The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1895-07-26
IN THE CHEROKEE STRIP.
Ths Expsrience Of a Drummer In
the Rush for Land.
ne Raund He Had Made Great NIis-
take and Was Glad to Get Out of
the Country Alive Trials OF Other
would-Be sooners.

the Country AltNe--Frtais OF Other
wonld-Be sooners.
No less than eight travelling men
were seduced into making a run to the
Cherokee strip in search Of quarter sec
tions or town lots and the number
which returned disappointed and dis
gusted was exactly six. AS / was one
Of the number and hence am telling 3
tale on myself, says writer in the
St. Louis Globe Democrat. cannot be
accused OF malice, unless it be against
mankind in general and the interior
department in particular. paid
twenty dollars for turn to register,
and have ever since looked upon the
man who made the sale as remark
ably smart individual obtained
certificate and at twelve o'clock com
menced to ride bright looking horse
into the strip. ! might have got
good claim if could have controlled
the horse. But l couldn't. The ami
NAL simply did his best to bent every
thing else in sight, taking the fastest
horse for peacemaker and following
with praiseworthy assiduity, ] have
been under the impression that could
ride, and If sticking on horses back
means good riding have nothing to
be ashamed of, for certainly did not
fall off. Otherwise was complete
failure as rider, for the horse went ct
his own gait, turned when he wanted
TO and treated my desires with
contempt which was supreme. 1t
was nearly three o'clock before
he got so tired out that was
able to stop him, and by that time he
had got me into one Of the worst see
tions IN the strip, where the ground
did not begin to be worth the amount
the government asked for it. Whether
those who obtained the claims got III
on balloons or whether they sneahed
in over night am not prepared to say.
but every claim with pretense Of herb
age or water on it was occupied, and
one man had q house half built. It did
not take me long to make ND N mind
that the sooner l could get back into
Kansas the better, but had no idea Of
the enormous distance ! had travelled
until / had got well into the journey
on an exhausted horse which needed
both food and water badly. had to
camp out all night, and finally got into
town ON Sunday morning heartily
ashamed of myself, and with enough
dust on me to have started small
vegetable garden. Ny only consolation
was that hundreds OF Others were
equally unfortunate, and ] believe
there was more grImbling and cussing
to the square inch all day Sunday in
this town than anyone present could
possibly realize, W, who travels for a
st. JO dry goods house. did not turn ur
till just after supper on sunday even.
ing. Exactly what happened TO him
no one will know until ne regains hi:
temper. At present he viii give no in
formation whatever, and all that i
known is that he went into the strii
on horseback and came back as al
extra passenger IN prairie schooner
or ex-boomer's wagon. A Chicago mar
who went in with us on horsGbacl
from here got b3pelessly lost, ans
finally found himself at KiOwa. yFher'
| he sold the quaGruped and took tht
cars back here Another mnn Oh tn,
travelling fraternity, whD las Away
boasted that he never got ieft, jpiue,
town-site colony few days befor
, the opening and went in with taem
half q dozen sooners were 9aagr3lini
over the quarter section they has
, designed to make the metropolis Of th
Indian territory when they arrived q
! It. and all they c0uld DO Was 10 driv
back. Our brother in ailiction give
/, most humorous account Of Lis ex
4 perience. Three Of the number nad
the run on horseback, the balance 70
! lowing in wagons. When l.ley met a
4 the coveted spot and compared note
9 they decided to camp out ipr tn
/. night and come back at their lcisurI
! as they had enough food and dr.nk o
hand to give indigestion. ifnot gout, 1
/ the entire party. 4 remarkable diff
!, Guilty then beset them. Every inch {
!. ground Of the vicinity was ciaime,
:, and no one would allow them " eaml
!, fearing lest il was trici i1r t pu
pose Of securing evidence IL pr'jec
ed contest Finally their ress.ui pias
was selected on the edge Of one Of I'll
countless branches Of tile Arianss
!. river, and after hearty supper an
: good wash in the river an a.seInl
4 was made to sleep. Tde dar..nei
: brought with it thousands Of mosqu
Y toes and millions of insigniGeaI
i creeping things which stung v.or,
i than cCrld be imagined, and camp vi
= broken before niue o'clock. Att
i that two or three more attempts we
I, made TO secure decent resting riac
= ard finally it was decided 70 keI
/. moving as the best opportunity f
- comfort Several miles we're cover,
i during the night, and in the inorHil
: the heartbrealzing discovery was ma
: that they were goin1 acuth instead
= nortii. They retraecd l.ieh steps oi
y finally g6t back into town in We
- dilapidated snd dirty condition al
y with an immense amount Of conc,
"A knocked cat OF them. We propose
4, resume our ordinary ay0eations as so,
..... .. - ts,A ,t.A