The Indianapolis journal., 1894-01-05
HOLDING DOWN A CLAIM.
A Woman Describes Oklahoma as 1t
Appears to Be.

New York Tribune.
Everybody is familiar with the fact that
the Indian lands in the West gradually
being purchased by the government and
thrown open to white settlers, but how
many know the sequel? Only the few have
grasped the opportunity thereby offered
them and endured the trials. / am a
dweller in the Land of the Fair God" as
some sentimentalist has styled our beau
tiful Oklahoma, and have been an observer,
Western homesteader 1t presents many
phases Of hardship, some of enjoyment, and
9r to hS s seaRa IS IS n hay
good farm Is indeed a valuable acquisition,
but to secure one. even among the great
courage and tenacity of purpose, and that
Of the most daring kind,
Years ago Horace Greeley told the young
men to go out West and some OF them are
still going. l do not know whether Mr..
Greeley himself first went and viewed the
prospect before giving his advice. but he
should have warned the young men to take
a thorough training for prize fighter and
buckle on their weapons of defense II 1t
was their ambition to enter
claim 1 am not young man myself
but the other half of family is,
career in the Southwest, and know whereof
I write. The woman's side of the question,
however. although highly worthy of men,
ton. will not be considered. Many women
have been successful in the claim winning
business, generally in partnership with
their husbands, and some have fought and
the majority of homeseekers represent the
sturdy element Of the frontier-with now
and then tenderfoot-the young man who
went West. Being endowed with energy and
the usual desire for worldly possessions,
this individual sees a great possibility loom
ing up before his mental vision and comes
forth to array himself in line along with
hundreds of other anxious people to make
the race. He is filled with vast expecta-
tionS and soon catches the contagiOn of eX-
citement when he joins the throng of eager
men and women, white and black-and sew
on foot. Instantaneously with the hosting
of the flag everybody starts off at dead
run-a spectator will see the wide stretch
Of country dotted over with swift-going
horses; hats are lost, coats and dress skirts
fiutter I'm the breeze. wagons break down
and a general ..hurly burly" ensues for
every one has either selected a location or
returned from the field of struggle. OF
course our young man has planted his
stake and taken 160 acres of this broad,
green earth in his name His horse
may be dead and his own anatomy may be
badly damaged, yet he feels proud. He is
victorious. He Is going to grow up with
Alasl for this deuded young man and his
nothing ''; of the ways of the Willy western western
boomers by whom he IS surrounded and
with whom he has 1T to SeaIn zeal His growth is
develop his claim" as they term it. The
first thing in order is to make a filiI.g, SO
bly, he will rot get fifty yards away before
some other man, or woman, the case
may be, files a contest. Should 1T be a
woman the matter does not appear so diff
cult to compromise provided he is single.
To win a farm and a pretty Wife at one
stroke is not only rare and romantic CO.
Incidence, but also q great achievement
But a masculine contestant is under any
circumstances Il burdeI some quantity. In
spite of this slight annoyance he is conf
dent of his right, and is rot much disturbed.
He returns TO his newly and desperately
acquired possession, constructs boomers
centipedes or any other too friendly native
of the wild prairie. while forming plans for
comfort of a more civilized order. Mean
while he lives on stale bread, salt bacon ard
unirinkable water-even that hard to get.
He is lucky If he escapes a series of ma
larial chils. or if his stock is not poisoned,
should he have any. These are all trying
difficulties. but he surmounts them with a
complacent smile. is he not on the thorny
road to wealth?
Some fine day he goes out to discover that
some heretofore unsuspected villain has
Jumped his claim" and is leisurely turn
ing the sod on his fine stretch CT bottom
land and taking possession of things in
general. He mildly protests against such
an intrusion, suggesting that this place be-
lens longs to him ss by rght of prior settlement
If you beat me here. L reached the spot in
three minutes" His diabolical smile CLEANS
from under his flap-brimmed hat, likewise
his revolver from his belt He seems as
cold and immovable as an iceberg in the
arctic regions The first young man re-
The trouble is just dawnng. They collide
in fencing and other ways, each growing
more and more determined to freeze out
or buy off the other, blufflng with little
work and much talk Finally the matter
comes on trial before the land office after
having been stood off from time TO time by
some witnesses failing to appear. Well,
after two or three months the decision may
be given in our young mans favor. He is
transported Can scarcely wait 10 eject the
unfortunate losers. But stop They have
appealed il, and the case is to go before
another court. After year or two of this
delay he grows weary and perhaps hungry.
and secures leave of absence for a time in
order to earn some money for another law
yer's fee. Pretty soon notice is served on
him that another is contesting him for
abandonment, and the whole play is 10 be
rehearSed. 1t may come TO an end in a
lifetime Nobody has lived long enough yet
To know. The young man may get deed
when he is an old man, or he may get
elected However. he has accomplished his
undertaking. He has grown up with the
country and enjoyed the experience OF a
close game Perhaps some 'tenderfoot'' has
met with less adversely, others even more,
but be this as il may, and aside from the
trouble or contests. holding down a claim in
these untamed regions and reducing il TO a
comfortable home is not the realization OF
poets dream.