The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-09-18
NO LONGER A MYSTERY.
The Promise Of Plenty Has Material
iz,d Into Very Discourage
ing Certainty.
Cherokee Boomers Suffering From
Hunger and Thirst On
Their Claims.
The Exodus OF disappointed People Has
Already Begun From the Over
crowded Strip of Land.

Arkansas Cry, Kan, Sept. 1.-THE mys-
terry which through 10 many long years OF
anxious Whiting has shroudsd the real
character Of the Cherokee strip has been
swept away. It. Was promised land, but
has not kept its promise. 1t may do so n
year from now. but at present the strip Is
about the most uninvitipg quarter On the
face nf the earth. Water IL obtainable only
In few plaoes. Food is 80 scarce that n
loaf of bread costs 30 cents. and smoked
ham IL worth ST. pound. The weather ia
suffooating. and another hot parchine wind
IL blowing. The drought Of the past month
left the country burned dry. and a smoth-
erinR dust. a. fne as ashes. fills the air,
adding to the thirst and general discom-
torture cf tho unhappy boomers. Prairie
fires are blazing in many places and the
boomers ase out fighting off the flames.
To- dav was generally given over to an
effort to bring order out of chaos.
ranged their primitive houses as com
fortably as possible and began a search for
water. either in creeks or springs or in
driving q we'll. Tho county seats and
townsitss have become busy communities.
Those reached BY the railways are fairly
well supplied with PROVISIONS. but in those
off the lines OF travel the commonest COM
modities command fancy prices. At Will
low SPRINGS water sells At 10 cents glass.
Ressaurants. shops of all kinds. drinking
places and gambling houses are established
in tents and doing thriving business. At
Perry and Wharton to-day church services
were held, but very slimlv attended.
The oenters of interest are now trans-
ferred to the government land Offices. At
Kingfsher to-day 600 tired, weary boomers
lined up in front OF the Office and will keep
their places until tho office opsns up to.
morrow. At Guthrie no less than /, 200
mon and women are in line. At Perry a
line of men miles long stretches away from
the land Office, and at Wharton ], 200 peo-
pie are in line. At Pond Greek the crowd
desrous OF doing business with the land
office 10 enormous.
Arkansaa City and Perry. Not all wete
iden titled, and the manner of death of only
a few was ascertained. The number who
received broken arms and legs and other
injuries In the rush yesterday was very
great and doctors are kept busy attending
to tho wounded.
Near Black Bear the body of James Rear
don, of Milford, Mass. was found on the
prairie after the ruah. He had been
stabbed TO death and the weapon was stick
| ing In his Breast Further north the body
of w. D. Blake. supposed to be from
Gainesville. Tex. was found. He had been
shot through ths heart. whether purposely
or accidentally ia not known. The body OF
Madeline Granger, of Ierfe Haute, was
| also found on the prairie. There we're nc
marks of violence and it is thought she
dropped dead of exhaustion or ex-
oitement. Many bodies of horses
lay on the prairie. having, been
ridden BY their owners till they dropped,
and there they we're left to die. 1 he soldiers
shot four sooners near Saltwater. o. T.,
and Al kansas City, Kan. James H. Hill. OF
kinRhorn, N. j., was shot and instantly
killed by . soldier at the line of the Chi.
locoo reservation. He started into the striI
before the signal was given. The soldie,
ordered him to stop. but he did not heed
the warning. The soldier fred and Hill
fell dead. He had $500 on his pc son. II
was turned over to the sheriff.