Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-08-01
|ORAW|NC FOR
LAND BEGINS
0kIahoma's Great Land Lottery
Opened at Ell Reno This
Morning.
BLANKS FOR The VAST MAJORITY
Over 10000 Of the Land Seekers
IRE Sure to Be Disap-
pointed.
YOUNG COUPLE GET RICH PRIZES
Oklahoma Young Man and Young
Woman From Missouri Get Claims
Worth $4,000 Apicco-Every-
body Has Equal Show.

Eel Reno, O. T., July 31.--One of the
greatest lotteries In history, that con-
Quoted by the federal government In
iisposing of $4,000 quarter section
claims in the Kiowa-C omanche reser-
vations was begun here this morning.
No pubic event in years in the south
west has attracted so much attention
as this one-the initiation OF a new
method of disposing of government.
lands. one hundred and siXty-sevcn
thousand persons, each with one
chance In thirteen of winning home
stead, watched the event here in real
" or at distance, for the applications
have come from every state in the
union. Twenty thousand people
crowded about the platform which was
built for the drawing in the open air
.cur blocks from the center of lei Reno.
at the foot of several small hills, which
formed perfect lmphitheater FL
Reno yesterday cared for fully $4,000
people and the trains that came in dur
ing the night and morning vastly
swelled the crowd Hundreds of others
are still bound this way.
Waiting for LAc Eyentful Day.
Sunday was spent quietly, but as
night came on and the hour for the
actual drawing approached men and
women, many of whom had waited pa
tlent!y for months for the morrow
event. or had come thousands of miles
at the last moment to participate in 1t .
became anxious. Many lay down aud
slept on the ground around the plat
form to be sure OF an advantageous DO
sition when the first number should be
called out. The first break of dawn
found every one on the alert and NOV
Ing with a common impulse toward the
all important point. All had been i'm
readiness for hours. The government
clerks had finished the task of placing
the envelopes of applicants in envelopes
and OF tying them in bundles ready to
be placed in the wheels, and the wheels
had been tested for the last time yes
to-day afternoon. The approach to the
stand of the commissioners guarding
the bundles of envelopes was the signal
fo- great demonstration that was re-
newed with fervor from time to time
during the progress of arrangements.
The Drawing scgips.
When finally ten boys, five for the Ell
Reno and five for the Lawton district.
lined up before the two wheels and
awaited the word to draw out the first
envelopes from the receptacles the
throng failed to control itself a
AiiSHey Greer arose, repeated again and
again, and the multitude pushed closer
to the platform. Eager, drawn faces
watched every movement of those about
the wheels: nechs We're craned to hear
the name of the first winner. A NOM
emit later when deputy marshal called
loudly for order the crowd stilled I'M
stantly. Colonel Dyer one of the three
commissioners. read the presidents
proclamation relating to the drawing.
rms finished the envelopes We're placed
IN the wheels, each turned repeatedl,,
to insure a generous mixing up. and
them In another moment the drawing
was on The first envelope taken from
the wheel contained the name of James
II. Wood. of Weatherford, Okla, who
had registered for homestead i'm tho
Lawton district.
Matte tx. Beals of Wichita, llas..
whose birthplace is in Missouri drew
number two, also in the Lawton dis.
trict. The multitude went frantic owe.
the announcement. but became n,,iet
instantly and listened intcntly to hea,
the names of other fortu.lates.
Tw., Rich prizcs.
without doubt Wood and Miss Beals.
who thus have the right to make tho
first filings, will select two quarter sec
tions adjoining the Lawton townsite
district and which are believed to be
WoFtn $au.uuO each.
When Colonel Dyer in thunderoua
tones, announced the woman's age as
~ and her height the same as that of
Mr. Wood, 10000 persons shouted in
chorus:
They must get married"
Number in lei Reno district was
stephen n. Holccnb of Pauls Valley
i. H., and No. ., Leonard Lamb. of All-
gusta, Okla.
cure To Disappoint $4,000.
More than $4,000 seekers after QUAR-
ter sections of land are doomed TO dis
appointment, for there are only 13.OoO
claims to be distributed among the tens
OF thousands who have been camped
az III Reno and Fort Sill. some Of them
since the opening of the registration
booths on July ~.
Already the first acts in one of these
dramas so peculiar TO the United States
land office have been played. OF the
results one may say Tor the disap-
pointed ones, in the words of the poet.
And the rapture of pursuing,
IS the prize the Nanquished gain"
For one of the stories that have been
told OF the Nevada man who Joined the
wild, cosmopolitan gathering at lei Reno
was to the effect. as he expressed 1t
that he had about as much show as
u SNOWFALL
why did you come, them" asked a
ood-humored chatter.
20, just to see the fun" was the re-
ply-a reply fully appreciated by a
hundred adventurers who were within
earshot of the dialogue.
The rush for Indian lands-quite as
picturesque as any other in the past
but more orderly and equitable in
every way--is one of the last of these
dramatic possibilities For Years the