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

d
ment's big lottery will stand as good
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 lottery
pure and simple to combination OF
both lottery and selection It 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-
tion. 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 savage aggregation of
laad office lawyers waiting for them
to get through
Suppose, for instance" said ]. G.
Mcclure. the receiver, "a man has
drawn number 315. he knows that he
will be permitted to make his select
tion on the third day and he locates
half dozen quarter sections that he
thinks he wants. Il is possible that
the men that have preceded him have
! selecated these very homesteads. He
has no other in mind. he hasn't lime
to so and examine the land personally
for he must select the third day He
will either have to select at random
on a guess for certain section Of the
country. take tie advice of some 10.
Gator or ask for anything that is left.
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.
Yes, and, we are certain to have a
big race too, after the sixty days are
over" added H. d. Mcknight, the reg
lister. Il estimate that more than one
third Of those who are success tul in
drawing win not apply for home
steads After the expiration OF the
sixty days limit the homesteads will
be taken under the old homestead law
By this time the boomers will know
where the desirable homesteads are,
and squatters will be camped on
them"
The last graft is the locator" He
has just begun to make preparations
TO do business at Lawton and already
he has his lieutenants sounding his
praises. One of his partners is a land
office lawyer and another is G1 all
round rustler. The locator" knows
all about the country; he can describe,
or says he can, every homestead in
the county available for entry. II you
draw a number he will give you, for
Sl5 or S25, a description of a quar-
ter section in the second bottom that
is just what you want If you want a
homestead in one of the rich bottoms
you will have to pay $50 or maybe
slOO The lawyer will keep tab OH
the selections as they are alade, so
there can be no mistake. The 10
Gators" are already on the ground here
to the number Of fifteen or twenty.
Only a small percentage Of those
who have registered have made any
effort to examine the land, Possibly
it is because the government did moi
object to their doing So All those who
have registered at Lawton have O
necessity become more or less familiar
in a general way, with the country
but even these can not tell one quar-
ter section from another. OF th
more than 100000 who have register
ed at El Reno, perhaps not more thar
10 per cent have done anything NOR
towards familiarizing themselve
with the country than to purchase
bad map.
"sooners" no Longer Heard or
The change from the old plan o
opening to the drawing scheme Ma
resulted in the disuse of the wor
Sooner" People who never heard O
the word before glibly call the soone
a 'nester."r The hester came with hi
household and kitchen furniture an
his family In a prairie schooner tweI,,
months or two years ago and has bee
camping on the reservation since. II
is out Of money and II he gets clair
he viii find it difficult TO prove up o
1t and hasn't had the least advantag
over his neighbor who waited for IN
rush 20 be over, II he draws nun
Der the chances are the quarter Sc,
tlons he has coveted viii be selecte