The Iola register., 1901-08-09
A GRAB
AFTER ALL
Wood Springs a big Surprise
on Miss Beal
Selects a Long Strip Along
the South of LawtOn as
a Homestead
Settlers WERE INDIGNANT
Expressed Their Opinion in
Frontier Style
Miss Beal's claim only worth
half what she Expected
it Would be
SETTLERS WERE INDIGNANT

Lawton, Ok, via Fort Sill, Ok, 4,
August 9-The opening OF the Lawton
district has been as successful as either
the registration or lottery plans.
There has been less confusion than at
the beginning of the drawing and the
predicted complications are yet to fol-
low if they make their appearance
at all.
When Miss Matte Beals, who drew
No. > in the Lawton district, met John
Wood, who drew No. /, she received
the shock of her life. Miss Beals had
confidently counted upon taking one
of the quarter sections adjacent to the
Lawton townsite in the south. She
merely wanted to know which one Mr..
Wood select so that she might file on
the other. Mr.. Wood said at first that
he had not made Up his mind. 1t was
an important matter, and he had con-
suited lawyer Miss Beals had a
brother, and this brother did not like
he uncertainty, aud he. too, consulted
Y Jaw Nfl anu was NVI'A NlldA ~ 4N IL
Wood chose to do so he could sele,t
100 acres running the entire length OF
the towusite. 1t made no difference,
so this lawyer said, how the 100 acres
were chosen, Just SO the 40-acre tracts
were contiguous. Mr.. Wood could
choose eighty acres adjacent to the
townsite and his other eighty acres
joining it on the south, or he could
choose two tracts of forty acres each
adjacent to the townsite. with an unre-
served forty between them, provided
that his remaining two forty-acre
tracts were adjacent to the townsite
additions.
The lawyers met in tent on Mccoy
avenue to represent thoir clients and
the story spread rapidly amongIthe
boomers and settlers. Public sympa-
thy was with the woman and Wood re-
ceived public excoriation that was
as exact, emphatic and profane as II
mixed Western assembly could make
it. The story seemed unreasonable.
but Miss Beals brother, in an inter.
view with the correspondent for The
Star, confirmed it in every detail.
"Our lawyers are trying to reach
some kind of an agreement, - he said,
''and it looks like case of paying
money. We have been unable to get
a definite statement from Mr.. Wood as
to his intentions. He makes two
propositions, both of which puts us at
disadvantage. suppose we will
come to some kind of terms by the
morning."
Despite the announcement of Receiv-
er Mcguire that he would not permit
James r.. Wood TO gobble a string OF
land in the townsite, the opening OF
the country began with grab. Miss
Beals had become convinced that
Woods could select any contiguous
tract of 100 acres he chose. Woods
applied for u tract of land running
the entire distance along the south
side of the townsite. 1t had been uni.
versally understood that he would
take one of the two quarter sections
adjoining the townsite and Miss Beals
the other, but the Anglo Saxon grat
policy prevailed. The homestead
selected by Woods is one-half mile
long east and west and runs the entire
distance of the townsite on the south
Miss Beals selected her quarter sec
tion adjoining that of Woods. II
other words Woods homestead il
between Miss Beals' homestead ant
the T,nWton tnwnsita