The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-07-16
SCENES AT THE REGISTRATION
BOOTHS ON THE INDIAN LANDS.
FIFTY THOUSAND NAMES FILED
AT tine Two Government Registering
omces for Chances I'm h Drawing
for h Thirteen Thousand Home
Instaat-None OF the Disorder OF the
Rush Of Former Land Openings.
Many Women in the Lines.

E Reno. o. T., July 1o.-Eollowing out
the proclamation Of President McKin-
ley opening up 10 settlement by the
whites h 1900 farms in the Kiowa-
Comanche country. the first registra-
ton or home seekers was made here and
and at Lawton at 9 o'clock this morn
ing. Hundreds were lined up before the
various registration booths when dark
ness came tonight, and tomorrow and
Friday the registrations will continue
until all h come shall have been
given an opportunity to file their
names. The drawing by lottery will
begin on July 2eth. and until then none
Of the $4,000 applicants will know
whether or not he has been lucky
enough to receive a 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 10 years ago.
Compared with hat event the affair to-
day was tame to the extreme. Al
though there are perhaps 20,0 600 people
in town, practically no disorder pre-
vailed. As a rule, the home seekers are
we'll provided with money and provi-
sions, and, aside from the long wait
in the u before the registration
booths. no serious inconvenience has
been experienced.
Last night hundreds of people slept in
streets to maintain their places in the
lines which began forming yesterday at
the six registration booths at 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 hale, the lame
and the brawnev frontiersman, sprawl
ed out in the dust. The crowd before
each booth elected a captain and each
man and in line was given a
number which each pinned conspicu-
ously on his or her clothing. A com
pany m was permitted OCCASION
ally to absent himself from line for a
short breathing spell and invariably his
place was protected by his fellow
watchers.
AS 9 o'clock neared interlopers
tried to push in n break the numeri-
cal order of the line. This instantly
raised bad blood and when word was
passed down the line a little later that
the booths would not recognize the line
organization, but would register the
first persons to present themselves
there were threats of violence and riot
ing. Trouble was prevented by the
early announcement that the line or
ganization would be respected by the
government officials. Cheers and way
ing Of hats greeted this word, and from
this time forth there was no sign Of
trouble. Applicants were admitted tn
the booths four at a time and the filing
proceeded rapidly all day.
During the day the heat became in
tense, but no serious suffering was re-
ported. The numerous women in line
were treated CALAMITY by the men who
shaded them from the sun with UNI
brellas and furnished drinks from the
lemonade vendors who piled their
ranks.
The second place Of registration
named in the proclamation was at
Lawton. twenty-five miles overland.
where similar scenes to those enacted
at Ell Reno were witnessed.