The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1893-09-20
1,:! Nnsil for Homes in the Indian
9erriiuiJ.

GUTHRIE, o. T., September 16.-All
night there was hurrying to and fro, and
but few Of the 10000 boomers on the
borders of the promised land closed their
eyes in sleep. With prairie fires raging
in front and mind and body strained in
view of the coming struggle, there was
no room for sleep nor inclination to rest.
Before the break of day everybody was
astir. This morning the scenes are the
same as those witnessed at all Of the other
great land rushes.
The day starts out cloudy, with every
indication of rain before night.
At least one hundred and fifty thous-
and people bivouacked on the border Of
the strip last night. Long before day.
light thousands had assem- bled about the
Santa Fe depot here, and train after train
was speedily packed with people and
pulled out Tor Orlando. arriving at Or
lando all were compelled to leave the car
and take places with the fifteen
thousand people who had spent the night
here
At II o'clock the first train pulled up
to the line and others came right behind
it. There were at least half dozen
trains. Every body wantod to ride on the
lirst one and as far forward in that as
possible. With wild shout the crowd
rushed forward. The soldiers on the
ground were swept from their feet, and
for moment it seemed as though mob
would capture the train. for men and
women were around and over the engine
and tender, upon and under the plat
forms and even upon the roof Of the
coaches.
The blue coated guardians soon recov-
cred, however, and with fixed bayonets
cleared the train and compelled everybody
to show his or her certificate before en-
tering. But on every side people
fought and struggled together near the
cars.
Women had their clothes torn off, and
men were knocked down and trampled
upon.
Scores Of people were injured. and yet
the struggle was kept up until the train
was filled, and this was repeat
ed on q smaller scale at each succeeding
train.
ARKANSAS CITY, KAN, September 1G:
One hundred thousand people settled
upon the Cherokee Strip to-day. AT noon
the signal was given announcing the
passing Of the title of the land from the
United States Government to the BOOM
ers, and race such as was never wit
messed before, and will probably never
be seen again was begun. On, the lines
in the vicinity of various border towns
the boomers had gathered In great mum. ~ 2 :
bers. AS far as the eye could reach In
either direction could be seen men
mounted and in wagons and on foot,
closely packed together, Making colid
column 200 feet in the middle, and ta-
pering away to mere streak in the dis
lance. The scene when the column
broke at the firing of the signal gun and
each individual entered contest for
common prize can be imagined better
than described.
Confusion reigned everywhere. So
closely were the contestants packed to-
gether that the start was hazardous one.
Horsemen were Cnseated, wagons over
thrown and pedestrians prostrated in the
mad rush to be off. The cries of angered
men mingled with the neighing OF panic
stricken horses, the shouts Of the racers,
the Gathering of hoofs, the rafting OF the
wagons and the shrieks of the locomotive
com bined in roar similar to that ao-
companying the progress of tornado:
In the race many men we're injured and
some killed. Of the latter some were
killed by accident and two were MUIR
dered. The details of the crimes are not
known, but the bodies, one sta bbed and
the other shot through the head, tell the
manner of death.
Many dead horses Have been found on
the prairie. Some died of oyer-exertion,
some were killed by falling in the race,
and others, receiving broken limbs IN
the rough prairie, were shot by their
owners.
Tonight the Strip, which twelve hours
ago was wholly deserted, is a populous
country. Four OF the new towns have
populations estimated at 5000 each 9TH
ers boast of populations ranging from
1000 to 5000. Every descrihable claim
has at least one claimant and many have
two to four.
Wagon and freight train loads of sup
plies followed the settlers into the Strip.
The teams distributed provisions at the
various county seats and town sites where
stores have been opened in canvas tents
pending the erection of buildings. Camp
fires dot the prairies in all directions to-
night where the home-seekerS have es-
tablished temporary camps.
GUTHRIE, o. r., September 16.-Infor-
nation received here by courier. tells OF
four ssooners" being shot and fatally
wounded last night by soldiers. The
killed had received their certificates and
gone into the Strip to locate their claims:
Several soldiers came upon the "sooners"
and called upon them to halt, which they
refused to do, whereupon the soldiers
fired on them.
Those on the first train secured some
business lots and those OF the second
some residence lots in the outskirts, but
the seven Thousand in the other trains got
nothing, 1t wss wild and exciting race
all the way between the trains and horse
men, with the odds in favor of the hor-
ses. w. G. Ramsey, of Eidorado, Kan,
was the first horseman to arrive from the
south line, and he staked fine corner
lot at 1928. He says large portion OF
the town site was taken by ''sooners, :"
who were walking leisurely into the
town from the west when he arrived.
Carl Craig, of Guthrie, made the run in
twenty-five minutes and was the first
man to file, securing claim adjoining
the town site north, worth $4,000. The
land Office men were green hands and
were bunglingly making only seven
filings in two hours,
Ten thousand people went to the town
site of Enid. An Indian who stood upon
bill and viewed the race expressed the
entire situation in the following terse
way: "White man heap foot, train no
good, horse beat train, man on foot VINO