Rock Island daily Argus., 1893-09-16
TRAGEDY OR WHAT
Will Be the Outcome of the
Strip Rush?
INDICATIONS CT A FIERCE FIGHT

In Which the ''Fittest VIII Survive" or
Those Backed by the Heaviest 'ArtiI-
Iery Three Hundred Thousand Esti-
mated a. the Number That started for
Land and Trouble at Noon Today Pre-
par',tions for the Race.
GUTHRIE, o. 7, sept. 1G.-"Just Before
the Battle j. ;he refrain that is now being
sung by thousands of persons on the strip
line Many nan, feeling the gravity of
the situation and realizing the danger
that the day may bring forth, has written
letter home and sent what may be his
last message OF love. a hundred ard
twenty-five thousand people are waiting
the noon OF a day that will never be for
gotten by them. \ day that will bring
forth momentous results; a day, the his
tory OF whose doings may startle the whole
world. No sleep came to hloodshot and
sand-scratched eyes last night; no rest TO
weary limbs. Who among the many wait
ing thousands, who among the interested
spectators and anxious scanners of the
news can tell the outcome?
\ Momentous Day for Many.
For cites will be built. foundations Of
towns laid, fortunes reached and lives
blasted and sacrificed before the sun goes
down today. Yesterday was moment
Gus one to the thousands All day the
sun shone with summer heat, burning
the faces and parching the throats of the
thirsty people, until many gave up and
started for their homes, sick and broken
in body and spirit. At Orlando the pro-
visions ran low and many people were
hungry Is well as thirsty. Seven more
registering booths were opened and nearly
all the people were registered. Bv work
ing hard it is expected the clerks can regis
ter everybody in time Fully Il, 900 people
are now at Orlando who expect to 60 in
upon the trains and the railway will be
unable to carry them all.
\ Nice Crop of Law suits SOWING.
The struggle to get upon the train will
he terrible one and many people will nm
doubtedly be injured. At Arkansas CITY
II VII! be next to impossible TO register all
the people The same condition exists at
saltwater and Hennesey and there is no
doubt but that thousands will enter the
land without certificates, trusting to the
courts 20 uphold them.
a young woman was found at the Sante
Fe station raving crazy, who can not tell
eAA1 ''AAAi- 'b'ttA iltl.Ells rom ileT fANlNrS
1t seems she has lost her mind from expo-
sure AMI hardship il the line mt Orlando
and came here on the night tain.
Jesse q. Smith, of Warren county. XIV.
was fatally shot through the body Mt Or
lando by the aCcid rntal discharge of a re-
vOlyer
Prairie Fires Under Control
The prairie fires are now under control,
but II i feared that Others will be started
and the santa Fe company have a lar.-e
force Of guards along the line watching
for train wreckers, whom they fear will
try To prevent the trains from reaching the
townsites. The CherOkees have perfected
all arrangements for the opening of towns
on their allotmeuts and are now selling
town lots at Wharton, Willow Springs,
Cress EMS and Pond Greek Word from
Orlando says that 10000 certificates were
issued there and still a line of boomers was
before the Office, but the clerks are keeping
up pretty close.
Tine Situation Illustrated.
What sort Of rush there will be can be
Judged by the following: Most of the ar
rivals ut Arkansas City yesterday-and
they were tens OF thousands-intend tn
make for the town lots, and the great OBJ
iective point il the government county seat
and land Office OF Terry, ten miles north O:
Ihe OkIahoma line. The town site covers
an area of 32O acres, which has been cut
INTO nine lots to the acre, making a total
of 2,s>O lots to be divided among 10000 or
more people who will crowd in there to-
day ae soon as possible after the noon hour.
No other county seat town along the
Santa Re Is attracting any attention and
all those who get lots in the Cherokee
town sizes viii have TO buy them outright.
When the score of thousands get to the
site and begin the scramble it will be well
for the families Of the contestants if their
lives are insured.