The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-07-18
SLEEP ON SIDEWALKS.
Jam at Ell Reno Is Tremendous
Big Registration.

Reno Office. OF this number, 596 were
women and S73 were agents of soldiers.
So far, over 1000 women have reg
istered. The registration at Fort Sill
aggregated 5000. The total registration
in both districts up to date aggre-
gates IS 10Y.
The notaries had a cut-rate war in
town for a. few minutes today One
of the notaries was too much of
hustler for the rest and was getting
more than his share of business. The
others cut the rate to 20 cents. He saw
They kept see-sawing back and forth
until they all got to taking acknOwl-
edgments for nothing. Some even did
the work for nothing and threw in a
last more than an hour, but many ap-
pIicants got their papers fixed up in
the meantime. The old price of 25
cents was finally restored.
The biggest jam of all is at the local
postofice. People have to stand in line
from one to six hours in order to get
their mail The line frequently extends
half way up the block. Only two
clerks are employed at the general de-
livery windows, and they are badly
overworked- The postofnce department
has been appealed to to furnish some
The Rock Island has had sixteen
trains here, with 1900 people. The
Choctaw has had ten trains, with 5000
people.
one solid Rock Island train with l.
100 homeseekers aboard went direct to
Rush Springs, where the HON eseekers
will have to stage it 30 miles over a
dusty road to Fort Sill
Fortunately the water sup was
sufficient for the needs, but he ice
supply ran out, except in the saloons,
at noon However there was plenty to
eat and the crowd behaved fairly we'll
Last night people slept on the side
walks to get a little rest from the heat
and crush of the day. Every room and
cot in town for let has been taken.
At o'clock last evening a man re-
ceived by freight lodging tent for 200
cots. While putting up the tent he
rented every cot ne mad for the night
for fifty cents each and there were peO-
pie clamOring for more. In response to
the demand for places to stay nearly
every family in FL Reno is taking room
ers.
A Texan tore down a gambling tent
because he believed the keeper had
robbed him. The Texan threatened to
kill tlSe keeper, who fed.
HOMESEEKERS POURING IN.
Kansas City, No. July 1S-A special
to the Star from Ell Reno says: A tre-
mendOus influx into FL Reno during the
last twenty-four hours has kept the
streets roaring with noise which con-
tinued all night. The Rock Island rail-
road company brought in twenty pas
senger trains during the twentyfour
hours ending at two o'clock this morn
ing. 4HfIeen OF L0eSe trains We're from
the north. There was a total of not
less than 100 coaches
The. crowd today has every Indication.
of being a record breaker. It is thought
that II, 600 persons will be registered.
Up to last Monday night seventy five
per cent of the registrations was for the
FL Reno land district. Since then
greater number than usual have been
registering for the Lawton district.
Many of these late arrivals are from
Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and old Okla
hOma. A coach filed mostly with Kan
sas City mail carriers who had secured
leave of absence to come to Oklahoma
arrived late yesterday. Several women
teachers from Kansas City's public
schools were on the train. There were
more applicants at the old soldiers
booth yesterday than could be cared
for. Commissioner Richards has in
creased the clerical force today from
four to ten clerks.
AT FORT SILL
Fort Sill, July 18--People are begin
ming to thin out here and the congested
condition has been relieved. The regis
tration officers have almost caught up
with their work and from now on they
will have no trouble whatever in regis
tering the people as they come from
day to day.
Mrs. Fannie .McAslzin walked sixty
miles to register for a homestead She
lives in Greene county She is a widow
55 years of age. She came from Ten
nessee when the strip was opened up
and got claim in Greene county. She
gave that to a daughter for a wedding
present two years ago and now she
wants another homestead of her own
But few negroes are registering at
the LAawton Office. At first the white
men would not permit a negro to join
their company for registration pur-
poses. The negroes complained to Mr.
Hammond clerk in charge, and he call
ed in the various captains and told
them that If they refused to let the
negroes join their companies he would
get out and organize the negroes into
companies himself and give them pref
erence at the registration booth. This
brought the white men to time and
negroes are now found in some COM
panies, but not in many of them
Josiah White, of Arkansas City, Kan
who is to be the first postmaster of
I.aWton, has applied to the interior de-
partment for permission to erect a tent
and operate a postOff1ce on the toWnsite
beginning August g. He believes that
the sale of town lots will be attended
by big crowd of people who win ap-
preciate it If their mail can be obtained
right on the grounds.
ORDER AT FORT SILL
Kansas City, Mo. July 18.-A special
to the Star from Fort Sill, O. T., says:
20 200 applications for homesteads have
been registered at the Fort Sill Office
up to ten o clock this morning. APP
plicants are now being registered as
fast as they appear and the clerks Will
not be rushed from now on Never in
the history of an opening has such per-
feet order been maintained, nor the
homeseekers given such protection as
have those who have come to be regis
tered at Fort Sill Major G. L. Scott,
the commanding officer, received the
following dispatch today: The secre-
tary of the interior requests me to con-
vey to you, your officers and men, it's
sincere thanks for your hearty coop
GRAFTON and assistance in our work of
Nv. 4. RICHARDS.