The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-04
CROWDS AT Ell RENO
PERCY BULLOCK, OF ST. PAUL,
PARTICIPATED IN GREAT
LAND RUSH
I'D NOT DRAW A PRIZE
Ee Registered, but Did Not Win
One of the 1900 Home
stegds That Were
Drawn For.

Percy A Bullo k, manager of the st.
Paul Cycle company, is one of the $4,000
persons who participated in the great
land lottery held at El Reno, o. T., last
month So far he h not made W n
ming but the trip and the experience he
enjoyed, he says, are well worth the
prize he is not likely to get at this late
date.
Just enc chance is thirteen of win
ming was the ratio I figured out when
left FL Reno last week." said Mr.. Bull
lock yesterday, bat [ have one conso,a-
ton and that is the others who en-
tered the drawing are on the same foot
ing OF the 1900 homesteads thrown
open by the COVE. nment, claimants have
been drawn sufficient to take the entire
lot, and while the drawing is still on
the chances are slim, our only hope beng
in the failure of those before US to take
advantage of the mesteads ass gned
them. Whenever this occurs the num-
Der following is notified
Mr.. Bullock spent two weeks in all on
the borders of the reserva, ion and dur
ing his visit there he saw Eel Reno,
hamlet consisting of few shacks, grow
TO a tented city, with its popu alton
reaching into the hundreds of thousands.
When he left the exodus was as rapid
as its rise, tents being struck 6aly by
the hundreds
With 100000 men. women and children
waiting on the borders of the KioWa-
COmanche reservation, ready for the
firing of the gun announcing the ground
open for settlement, the announ cement
that the government would distribute
the 1900 homesteads by 10 terry, said MIR.
Bullock, was received vita universal sat-
isfaction and each Of US fervently prayed
that we might be one of the lucky ones.
In order to participate in the drawing
all had to register, eight booths each,
with a force Of clerks, being made avail
able for the thousands who formed in
line. Every man, after answer ng the
questions propounded, was furnished
with a certificate Tearing a number,
duplicate Of the number being kept ty
the reg stration official. Each booth
could only take care of 1900 filings a day,
so YOU see the task was big one
ct was a weary wat, with the sun
beating down at heat that baked the
very ground, but the crowd was an or
derby and a patient one an no troube
ensued. Pickpockets were plentiful, but
several of them were handled roughly,
and they soon made themselves scarce.
To reach a booth it took me week,
and rather than wait until the draw
ing was completed I came home
when I left, the 1900 homeste ads,
each of 100 acres, had practically been
taken. tickets to that figure having been
drawn. The drawing of the remainder
of the numbers was Simply a mere for
mality, but many hoping against hore
demanded 1t and the officials announced
that they would continue to the end
Our only chance now is for some
fellow to fail to file, or the discovery of
fraud, many having made more than one
registration In that event the numbers
following would be the lucky one"
While at Ell Reno Mr.. Bullock reg ster-
ed for several old soldiers, but none of
them made a winning. The excitement
attending the drawing, he says, was in
. tense and until the entire 1900 home
steads had been disposed of, the crowds
refused to move. After that they dwin-
died away rapidly.
Minnesota, Mr.. Bullock thinks, boasts
of better land, but it is the speculation
attendant that makes the winning of one
to be desired and this caused the rush to
Ell Reno.