The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-07-29
Thirteen Thousand Pieces to he Dis
for the Quarter Sections.
INDIANS ARE ON THE GROUND
PRE-EMPTING THE CHOICEST LANDS
IN THE ALLOTMENT.
1t Il Their Right Under an Old Statute
First Claim Under the Law
Filed by a Sac.


ancy tonight, among the thousands of
home-seekers here, over the grand lottery
which will begin tomorrow morning
There are 1900 claims TO be distributed
so each of the 1G5 s65 persons who have
registered during the past fifteen days has
about one chance i'm thirteen of winning
While the great excitement Of the run
which has heretofore been part of other
land openings in this part of the country
is lacking, the last act in the throwing
open to settlement Of the Kiowa-Comanche
reservations Will not be without life and
animation. The drawing will take place In
the center Of the city, and Will be witnessed
by thousands of people. 1t will be held on
a large platform in the open air. W. A
Richards. assistant commissioner of the
General Land Office. who has had charge
of the registration; ID. p. Dyer. of ST.
Louis. former United States district attor-
ney, and Frank Dale, ex-chief justice Of
Oklahoma. will conduct the drawing.
The actual drawing will be novel and
interesting. On the platform will be two
oblong box wheels, each fifteen feet in
length, one to hold the names of the appli-
cants for homesteads in the FL Reno dis
trict and the other for those of the Lawton
district. Into these wheels will be placed
envelopes containing the names of all the
registered applicants. The envelopes will
have first been brought to the platform in
packa ges consecutively numbered. A cor
responding series OF numbers, upon slips,
will be placed In another receptacle, from
which they Will be drawn out at random.
The package of envelopes bearing the first
number drawn will be the first to be
placed in the drawing box and we'll dis
tributed, when another will be drawn and
another package of envelopes distributed,
and this course will be continued until all
of the envelopes have been placed in the
box wheels, after which the wheels will be
revolved for a sufficient length of time to
insure thorough mixing of the envelopes.
In each wheel there are five apertures from
which the envelopes will finally be drawn.
Ten men, one for each aperture, will per-
form the actual drawing. The order in
which they will begin will be determined
by lot.
which will be opened at once, and the
identification slip which it contains will be
given TO a corresponding number and the
name and residence which appears upon
the slip will be publicly announced. This
course will be pursued, numbering each
envelope and It's contents consecutively,
until twenty-five numbers have been drawn
from one box. when an equal number will
be drawn from the other box in a similar
manner. This course will be pursued until
500 names have ben drawn from each box,
when if the committee deem it best TO do
so, arrangements will be made for drawing
simultaneously from each box.
After the names have been drawn and
announced they will be recorded and a
notice will be mailed to the one whose
name was drawn. The drawing will pro-
ceed in this manner until every envelope in
the boxes is drawn out.
Only 1000 envelopes 800 for each district,
will be drawn on Monday. After the first
day the darwing will proceed with greater
rapidity and it is expected that the last
envelope will have been drawn by Thurs
day night The lucky ones will be permit
ted to file their claims in the order that
their numbers have been drawn from the
wheel All applicants for homesteads have
been permitted TO inspect the land before
hand TO select a claim in case ne should be
lucky enough TO draw a number
Besides the three commissioners appoint
ed to superrtend the drawing and the ten
men who will draw the envelopes from the
wheel, space on the platform will be pro-
vived for newspaper reporters. Commits
sioner Richards declined tonight TO dis
close the names of the ten men who will
draw the numbers from the wheel, and
said that the selection would not be made
until just before the drawing began.
The situation here, on the eve of the
eventful day is quiet There probably
5000 strangers here now, and all incoming
trains are loaded Several State delegations
paraded the streets to-day. II is thought
row of any day since the opening of the
registration.