The Globe-republican., 1893-09-22
AFTER THE RUSH.



Frightful Scenes Along the Path Of Home
seekers-Many Dead Bodies Found.
ARKANSAS. CITY, Sept, IA mum
J Der of tragedies signalized the open
| ing of the Cherokee strip. The report
are meager and are not detailed as I,
either the names or residences of per
sons who have fallen victims either t.
bullets or the fierce prairie fires which
swept the entire strip. Hardly any o
| the boomers who entered the STRIP
Saturday carried on their persons any
thing to identify them. Eight or ter
dead bodies have been found, but a,
this writing there is no means of iden
tifying them
A settler who succeeded in locating
and taking a claim in the Cherokee
river country came up on the Atchison
Topeka & Santa Fe road and told OF
seeing six dead bodies between his
point of departure and the new town OF
Cross on the Atchison. Two of them
had bullet holes in the forehead. They
were lying close together, and there is
every reason to believe that they were
contestants for the quarter section OF
land on which both were found, and
that they killed each other in a
deadly duel to determine supremacy.
Both of them had revolvers in
their hands, but the fact that
both were shot in the forehead
and at almost the same spot lends color
to the suspicion that one or both of
them committed suicide in the desoera-
ton of defeat in the race. One o. the
dead men was tall. with ford COM
plexion and blonde mustache. He wore
brown colored trousers and a blue
shirt, but neither vest nor coat. The
other dead man was shorter. with dark
complexion and dressed in dark suit.
If either of them had family or friends
in the country they were at their death
far away from them, as there was no
one among the crowds of curious sight
seers who saw the bodies that could
identify them.
Not far from this CHASTITY scene four
bodies were discovered at considerable
distance apart burned to crisp ind
in the event of any one
being able to say who they were or
where they came from. They had fallen
victims to the prairie fires, which in
that region of bottom land where the
grass was much taller than in the up
lands, destroyed everything caught in
their path. Nothing of the horses
which the dead men must have rode
into the country was to be seen. The
is that they escaped from
their riders This is the boomers story.
1t is certain that prairie fires destroyed
life Saturday night. The dead body of
a woman was found who had evidently
fallen a victim to them. How she came
to be alone on the prairie, or whether
she was deserted in the extremity of
danger by those who should either have
protected her or died with her, will
perhaps never be known. The remains
were brought to Cross.
THE SOONER.
ARKANSAS CITY, Kan, Sept 19.-Sto-
ries of casualties, homicides and fatal
tiles from innumerable causes over the
strip opening are being reported here
without number, but few of them can
be verified, and still fewer are told
with names and details. Tragedy and
comedy are closely intermingled, and
pathetic incidents are followed by |
hose of the most ridiculous character. |
SoOners are being treated with no |
gentle hands, and many men who have |
sought to take unfair advantage will |
not live to give utterance to the per- |
Jury that is in their hearts. Gener- |
lily speaking, the sooners got what |
hey claimed in Perry, but on
Black Bear creek, west of Perry.
our sooners were routed and
lriven off their claims by four
men who made the run from
viz: James Trimble and Nat |
Howell, of Atchison county; Jack
Simpson, of jefferson county, and
George Wright, of Arkansas City.
These four had fixed their eyes on the
Black Bear valley and got start from
orlando well in front of the crowd.
They kept the lead and reached Black
Bear in fifty minutes. There they
ound the bottom land in possession of
our men who had neither horse nor
wagon. 1t was clear case of sooner,
nd Trimble, who was in command of
lis party, at once set up an adverse
lain. There was a short parley, but
he Kansas men showed fight and the
ooners weakened and moved on, TAX
ng claims on the uplands.
1t was reported. on what seemed
'ood authority, that Mrs Charles
Barnes, of Eldorado. Kan. had been
brown from her horse and killed
While making the race about mile
outh of Perry Saturday afternoon. A
met the lady alive and
veil this afternoon at Perry. She said
was true that her horse had fallen,
Tut she was not run over and easily re-
overed from the shock she expert
need. She left her horse wounded on
he ground and ran into the town-site
n foot, where she is now holding down
good lot with true Kansas pluck.
At Ponca boy rode INTO the town on
broncho The horse became fright
ned at the bowling and the many
ights and started to run. He stumbled
n gully, pitching the boy over his
cad, killing him instantly. There
Tas nothing on the boys person bv
rhich he cOnld h, identified