The Butler weekly times., 1893-09-21
MANY HOPES CRUSHED.
All That the Strip Promised Has
Not Been Realized.
Reports Of Tragedies Committed in
Fights Over CIainis.-Seyeral
Duets to the Death

Duets to the Death
Arkansas City, Kan, Sept. II -
The bright land of promise, the
| Cherokee Outlet, has proven land
of disappointment and despair to
hundreds of people who rushed into
it yesterday full of hope and conf
dence. TO- day they are moving
YEARLY back over the route which
they raced over yesterday, thorough
~ convinced that the country is
not what they supposed it was The
trains out of the strip are all heavily
loaded with disappointed town lot
hunters and the many who went in
yesterday as sightseers. The pral
rie between Arkansas City and Perry
is dotted with settlers wagons, tents
and miniature sod houses erected by
those who located on claims yester
day. Small white flags on which
are the words, This claim taken,"
wave VIGOROUSLY in the breezes on
every hand, and frequently three or
four on single quarter section, in
dica:ive Of bitterly fought contests
to be made before the land office
Broken wagons and disabled horses
are scattered along the high way par
allelling the railroad, telling of the
mishaps encountered by many who
rode and drove
ALI sorts of rude business houses
were opened aud groceries, saloons,
restaurants, and SO called hotels did
a thriving business, and restaurants
were all running in tents, bat none
of them were dust-proof, and table,
plates and food were black with
dirt Walters wore dust glasses and
wells, and dishes were wiped with
towels that would rival a printing
Office towel for blackness, a moment
before the food was served. The
homliest meals were in great demand
at 80 cents each, and beer was solo
only by the bottle and at the same
price. Water was very scarce and
water venders had stands in all parts
OF the city. Ice water brought five
cents glass and water for horses,
that was fit to use, was not obtaina
BILE. In the creek bottom on the east
side of the track was a deep hole,
filled with muddy, stagnant water,
into which the horses were rode to
quench their thirst. Above this
muddy pool several wells were dug
and water was found few feet be-
low the surface.
The most exciting ride made by
anyone out of Orlando yesterday
was that of Buffalo Jones, once a
member of the Kansas legislature
but now the owner of a buffalo ranch
in Nebraska He rode two horses,
changing from one to the other at
full gallop. In this way he preserv-
ed his horses strength to the last,
and was an easy winner against any
one who made the start the same
time he did. He made a location on
a quarter section adjoining the gov
ernment county seat, and to day his
claim is covered with tents.
| DEAD ON THE PRAIRIE.
A number of tragedies sisnalized
the opening of the strip. The re-
ports are meager and are not detail
ed as to either the names or resi-
dences of persons who have fallen
victims either to bullets or the fierce
prairie fires which swept the entire
strip last night. Hardly any of the
boomers who entered the strip yes
terday carried on their persons any
thing to identify them. Eight or ten
dead bodies have been found, but at
this writing there is no means of
identifying them.
A settler who succeeded in locat-
ing and taking claim in the Chero-
kee river county came up on the
Achison, Topeka and Santa Fe road
to-day told of seeing six dead bodies
between his point of departure and
the new town of Cross on the Achi
son. Two of them had bullet holes
in their foreheads. They were lying
close together, and there is every
reason to believe that they were con-
testants for the quarter section of
of land on which both were
found, and that they killed each
other in deadly duel to determine
supremacy. Both of them had re-
volvers in their hand. but the fact
that both were shot in the forehead
and at almost the same spot lends
color to the suspicion that one or
both of them committed suicide il
the desperation of defeat in the race.
One is tall, Aorid complexion, blonde
mustache, wore brown trousers and
blue shirt, no coat and vest. The