Evening journal., 1893-06-05
BOOMERS ARE STARVING
F fifteen Thousand Human Be-
ings Living in Huts.
AWAITIEGN GNBWsFROM WASHINGTON

They Have Been Living for Months on
the borders OF the Great Cherokee
Strip, That Garden of Edenp of the
west-PhiIanthropic Farmers VIII
Not See Them starve.
New YORK, June 5.-A New York
special from Arkansas City, Kan, says;
Fifteen thousand people are encamped
in the southern tier of Kansas counties
to day. Six months ago they started
from their homes for the Cherokee strip.
Newspaper reports had said it would be
thrown open in the early spring, and so
they set out for the southern part of Kan
sas and waited for the word from Wash
ington.
John w. Noble went out of Office and
the Hoke Smith administration Of the In
terror Department went in, but nothing
came from Washington to indicate that
the government and the Cherokees meant
to make a final and definite announce
ment
Hustled" to Keep Alive.
When the hard freezes and heavy
snow storms of the early spring came
it was feared that the unfortunates
would die by hundreds, but they
''hustled" and kept alive. The settled
farmers threatened to eject the poor
travellers who were waiting for the word
that would send them over the border,
but the men of the wagon parties offered
TO work for the privilege Of squatting
until the opening day. So this
81, sfr1~ - eAf l.,
border.
Hundreds Of little huts of rails and
sod were built for seventy-fve or one
hundred miles along the border. Others
live in their wagons while many made
their canvas covers into tents.
IL Can't See People starve.
The Sun correspondent started out
from Arkansas City one day last week
and rode for several hours among the
squatters. Nearly all of them were
anxious for information from Washing
ton. One old man said:
81 have lived in Illinois for forty
years and / never failed to raise crop.
but mortgaged my little place to come
out here and get bigger farm. My out
fit cost a good bit, and living here for
months with no work has nearly used
up all I've got If it was only for my
own folks that had to spend it would be
all right, but nearly all the neighbors
wagons were out Of food, and can't see
people starve. If thought this pesly
strip wouldn't open until September I'd
go back to Illinois again wiser man il
not so well of. "
Feared They Would Raid Towns.
Early this year It was believed the
boomers would raid the towns for food
but they managed to get along. Th'
crowd is made up of honest farmers, VIII,
would rather so hungry than beg oi
steal They have worked like Troians t.
feed the hundreds of dependent mouths
The people are still arriving. Half
dozen wagons day six occupants Il
each wagon, are coming.
A Garden Of Eden.
The Cherokee strip is a valuable re
gion, but is not worth as much as i
popularity thought. The western one
third is practically valueless, being mad
up of sand and salt plains, poorl
watered.
The central third is better. but not NJ
to the standard of good farming land il
the Central and Eastern, States but tn
eastern third of the strip is Garden o
Eden.
The boomer who rushes into the stri
in the hope of getting a fine farm is NOR
likely than not TO get poorer piece o
land than he had. in the states. Tn
eastern part is not as readily accessibl
as the West.