Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-20
$4,000 MORE HOMES.
Boomers, Horse, Foot and Dragons.
Rush and Cong uer an Empire
BIGGER THAN s RHODE ISLANDS
Eioting Only Reported at the Land Office in
Oklahoma City.
MANY WILL FLOCK BACK IN DISGUST


nation, the cannon thundered forth, tn,
signal carbines repeated the din, and 25, ,ool
men on horseback, in wagons and on foot
rushed into the country of the Cheyenne,
and Arapahoes, and this afternoon horse.
flesh is suffering. Animals drawn from the
Cherokee Strip to the country of the
Wichita, from Oklahoma to No Mans
Land, are rushing over fat and hollow, un
der whip and spur, madly racing for quarter
sections and town sites
A feld-piece had been hauled from the
tort and stationed on a rising knoll, and as
the hour for the opening drew near the
word went down the line.
About 10 clock the boomers began to
lineup In all places where there was any
considerable crowd there were detachments
Of troops stationed about half a mile apart
where the country was level, and closer
when necessary.
The Line Well Kept in Order.
In the place which the soldiers were not
able to cover the people acted as check
upon one another, and there were very few
men who drove an inch over the line before
Il o'clock. There were murmurings among
the boomers as they stood in line waiting
that many men who intended to make their
run on horseback disappeared from the
camp during the night.
In the arrangement of the line the same
order was observed all along the border.
Horsemen were In front, the men who were
to make the run in wagons were second,
and the few wagons which were only fol-
lowing up the horsemen, took the rear place.
By IL o'clock everything was in readiness
for the start
Just at noon the sharp report of the can
non, followed by the cracks of carbines,
sounded, and the next second the horses
we're of. The horsemen sprang away as if
they were riding quarter dash. The
wagoners put the whip to their beasts
There was cloud of dust, and the food of
palefaces swept into the country. The SOL
diers, after the signal, put spurs to their
horses and few to get away from the rush
behind them.
Each Steering Straight for His Farm.
After ride of mile or two they formed
line Every man seemed to know Just
where he was going and headed for his
longed-for land without even bestowing a
glance of attention at his brother rushers.
A few wheels were lost near the line, and
many more will be left in the gulleys this
afternoon, but there were no serious acci-
dents.
A light rain was falling when the start
was made and it deprived the scene of much
Of its picturesque character. 1t did not,
however, dampen enthusiasm. The boomers
had gone through too many hardships to be
inconvenienced by such little thing as a
soaking. They would have made the rush
Just the same if the storm had been the
worst that ever swept Western prairie
1t was very fortunate for many of the
boomers that the wait on the border was at
an end, as they had gone to the front with
scant supplies and had stood it as long as
they could. In the Wichita country, on
The border of County H, Sunday and yes
terday, men went gun in hand demanding
hat those who had provisions sell them
something to eat. These men will break
or the towns as soon as they have driven
heir stakes
Rioting at the Land ONCE.
A dispatch from Guthrie says; Miss Con-
ale Sorenzen, of this place, who went to |
oklahoma City this morning to file declar- |
ltory notice covering a claim in the |
Cheyenne and Arapahoe country has just re-
:urned from that place. She was
among the first who was admitted |
% the land Office She SAYS that |
while she was filing her notice the
opponents of the seat farmers outside
made an attack upon the line, and that
4 riot resulted. People swarmed into the
and Office, where the rioting continued.
several people were knocked down and
:rampled upon, among them being woman,
most of whose clothes were torn frem her.
0ne man, name unknown, was struck on
he head, had his skull fractured and was
atally injured. Many others were less Sc
iously hurt.
One thousand boomers made the race into
he Cheyenne and Arapahoe reservation
rom the border opposite Higgins, Tex
From the north and western borders of the
eservation fully four times that number
ntered the lands. Only few claims were
AIKEN up near the borders, the majority of
he boomers being bound for either the
liver bottom claims or the county seats.
The county seats of counties II, F, G and
: are distant from telsgraphic communica-
Ion all the way from IS to 20 miles, and no
Jews from them is obtainable until to-
morrow.
1t Is Larger Than Many States.
The Cheyenne and Arapahoe reservation
S situated in the Indian territory between
he Cherokee outlet on the north and the
liowa, Comanche and Apache reservation
u the sonth. Its eastern border adioina
oklahoma and its western the Panhandle of
,eJas. Its area is much greater than it is
enerally understood to be. 1t would make
wo Oklahoma's or five Rhode Islands,
lille the whole States of Connecticut and
shode Island could be set down in it and
here would still remain room for four Dis
ricts of Columbia
1t contains about $500 square miles, or
900, 900 acres. Out of this the resident
indians have been allotted bv the Govern
lent 536, 9o0 acres, giving to each of the
356 aboriglnes 160 acres each. There was
nus left for general settlement about
5co, 600 acres, which, allowing a quarter
ection, or 16O acres, to each home seeker,
ould accommodate about 22,OCO settlers
utside of the town sites.
Very few of the thousands who have been
aiting for weeks on the border and in the
ontier towns tor to-day's final rush, had
nvthing but the vaguest idea as to the real
laracter of the land they were so anxious
possess.
Indians Get All the Good Land. ,
Exaggerated reports of the wondrous
artility of the land were readily believed [
nd were not easily contradicted, for only
cry few people had the intimate knowi. 8
ige of the country upon which to base /
lccessful contradiction; so when the rush
as made to-day, the boomers believed they '
ere entering into a yeritable Gar 6
IN of Eden. When they had
ached their claims, had staked them ,
| and had taken the opportunity
survey their broad acres, they found that
stead of a Garden of Eden, a promised
nd flowing with milk and honey, as they
ID fondly believed, they had really
assessed themselves of a section of very
binary Western prairie land, flowing with !
thing but high grass and very brackish
reams bitter with aikali. That, at least, :
what great majority of .hem found
Some of the lsnd-as a matter of course,
at along the river bottoms and in the val :
ys-is excellent farming land, but the In :
ans we've sensible enough to choose the