Pawtucket tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 1890-189?, 1895-06-10
WOMEN in THE RACE.
NOW THEY TOOK PART IN THE KICK.
APoo OPENING.
and Twice as Tricky as Their brothers.
Newspaper Women to the Fore.


and Twice as Tricky ms Their Brothers.
Newspaper Women to the Fore.
The telegraph did not tell fraction Of
the exciting and interesting scenes that
were connected with the opening OF the
Kickapoo reservation on tho day IL occur
red. Its massed figures and general outline
Of the rush Of ID, 600 people for $50 claims
of 100 acres each forgot some OF tho most
startling incidents Of the occasion, and
particularly was little attention paid To
the part taken by women I'm the great
race The presence of the fair sex I'm such
large numbers as were seen on this occa
sion could but impress the onlooker, and
the result showed that the women were In
no respect behind their sturdicr compcti-
tors In the harvest of homes. They were
as swift as the swiftest, brave as the most
venturcsome, and the sooner" with his
fraudulent claim had no show beside them
when it came to seizing claim for keeps
One OF those who made the most SUCCESS
full entries was vivacious, black eyed .Jes-
sic Small of Valley View, Tex She Is "a
veritable cattle queen In her experience
with herds and hcrdcrs She has been I'm
the saddle since she was child. She can
take part I'm roundup or larict throw
ing contest with the best Of the cowboys
and Is an accomplished horsewoman.
Early In the week preceding tho fateful
23d Miss Small came up from Valley View
with lot OF Texans, Of whom she was
clearly the queen. They looked up to her
to lead them, and her experience and
beauty made her equally willing to as
sumo the role. Her father and brothers
were with her, and their plans were care
fully laid.
Along with tho McLoud town site peo-
pie, who had arranged to open new
town on the very day of tho opening, they
went to Dale and moved up to Dongall's
mill. There they waited for time to pass
until the opening. At noon on Thursday
Miss Small, mounted on a large black
thoroughbred horse one Of the best ami
mails to be secured in northern Texas
dashed into the stream, and through the
ford splashed her way at full gallop Her
father followed next, and behind came the
whole Lone Star State company. 1t was n
watery ride through the wide but shallow
stream, but soon they were out on tho
other bank. Together father and daugh-
ter dashed across the virgin soil, their
horses neck and neck. But as they left the
bottoms, selected and reserved as allot-
ments, on the opposite side loomed up n
barbed wire fence. Mr.. Small halted and
took out his nppers to cut 1t in true Tex
as style, but his daughter could not wait
She touched her spirited horse with the
spur, and he took it at leap. Before her
father could get there she had dismount-
ed, and with a laugh had planted her flag
one and a quarter miles from the rail
road. The race was made in less than
three minutes, understanding all her COM
potitors.
OF course the inevitable sooner was on
the land. Riding to the opposite side Of the
claim with those Of her friends passing by,
Miss Small found bewhiskered Kansan
already in possession and busy unloading
house materials from wagon. She was
indignant.
Glow did you get here?" she demanded,
riding up to him.
Game I'm with the rest was the sur
ly answer.
"No, you didn't. You didn't come this
side of the reservation
Game the other way" was the reply
as no threw off some more boards.
mo, you didn't. 1t would take you
three hours to drive across, and the signal
was given only half an hour ago. Now
she continued, pulling from the folds of
her dress n revolver, which she aimed at
his head, "now git"
The man sized up the determined girl
and looked the weapon in the face min
ute, then commenced reloading the boards.
Half an hour later the sooner was disap-
pearing around knoll, and the plucky
Texas girl was sole owner of q claim which
will DC one of the most valuable in the
newly opened territory.
The formality Of filing on the claims Sc
cured at the land Office after the rush was
over made n lively scene at Oklahoma
City when the boomers came rushing back
to get their claims on record, and here the
women were by no means last In the con-
test.
Mrs. f. M. Beall, daughter-in-law of
Judge Frederick Beall of Washington and
widow of the man who killed Frank Nc
Kennon at Guthrie, o. r., some time ago,
was foremost in the throng. The Railways
of the registers Office wero crowded, and
the boomers were let in six at n time to
file their claims. Mrs. Beall filed on one
of the quarter sections picked out for the
tourists of Olneya An Oklahoma City
man filed on the other. Just before noon
q number of the men who went up to
found the town OF McLoud seeded and
rushed back to Dale At noon they flock
ed over to the Olncy site, on which Mrs
Beall and tho Oklahoma man were already
located, and made their town. If the
town continues to exist, the two original
settlers will have nice thing.
Mrs Haynes, widow of Dave Haynes,
the famous Oklahoma boomer, was one
who filed early. She made lonely fight
for n claim and got It, although she will
have contest. She took upa location
where there was none to go with her and
raced her horse through undcrbrush and
forest toward chosen spot. She found
a man just entering on the other side
when she drove her stake and attempted
to force him off, but no was too quick
with his gun, and she contented herself
with beating him to the filing Office.
One Of the most laughable, yet In n
way serious, events Of tho filing STAN
pcdc was the daring action of Mrs. Clara
Eboy Of Oklahoma City She was far
down tho line, but was determined To have
an .Iatp, if sha hnt1 "A rie1s "A UnoI lonl FOR