The herald., 1895-05-24
Lively Scenes at the Opening of
Kickapoo
WILD RACE OF THE BOOMERS
New Towns Sprung Up Like Mush'
rooms
Some Shooting Eniivened the Opening Of the
Reservation to Settlement--The
Women on Hand
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press opeclal wire
OKLAHOMA CITY, o. T., May 23.-
Sweeny's bridge on the north fork of the
Canadian river, IN township II. was one
Of the principal points OF entrance to the
new land. There were 5000 men gathered,
and just before noon there was sup
pressed excitement, as the minutes
licked off nearer aud nearer the hour.
Watches were held in one hand and the
lines tightly grasped in the other. The
scene that followed the shout "Go!' was
intensely exciting. The hrst man to dash
across tho bridge was in a little buggy
drawn by pair Of bays. The driver
brought his whip down, shouting at
them, and the horses bounded across
the bridge and off up the road with a
good start running away. Following
eight horsemen jostled each other in the
narrow bridge, trying to pass one another.
They whipped their horses and struck at
them and at each other. and at last got
across and scattered. racing like mad.
The recklessness of the drivers, whip
ping their horses down the bank. has sell
to be dragged off their feet again. Men
were hatless. their faces set and their
foreheads wrinkled with the strain.
AS the yard became clear the wagons
and horsemen in the road came on be-
hind. rushing pell nell, and in fifteen
The air was full of dust and the sound OF
shouting men and the rumbling of the
wheels got fainter and fainter.
About half a mile northeast OF Swee-
ney's the road passed through narrow
lane of trees. Here an awful jam oc-
cured. delaying the racers for ten min.
utes. The jam was finally straig htened
out. however, and the men were off
again.
Last night 1t was made evident to many
of the boomers that all could not get
claims 80 it was resolved to organize two
towns. About midnight big crowd left
Sweeney's for Dale, and as this process
sion went along large additions were
made to the ranks.
Two towns have already been projected,
Oney and Aurora. A council was held,
but the projectors of both towns were in
terested IN consolidation of interests.
The new town is to be called McLord. in
homer of the general solicitor OF the
Choctaw road. The procession, 5000
strong. thea took up the march to Doug
lass mills, at the section ON which Nc
Lord was to be. At the head of the en-
terprise is DR.. J. W. Gillett of Perry, who
was chosen mayor.
At noon the crowd passed over the
ford in very quiet way and drew lots
for positions on the town plat A corps
cf surveyors were on hand ana at once
laid out the town. Wagons with liquors,
groceries and cots came in, tents were
erected, and soon stores, restaurants and
hotels were opened and a new town had
been born.
KANSAS CITY. May GA special to
the Star from Guthrie, Oklahoma. says:
Last night half dozen United States
marShals raided camp of whisky ped
dlers on the line of the Kickapoo reserva-
ton. four miles north of Shawnee. and
in the fight two peddlers were killed and
two wounded.
A special to the Star from Oklahoma
City says that all last night the road to
poo country was crowded with horsemen
and vehicles. Tho dust was sitting, and
the horses dragged through the deep sand
and stumbled over roots OF trees in the
road. The crowd had filled up the yard
at Sweeney Bridge road house and ex.
tended back half a mile. When day broke
everyone got out to cook&offee and hitch
to await the race at noon. Down the
river for miles boomers were camped on
the edge of the bluff leading down North
Canadian river. There the rush will be
the most dangerous. Down an eighteen
foot embankment across the river, in
many places too deep to ford, mp the
bank on the opposite side, through a belt
of timber and then across the famous
Kickapoo flats for the claim. There are
many wire fences around the allotments
which will have to be cut or jumped.
Before noon many crowded over the river
and entered the country, and their names
were iotted down by honest home-seek-
ers who obeyed the law and waited.
GUTHRIE, May Ex-Governor Rem
frew this morning issued proclamation
offering 80, 600 acres of school land in the
years from October /, 1895. bids to be re-
ceived until June 10th. This will give
the disappointed boomers chance to
get some fine land.