The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1893-09-23
BIGGEST RUN ON RECORD.
How the Cherokee Strip was Set
tied In a Day.
Specimen Pictures OF the Start From the
Border Land with Incidental Hap
penings, Arrays and
Casualties.
The Start From Arkansas city.

high noon yesterday the carbines of
100 cavalrymen cracked and the great
est race for homes that has ever been
run commenced. Massed on the bor-
der, south of this city, were fully S0,-
900 people, all guided by one impulse
and all eager for the race. In the
mass were many fast horses. aggre-
eating in value many thousands of
dollars, and many that could be bought
in any horse market for $40, yet every
one was confident that he would win
the best quarter section. At noon
every man held his watch in hand, and
almost before the starting gun was
heard the shril1 "Yip, yip," of the cow
boys was heard. A patter of hoofs and
the whole mass was in irresistible mo-
tior. As it got under way it roared
like an express train crossing a tres
tie. A dense cloud of dust arose as
the hoofs beat up the dry earth and
soon eveloped all in an impenetrable
cloud.
Away in front were the fast horses
surrounded by the cowboys Soon
after they had disappeared dense clouds
of smoke arose in their rear and those
following knew that they had fired the
prairie to retard those following. A
good many of the settlers were driven
back by the flames and smoke The
grass is high and as dry as gunpowder
and burned fiercely.
A maiden lady named Sabetha Sharp,
from Oklahoma City, went in on a
boomer wagon. When it had passed
over the first claim she jumped out and
planted her flag. Thousands of people
had passed over it, but as she ex-
pressed it: 1T was good enough for
her." After the rush was over she was
offered e., 200 for it by banker of this
city.
A young man named Hill was muir
dered by soldier of the Third cav
airy just as the rush was about to be-
gin. Hill and two companions were
on restive horses which rushed beyond
the line couple of times. They were
warned back by the soldiers. just
before the run took place, the horse
ridden by Hill became very much ex-
cited and got away from him. The
soldier became enraged at the appar-
ent disobedience of his orders and shot
him through the head. The dead body
of Hill was brought to this city and
the soldier was placed under arrest by
his officers.
At an early hour people began
thronging to the Santa Fe railroad by
thousands to be on hand for the trains
For hours a long line of men and
women awaiting to buy tickets ex-
tended from the ticket window out
half the length of the platform. The
waiting-rooms and platform were
packed to suffocation. The crowd
swarmed around the track and fagmen
preceded the engines to keep peo-
pie back. Seven train loads were
handled into the strip from here, and
they were so crowded that several per-
sons who were climbing to the tops of
the coaches were jostled off and seri-
ously injured. The trains moved very
slowly or many would have been
killed.
Rumors Of many affrays are current
here tonight, and while some may
have occurred between sooners and
homeseekers, it is absolutely impossi-
BILE to corroborate them. One is to the
effect that five men were killed in a
free-for-all fight over a valuable town
site claim adjoining Blackwell, but no
particulars of it can be obtained here.
An enterprising undertaken, who has
great faith in the reported fatalities,
started three wagon loads of collins for
Kildare. The dead body of n boomer,
shot through the head, was found two
miles west and one north of Kildare,
yesterday afternoon. The body was
taken to Kildare, but not identified.
Camp fires burned brightly all over
the Cherokee outlet last night The
great rush yesterday was to Perry,
where it is estimated that fully 10000
people were located last night. Soon
ers got the best lots and long line is
now formed in front of the land office
to make filings.
One death was reported at 6 o'clock.
that of a young woman named Maggie
Markham, of Guthrie, whose horse
stumbled as she was riding into the
town site. She was thrown to the
ground and trampled to death by
those who followed her.
The wild Rush From Caldwell.
CALDWELL Kas., Sept IL Two
minutes after noon yesterday 10000
people who had gathered along the
border south of Caldwell were rushing
heller skelter into the strip in every
direction as far as the eye could reach.
Five minutes later the foremost and
fleetest horsemen were mere specks,
while in the distance behind them
were hundreds of white-covered
wagons, drags and buggies, trooping
into the land of promise, leaving be-
hind them great clouds of dust to mark
the line.
At IL o'clock q cannon was fred sew
eral miles east of the hills where
sight-seers had assembled. Then came
carbine shots and the race for the COW
eted land was begun. The race was at
first fast one and hundreds of men
on horseback darted forward to lead
the crowd.
Two men on safety bicycles who had
really gone into the strip along the
Rock Island track unobserved, ten
minutes before IL, were for long time
ahead of everyone and went out of
sight first.
One mounted man, half mile from
the line, got early in the lead, his horse
running like racer. Suddenly the
man fell to the ground and half
dozen horses passed over him. His life
was only saved by q cavalryman, who
was near by and who, at the point of
o pistol. compelled the wild drivers to
turn aside. The man was given aid by
the soldier and helped to his horse. He
Immediately dashed away again to re-
gain his place in the procession. He
was conspicuous in the crowd on ac-
count Of his clothes, and people who
had seen him fall and were interested in
seeing him regain his place, were horri-
fed to see him dashed to the ground
second time as his horse passed over
the hills mile away. There was so
much dust in the air that the man was
not seen afterward.
In the meantime a train of thirty