The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-07-29
CHAOS AFTER
THE DRAWING
Few of Those Registered
Knew Where TO Choose
Land

Fort Sill, Okla, July 29.-ln the
opinion of the register and receiver OF
the Lawton land office the man who
draws the last number at the govern
ment's big lottery will stand as good
a chance Of securing a good claim as
the person who gets a number in the
second thousand When the govern
ment switched the scheme Of a lottery
pure and simple to a combination Of
both lottery and selection st paved the
way for complications after the third
days selection No one here is wise
enough to figure out how those who
draw can get the land they want Even
the plats in the land office which rec
ord the selections already made will
be inaccessible for outside examina-
ton. The law permits outsiders to
examine them when they are not in
use. but the indications are the clerks
will be almost continually at work on
them with a savage aggregation Of
land office lawyers waiting for them
to get through
Suppose. for instance" said J. G.
Mcguire. the receiver. "a man has
drawn number 3I5, he knows that he
will be permitt54 to make his select
ton on the third day and he locates
half dozen quarter sections that he
thinks he wants It is possible that
the men that have preceded him have
selecated these very homesteads He
has no other in mind, he hasn't time
to go and examine the land personally
for he must select the third day. He
will either have to select at random
on guess for a certain section of the
country, take the advice of some To-
Gator or ask for anything that is leit.
He may and he may not get a good
quarter section. When all those who
have drawn have made their selec-
tions there will be as good quarter
sections left as have been taken"
A Race After the Sixty Days, Too.
tHf anu VIC uit certain W nave q
big race, too, after the sixty days are
over" added H. D. Mcknight, the reg
ister Il estimate that more than one
third Of those who are successful in
drawing will not apply for home
steads After the expiration OF the
sixty days limit the homesteads will
be taken under the old homestead law.
S BY this time the boomers will know
e where the desirable homesteads are.
e and squatters viii be camped on
e them"
e The last graft is the locator" He
/ has just begun 10 make preparations
e to do business at Lawton, and already
n he has his lieutenants sounding his
n praises. One Of his partners is a land
office lawyer and another is an all
IS round rustler. The locator" knows
all about the country; he can describe,
oS says he can. every homestead in
the county available for entry II you
draw a number he win give you for
SIS or $25, a description OF a quar-
Il ter section in the second bottom that
" is just what you wat. Il you want a
homestead in one of the rich bottoms
you will have to pay $50 or maybe
500. The lawyer will keep tab on
w. the selections as they are made, So
there can be no mistake. The 10
p Gators are already on the ground here
to the number of fifteen or twenty
Only small percentage OF thos,
who have registered have made an,
G EFFORT to examine the land Possibly
Z # is because the government did no
object to their doing SO. All those WHIT
have registered at Lawton have o
necessity become more or less familiar
in general way, with the country
but even these can not tell one quar-
ter section from another OF IN
more than 100. 900 who have register
ed at El Reno perhaps not more tha
i, 10 per cent have done anything NOR
towards familarizing themselve
with The country than TO purchase
| bad map.
\ "sooners" no Longer Heard OF.
I The change from the old plan q
opening TO che drawing scheme ha
resulted IN the disuse OF the wor
Sooner" People who never heard q
the word before glibly call the soone
"nester.' The hester came with h.
household and kitchen furniture an
| his family in a prairie schooner tweiv
! months or two years ago and has bee
camping on the reservation since. II
y is out Of money and II he gets clair
! he VIII find II dihicuIt 10 prove up o
Il and hasn't hcd the least adyantag