The record-union., 1893-09-18
Special to the REooRD-UN1oN.

ARKANSAS CITY (Kas.), Sept. 1.-THE
mystery which through so many long
years of anxious waiting shrouded the
real character of the Cherokee strip is
swept away. 1t was a promised land,
but not kept promise. 1t may do so a
year from now, but at present the strip is
about the most uninviting quarter on the
face of the earth. Water is obtainable
only in few places. Food is SO scarce
that loaf of bread costs fifty cents, and
pound of smoked ham is worth a dollar.
The weather is sutfocatfng, and another
hot, parching wind blowing. The
drought the past month left the country
a burned, dry and smothering dust. Fine
sand and ashes fill the air, adding to the
thirst and general discomfort of the un-
happy boomers. Prairie fires are blazing
in many places, and the boomers are out
fighting OFT the flames.
To-day was generally given over to an
effort to bring order out Of chaos. Farm
ers' families put up tents, arranged prm-
tive houses as comfortably as possible,
and began a search for water, either i'll
creeks, springs or in driving wells.
County seats and tOwnsites became busy
communities. Those reached by railways
were fairly we'll supplied with provi-
sions, but in those OFT the lines Of travel
the commoneSt commodities command
fancy prices. At Willow Springs water
sells at ten cents a glass. Restaurants
and shops of all kinds, drlnking-places
and gam bling-houseS are established i'll
tents and doing a thriving business. At
Percy and Wharton to-day church serv-
ices were held but were very slimly at
tended.
-, f,-a,
ferred to the Government Land Offices.
At Kingfisher to-day 800 tired, weary
boomers were in line in front of the
office, and will keep their places until the
office opens up tomorrow. AT Guthrie
no less than 200 men and women were
in line. AT Percy a line of men miles
long stretches away from the Land
Office, and at Wharton 1920 people are in
line. At Pond Creek the crowd deSirOus
of doing business with the Land Office is
enormous.
At noon yesterday the signal was given
and the great race of home-seekers began.
AS far as the eye could reach in either di
rection could be seen men mounted and
in wagons and on foot. closely packed to-
gether, making solid column 200 feet
OF more wide in the middle and tapering
away to a mere streak in the distance,
Confusion reigned everywhere. So
closely were the contestants packed to-
gether that the start was hazardous in the
extreme. Horsemen were unseated,
Wagons overthrown and pedestrians
prostrated in the mad rush.
The serted ranks were soon broken,l
and the rushing boomers spread out over
the strip. those best mounted being in the
lead. There were collisions and other
nishaps here and there; the breaking
down of vehicles, dashing not only the
boomers but their hopes to the ground,
and horses refusing to cross deep gullies
and riders abandoning them and continu-
ing the race on foot, or making long de-
tours to avoid bad ground. Here was a
neck-and- race between horsemen
who had chosen the same town lot or
quarter section of land. Stumbling over
rocks, wading streams and climbing pre-
cipitouS banks, on they go. The chivalry
which relinquishes places In the line to
women all disappears in the scramble for
actual results. The women had taken
their chances with the men in the race,
and it is to their credit that some of them
made as good showing In the struggle as
the alleged lords OF creation. reaching
their goal in time to pre-empt the desired
bits OF mother earth.
James H. Hill of Kingborn, n. j., was
shot and instantly killed by a soldier at
the southwest corner of the Chilocco res
ervation. He started into the strip be-
fore the signal was given. The soldiers
warned him to stop, but he did not heed
orders and they fired upon him.
In the race many men were injured and
some were killed, of the latter two were
murdered, one stabbed and the other shot
through the head. There are many dead
horses on the prairie.
-Four of the new town sites have popu-
lations estimated at 5000 each and the
others boast of populations ranging from
l to Z 10 nlait1 h,c
at least one claimant and many have two
or four
Enough people made the run to furnish
each OF the u, 600 homesteads with an oc-
cupant and give every townsite 500 in
habitants. over 225,0O0 certificates were
issued, but as large number took both
homestead and townsite certificates the
number of certificates does not represent
the number of boomers. 1t is estimated
$4,000 raced from Arkansas City, $1,000
from Caldwell, q, Goa from Orlando, 10000
from Hennesy, I0,000 from Stillwell, $1,000
from kiowa, 5000 from Hunnewell and
1900 TO 5000 from other points-in all,
nearly double the number which raced
into Oklahoma.
EXODUS OF DISAPPOINTED PEOPLE.
KANSAS CRY MOI, Sept. 17.-There
was big exodus of disappointed people
from the Cherokee strip to-day. The
Santa Ee brought In three special train
loads this morning, and the Rock Island
two. All the regular trains on both
roads were crowded with men and
women who were glad enough to get
back to civilization. A whole party of
people from Illinois who planned to es-
tablish a colony of their own in the strip
came back on the Santa Fe. They were the
most forlorn looking party the officials
of the union depot had ever seen. They
made the run on foot from the line north
of Orlando, o. T., and got nothing after
having stood in line Tor four days at the
registration booth, sleeping on the
ground and existing on muddy water
and dry bread. Enoch Hooker of Green
County, H., acted as spokesman for the
party.
Uncle Sam has turned bunco steerer,"
he said to reporter; .he has turned over
a lot of land OF no value to poor people,
and if they are ever able TO pay for it he
will be receiving money under false pre-
lenses. The railroads and newspapers
are in the play too. l predict this win
ter we will see more sickness, suffering
and death among people who have gone
to this promised land than has ever
been seen in any pioneer settlement.
Where we made the run the crush was
something terrible and the casualties
numerous. Just before the gun was fired,
one man started on foot into the strip. a
soldier of the guard called upon him to
halt and raised his rifle to his shoulder.
The mans partner rushed up to the
soldier and told him not to fire. The
man kept on running. The soldier fired,