The Globe-republican., 1893-09-22
MAD RUSH.
The Promised Land, Finally Opened
to Settlement.
Unparalleled Scenes in the Wild Scramble
for Homes Upon the Cherokee Strip-A
jam of Men. Women, Children,
Horses and Wagons.
The start.

DlneS cracked In the dry air ana with
exulting yells 30. 900 men and women,
all American citizens rushed onto the
Cherokee strip-almost the last section
of the public domain that will be
thrown open to general settlement
The view of the rush at II o'clock
from the observatory on the Chilocco
school was full of exciting interest
Just before the hour with a field glass
the long line of horses and men densely
packed for 200 feet back could be seen.
At high noon the sharp crack of a re-
volver was distinctly heard and imme-
diately following came the reports of
the carbines. A hoarse yell went up,
softened by the distance, and the line
got in motion.
Horses were seen to shoot out from
the ruck and dash across the prairie
Then a dense cloud of dust obscured
the line for moment. but brisk
wind cleared it away, and the men and
wagons could be seen scattering as the
slowest were left behind. Now and
then a wagon would go over with a
wheel knocked off.
A horse was seen to rear in the air as
he was struck by wagon tongue and
fall back. His rider was up in an in
slant and bent over his horse. Then
he arose, and from his gestures it was
plainly seen that he had been left at
the post.
The last of the rushing hosts were
not long in disappearing over the hill
into the swale at the south line of the
Chilocco reserve, the rear being brought
up by throng of men and women on
foot and few teams on a walk.
At Caldwell.
CALDWELL, Kan, Sept. 1S.-Two min
utes after noon 10000 people who had
gathered along the border south of
Caldwell were rushing helter-skelter
into the strip in every direction as far
as the eye could reach. Five minutes
later, the fleetest and foremost horse
men were mere specl1s and in clouds of
dust in the distance and behind them
were hundreds and hundreds Of white
covered wagons and buggies trooping
into the land, leaving behind them
great clouds of dust to mark the line.
The people did not become impatient
until few minutes before IL o'clock,
when the cavalrymen made their last
rides up and down the column. For
five minutes before the signal all had
been getting ready and there was more
excitement than ever along the lines of
people who had stood SO many hours
waiting for the opening.
At IL o'clock a cannon sounded away
off several miles east of the hills where
sightseers had assembled. There was
a cloud of dust in the distance. There
was another report nearer, but it was
the report of a cavalryman's carbine.
The line of dust advanced up the col
umn, the rumbling sound caused by
the stampeding of hundreds of horses
increased. Another carbine was fired
and away went all the people toward
the south.
The race at first was fast one and
hundreds of men on horseback darted
out of the mass and began to lead the
crowd. There were some lively races,
but there were too many entries to OBJ
serve individual contests
The Start at Orlando.
ORLANDO. Ok, Sept. 1S.-Twenty-five |
thousand men and women with a good |
ly number of boys and girls started at
the sound of carbines held by cavalry |
men sharp at noon. Hundreds went in |
on trains which were jammed but the
grand rush was by horse and wagon.
Trains both north and south bound |
ran IN many sections and all were |
loaded to the platforms. Women chung |
to the guard rails and men hung to the
engines and the roof like bees. The |
rush was especially big from Arkansas
City and was made up of men who came !
to this side of the strip to run for Perry !
town lots. Conductors estimate that |
NC less than 5000 men crossed the strip |
Friday.
Rush from saltwater.
SALTWATER. Ok, Sept is. Ten |
thousand sturdy homeseekers were let |
loose on the heretofore forbidden lands |
north of here sharp at noon.
All of this army of men were after
homesteads and none wanted town lots |
In consequence there was no thorough
bred racers in the line. Scores went |
into the lands in wagons with equip
ments necessary to begin farm work at |
once.
There We're of course many exciting
races for quarter sections believed to
be extra good, but these contests were
not marked features of the run.
A Ho.d-Up In Michigan.
HoUGHTcN. Mich. Sept l6-The ex-
press car of the mineral range passen-
ger train, which left Hancock at
O'Clock yesterday morning for Calumet.
was held up and robbed by bandits, a
half mile from Boston station. about
half an hour later. The robbers Sc
cured $4,000 in cash, money intended
for the employees of the Calumet and
Hecla copper mine, for whom to-day
was pay day. The money was drawn
from the First national bank of Hough-
ton and the Superior savings bank of
Hancock
Fred l. AmeS Dead.
New York, Sept. l4.-Frederick [.
Ames. vice president OF the Old Colony
railroad, director in several railroads
and multi-millionaire. was found dead