The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-11
RUSH FOR THE LAND
THOUSANDS OF HOMES EEK IGRS
LINED UP FOR REGIsTRATION
AT Ell RENO
SIMILAR SCENES AT LAYTON
Government Officials Respected the
Line Formed Before the Land
Office, and Threatened Dis
order Was Prevented.

Ell RENO, o. T., July 10.-Following
out the proclamation of President Me
K1nley opening up to settlement by the
whites the 1900 farms in the Kiowa-
Comanche country the first registration
of homeseekers was made here and at
Lawton at . o'clock this morning. Hun
dreds were lined up before the various
registration booths when darkness came
tonight, and tomorro wand next day the
registrations will continue until all who
come have been given an opportunity
to file their names. The drawing by
lottery will begin on July 28, and until
then none of the $4,000 applicants will
know whether or not he has been lucky
enough to receive @ homestead.
The lottery scheme robbed the "open-
ing of the picturesque run and the eX-
citing times incident to the great open
ing Of the Cherokee strip ten years ago
Compared with that event the affair to-
day was tame in the extreme. Although
there are perhaps 10000 people in town
practically no disorder prevailed. AS q
rule the homeseekers were well pro-
vided with money and provisions and
aside from the long wait in the sun be-
fore the registration booths, no serious
Inconvenience has been experienced.
Last night hundreds of people slept in
the streets and alleys to maintain the
line which began forming yesterday at
the six registration booths in Ell Reno.
Many had waited on the border of the
new country for two years or more,
and the last night of their long vigil was
the most trying they had experienced.
The line was made up of the halt, the
lame and the brawny frontiersman,
sprawled out in the dust. The crowd be-
fore each booth elected a captain and
ooh, 4 s.,1 1iK,a pixy
a number which they pinned conspicu-
ousIy to their clothes. A company mem
Der was permitted occasionally to alb
sent himself from the line for a short
breathing spell and invariably his place
was protected by his fellow watchers.
LINE WAS PREsEREVD.
AS the hour Of o'clock neared, in
terlopers tried to push in and break the
numerical order of the line organiZa
tion This instantly raised bad blood
line little later that the booth officials
would not recognize the line organiza-
ton, but would register the first per-
sons to present tnemselve there were
threats of violence and rioting seemed
likely. Trouble was prevented by the
early announcement that the line or
ganization would be respected by the
government officials ana waving OF ndLS
greeted this word, and from this time
forth no sign of trouble was apparent.
Applicants were admitted to the booths
four at a time and the filing proceeded
rapidly all day long.
During the day the heat became in
tense, but no serious suffering was re-
ported. The numerous women in line
We're treated gallantly by the men, who
shaded them from the sun with UNI
brellas and furnished drinks from the
lemonade vendors who piled their trade.
The second place of registration named
in the proclamation was at Lawton,
twenty-five miles overland, where SINH
lar scenes to those enacted at Ell Reno
were witnessed. the people in the vi
cinity of Mountain View and other
points along the border contiguous to
that point left yesterday for the in
terror and presented themselves early
today at the Lawton booths.
The total registration of homesteaders
at Ell Reno today is 4,01S and 1873 being
women. Assistant Commissioner Rich
ards established a special registration
booth for women. Commissioner Rich
ards says that he can register 5000 daily
from now on or as soon as organization
of his force is perfected.