the Rock Island, supposed
by many to be the future capitol OF Okla
Iona, has been built in day. 1t is nearly
activity bassaSs "i description ' On one
claim iorty men are swearing they are frs:
in the order oi preference. The population
Tonight exceeds that of kii.a fisher or El