The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1893-09-22
DYING ON THE DESERT.
Is The Hope of The Boomers
Instead of Finding What They Expect
ed, They Find Nothing.

Kansas City, Kas., Sept. 1.-THE
mystery which through so many long
years of anxious waiting shrouded
the real character of the Cherokee
Strip. the gauzy veil through which
expeciant home>seekers thought they
saw Canaan, has been swept away.
The Cherokee Strip is now reality,
and a very grim reality at that.
There is no Canaan about it, either.
II was Promised Land, but it has
not kept its promise. 1t may do so
year from now, but at present the
strip is about the most uninvitiDg
quarter on the tace of the earth.
Water is obtainable i'll only a few
places. Food ia SO scarce that loaf
of bread cost 80 cents and a pound
of smoked ham is worth 81. The
weather Is suffocatIng, and another
hot wind is blowing from the south
that would parch all vegetation if there
was any to parch. The drouth of
the last month has left the country
burned dry.
A smothering dust composed of
q combination of fine sand and
ashes of prairie fires fills the air and
adds to the thirst and general disc ,m-
fort of the unhappy boomers.
The carelss building of camp fires
has set the parched prairies afire IN
many places, and boomers are out
fighting off the flames. In other
places INSCRIPTIONS men have started
fires in hope OF driving some timor-
Gus claimant off a valuble tract. To-
day was generally given over to an
effort to bring order out of chaos.
The farmers families have put up
tents, arranged their primitive houses
as comfortable as possible, and have
begun to search for water either in
creeks, springs or in driving wells.
While the head of the family has
hustled off to the nearest land Office
to file his preliminary papers, this
work has been done by the remainder
of the family.
The county seats and the town
sites have become busy communities.
Those reached by the railways have
been fairly Well supplied with pro-
visions. In those off the lines OF
travel the commonest commodities
command fancy prices, SO greatly
does the demand exceed the sup
ply.
At William springs water sells at
10 cents glass, bread at so cents a
loaf, and other supplies at proper
tionate amoun's. Restaurants. shops
of all kinds, drinking places and |
gam bling houses have been estab-
lished in tents, and are doing a thriv>
ing business.
AT Perry and Wharton today
church service were held, but were
very shiny attended. People were
too weary after yesterdays great
race, too busy in administering to
bodily necessities or too indifferent to
20 to church.
The centers of interest have now
been transferred to the government
and offices. AT Kingfsher- today
500, tired, weary boomers lined up
N front of the office. and will keep
heir place until the office opens up |
tomorrow. AT Guthrie no less than
200 men and women are in line.
At Perry the new TOWNSHIP on the
santa Fe, line of men a mile long
treches away from the land offices,
nd at Wharton 1900 people are in
Inc. At Pond Creek, on the Rock
sland, the crowd of people DESTROYS (;
{ doing business with the land Office
, enormous. The crowds at the
and office must have suffered inten-
civ today. The sun was hidden be-
ind the clouds, but one of the IA
nous hot winds was blowing a gale s
ON. the south, carving dust in
louds. Men and women who dared Il
ne danger of Yesterdays rush, and b
Iho endured the hardships for the 10 4
avs preceding, held their places \
in line, and will do so until b
ley make sure of their claims fling Y
Ielr Observation-Disclosures.
r ok%a~ E~0v,n Wo chinor<1r