The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-09-16
THELANDRACETODAY
Boomers Camped All Around
the Cherokee Strip.
At NOON TO-DAY THEY START.
sevensy- Eight Thousand Heads OF Fam
lilies TO Fight for the Earth-fse.ooo
People In the Strip Tonight

noon tomorrow the Cherokee strip passes
from the government to the homeseekers-
Thanks TO the relief afforded by the in
terror department, there is now every pros
pect that all will obtain certificates.
There has been q steady exodus
today and tonight of certif-
cate-holding homeseekers from the
towns and camps TO convenient places
along the border, whence an advantageous
start can be made. The farmers have
nearly all secured certificates and loaded
their prairie schooners and moved on with
their families. The spectators. townsit-
ers and gamblers still remain in the towns
and will go on tomorrow's railway trains.
The Santa Fe will run six trains for
boomers. Three will start from this side
OF the line and three from the Oklahoma
side. On the kiowa line one train viii De
run in each direction. The Rock Island
will run six trains, three south from Cald-
well and three north from Hennessey. u
T. These trains will be run under super
vision OF the interior department at
speed not exceeding twelve miles an hour.
Most of the men seeking homestead claims
will make the race on horses. but some go
on foot and a few on bicycles.
The entries for the race arc estimated at
7s,0co. Twenty-Five thousand will go from
Arkansas City and vicinity, 5000 from
Caldwell, 5000 from kiowa, 5000. from
Hunneweli. 1I,000 from Orlando, 1900
from Saltwater and 5000 from other
points. Half the homeseeKers, il is esti-
mated, have families. and the population
of the strip tomorrow may be at least
10000
The booth in town was besieged all day.
Double lines were formed, each containing
at least 5000 people. At 6 o'clock this
evening about 5000 certificates had been
issued. but the lines still contained fully
equal that number of people. The booth will
be kept open all night. The establishment
of this booth in town has undoubtedly been
the means of saving many lives today.
as it was comparatively sheltered and the
people had an opportunity of getting water
and food, which they could not do At the
other booths. One consequence of its
establishment was thats the larger proper
ton of the people at the outside booths
abandoned them and made a grand rush
for town, leaving only about 5000
at the booths on the border and
at O'Clock only about ! 800 were in line
there. A booth was opened at Guthrie
yesterday and about ! 600 certificates had
been issued when word came from Wash
ington City that the booth must be moved
to Orlando. At the latter point about 1000
certificates were issued today. At Cald-
we'll practically all have been supplied
with certificates.
Al Hennessy today a man named Nib
lock, said to have been a liquor dealer
from Kansas City, fell dead in the line.
He had paid SIS during the day in S. in
stallments 10 get ahead in the line.
At Saltwater this afternoon ]. FL. Card
well, of Gainesville, Tex. was buncoed out
OF $26o As soon as he realized what had
been done he started for the confidence
man with a,gun. The gambler ran, but
the Texan brought him to the ground with
a bullet in the shoulder, and not only re-
covered his own money but 500 in addi-
ton. Commentator was so general that
the gam bier made no effort to recover his
money.
At Guthrie, contraband business in GER
tificates has been going on since Tuesday.
and it is estimated that there and at Okla
homa City from 500 TO 1000 persons have
given up s. for certificates. If they are,
genuine trouble is in store for some of the
booth clerks. The plan of operation was
for a man to sign an official declaration,
which was taken to Orlando on the after
noon train and the certificate returned
next morning. Persons in the scheme at
this end say they divided the profits with
the clerks.
Tonight thousands are camped along
the line, the fires making an almost un-
broken chain along the border. Today
was cool in comparison with the last few
days, the thermometer standing at 9o.with
the wind from the north. The indica-
tions for tomorrow are for clear, warm
| day. with northerly winds.
ST. Louis. Sept. IA special to the
Republic from Guthrie. o. T., says: Fiji
teen thousand people are massed about the
Santa Fe depot ready to fight for place
on the first train tomorrow. The railway
company will not be able to carry
over half of these people, and the
struggle for place on the train will
be n terrible one. Nineteen people were
Frustrated with heat today, and three
| died. One young man went raving crazy
and was locked in Jail here, with no clue
| to his identity. Several large fires were
started upon the strip tonight, and 1t is
feared many settlers will be caupht IN