The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-09-18
The Wild Rush Of The Boomers Into
the Cherokee Strip.
A NUMBER OF PERSONS KILLED.
"soeusrs Get the Corner Lots in Perry
Between. Noon and Twilight 400. 900
Claims Were staksd--Ne arIy 100000
People In the Hush for Homes.

ouIuhAh, ". A.s ooP 10 n AAosh8 oun
looked down Saturday upon six million
acres Of virgin soil devoid Of q single in
habitant, In setting it cast its rays over
hundred thousand established homes. Be-
tween the rising and setting q half score
cities had been born.
Texans, Kansans, Missourians, Arkan-
sans, white men, black men and red men
all played part.
Two hundred thousand people camped
upon the border of the land during the
night, and early morning trains brought
many thousands more. A large force of
clerks had registered everybody In line and
newcomers had no trouble In getting GER
tifcates.
The greatest number Of certificates Is
sued at any one place on the southern line
or the strip was 33, 900 at Orlando. Hen
messy came next with close to 10000, and
Saltwater with 1900.
The largest crowd was at Orlando and
four-fifths of the 10000 people massed
there were bound for Perry, the county
seat of p county, which is the largest city
In all Oklahoma
The scene ON the border during the night
before the rush was ono long to be remem-
bered. The housetops of prairie schooners,
fires of camping boomers and tethered
horses gave the scene q military aspect.
There was considerable confusion early In
the evening, caused by many new arrivals,
who were seeking advantageous places for
the race.
Those who had been waiting on the bor-
der for days looked on the newcomers as
interlopers, and would not give way one
inch Of their advantage. There was much
ill-feeling as consequences, and in some
instances serious trouble was narrowly
avoided.
just at the same moment, at high noon,
the thousands In railway trains, on foot, in
wagons, ON ponies and on race horses,
went over the line In one mad, wild rush,
scattering over the country like cloud OF
grasshoppers. They ran a. though for
life, over gullies and ridges, and the won-
der was that hundreds were not killed.
The soldiers at no place had any trouble
with the crowd. 1t was an American
gathering and acted as . check upon It.
self.
The signal for the start at every place
was the firing of the guns Of the soldiers
and deputy marshals.
The greatest struggle Of the day took
place in the rush of ten thousand people at
tempting to get aboard the first train,
which could carry but few over . thou
sand.
Thousands of people had stood or sat
along the track all night 90 as to be near
est the leaving point when tho trains were
made up, and thousands moro crowded in
upon them during the morning. When
the trains arrived at Orlando from the
south scores Of deputy United States mar
shals entered the cars and drove the pso-
pie out, swearing, cursing and waving
clubs and guns.
Men were pushed of upon the ground,
women jostled rudely, and tho cars cleared
of all save few fayorites in the ring. The
people in the first train were told that
everybody must 60 up to the line to get in
the trains, and hundreds walked through
a mile of strangling dust to the line only
to find the train from which they had been
elected 20 by them without stopping.
The frat train was filled with people
who had been given inside information.
When the trains pulled up to the line
the terrible struggle began. Women had
their clothes torn of and were trampled
under foot. All decency, self-respect
manhood and womanhood were laid aside.
The first train into Perry found the best
lots taken by sooners and fast horsemen,
and by the time the second train arrived
most of the town site was preemptsd.
Before night business houses were doing
business, end the inhabitants OF the new
town were talking about electing city
officers. The people on the first train Sc
cured residence lots in the outskirts, but
those upon the second and third secured
nothing.
The race between the trains and horse
men was an exciting one, with the odds In
favor OF the horsemen.
Lorenzo Holcomb, OF the place, was ia
tally crushed by horse falling upon him.
One woman was injured in falling from a
moving train.
A cowboy from Texas fell from his
horse, shot through the body, but there Is
no ciue as to who fired the shot.
The trail Is lined with broken down
wagons and buggies, and a hundred
dead horses are scattered here and there
about Perry aud the adjoining hills.
Three extra train loads OF people left
Perry tonight. but there are Is, 900 people
still left and more coming In with supplies
of every kind.
The water in the government wells was
strong with salt, yet the people drank
them dry Ia forty minutes
At saltwater the crowd numbered about
1000, most OF whom went into the Sawnee
country and scattered. One man was
killed there and several badly injured.
At Hennessy about 1900 people were
massed, thres-fourths OF them bound for
the town site Of Enid, and the same
scenes were enacted 40 at Perry. One man
n reported shot over q town-lot quarrel,
and one woman injured BY throwing her
.