The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-07-30
STORY OF FIRST DAY.
Additional Details of the Beginning of
Great Drawing.

GTSaG Drawing.
FL Reno, Ok, July sO.-The wheels of
the great American homestead lottery
ground out 1000 names of lucky home
seekers and then shut down for the
day. Fully 10000 people were present
to see the drawing begin. Some estima-
ted the crowd as high as 50O00
When the hour of the drawing arriv-
ed. the officials with the accompanying
witnesses and newspaper men faced as
remarkable an assemblage as the prairies
ever witnessed and massed upon slop-
ing hillside, standing shoulder to shol-
der in the fierce July sun and heat,
We're representatives of every state in
the Union. Women. thousands of them,
waited in the eager throng.
Facing the big boxes of tickets and
the ten beardless boys who were to
draw the names were more than twice
as many people as there were claims to
be given by Uncle Sam. But they were
we'll dressed, sturdy and able to endure
without a prize. On the edges of the
crowd was a fringe of hundreds of
white-topped prairie schooners and
from beneath the canvas covers peered
wistfully the men and women who
made the greatest sacrifice to enter the
list. To them. or some of them. the
drawing meant everything. Brooding
over the mighty gathering was a spirit
of tense nervousness that affected even
the members of the committee. and Col
Dyer's hand visibly trembled when he
held up the first bits of paper by which
fate distributed fortunes to her favor
ties
The first 25 numbers were drawn out
of the FL Reno box No. 1 was pulled
out and handed to Col. Dyer.
Everybody cheered when he an
nounced the name of the lucky person.
Then the other "A were drawn out
quickly. When this was done. the Law
ton wheel was tapped This was the
wheel that people were more deeply In
terested in, for the capital prize was in
it. The man whose name came out
first would be enriched by a S25.OO0
claim adjoining Lawton. 1t was a mo-
ment Of great suspense. Everybody in
the crowd was wondering if he was to
be the lucky man.
The ticket was drawn out and handed
to Col Dyer He glanced at it and then
stepped to the front and announced:
THE capital prize has been won by
James r. Woods, of Weatherford, Ok
Again there were cheers.
Woods is 27 years old and was born
in Illinois. Seven years ago he came
west and located at Norton Kas. He
taught school there one term and
worked a year in store. He cane to
FL Reno five years ago and took a po-
sition with c. KimmeI's hardware store
Two years later he married Mr. Kim
melS daughter A few months ago
Kimmel opened a branch store at
WeatherfOrd, Okla, and put Woods IN
charge of it. When the registration
was going on Woods came down to
visit his relatives, and just before
leaving for home he registered. By the
drawing he has been yanked from OBJ
scurity into national prominence. He
has also been made wealthy. He was
not what is termed a homeseeker.
After the 25 names were drawn out
of the I4aWton box an adjournment was
taken until afternoon When the wheel
- r.-17 fkD
was not one-fourth the crowd around
the platform that there was in the
n orning. People had lost interest after
the first fifty names had been drawn
out Besides, it was hot, and they did
not care to stand in the sun to hear
the returns. Work progressed rapidly
in the afternoon, and it was but little
after 4 O'Clock when LOCO names had
the commissioners quit for the day.
The platform was covered with a
canvas to protect the people on it from
the burning rays OF the SUM- More
than sixty newspaper men were on the
platform to take the returns. United
States Marshal Harry Thompson had
to quell any disturbance, but they did
not have to do any work Only one
arrest was made on the grounds. An
old man from Arkansas had brought
his Winchester rife along to see that
the thing was run on the square. The
marshal told him to take it away He
would not do It, so the marshal took
both him and his gun into custody
When the second name out OF the
Lawton box. that Of Matte Beals. of
Wichita, was announced, give US her
pedigree" shouted several in the
crowd
pounds is single. but willing to get
married. said Judge Colonel Dyer
They must get married. shouted
the crowd.
Oklahoma scored the heaviest by far
in the drawing. and Kansas came sec
ond- However, large per cent. of
the Oklahoma list Is made up Of home
seekers from other states. On the iden-
tiflcation card these homeseekers gave
some town IN Oklahoma, in most cases
Ell Reno, as their address, for the rea-
son that they wanted to receive their
notice here.
The first block of 125 drawn IN each
district VIII appear at the land Offices
in their respective districts on August
to enter their homesteads. The sec
ond block OF 125 will make entry on
August 7. the third block on August g.