The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1901-07-22
DISTRESS AND DISORDER
WILL FOLLOW OPENING
Thousands Brought Their
All to Fort Sill to Await
Fortunes Turn

FoIt olllf Okidr july e@s-lL VIII De
little short of a miracle If disorder
and distress do not follow the opening
Of the Comanche and Wichita reser.
yations
Protracted drouth in the states and
territories adjacent to the Indian lands
has sent thousands of persons to Fort
Sill to register for a homestead who
would have remained at home had
there been work for them to do. Thou
sands of persons now on the reserva-
tion who are neither mechanics nor
artisans announce their intention of
locating at Lawton. They have not
the means to go into business of any
kind What the thousands of persons
will do, who propose to remain with
out means because they have nowhere
else to GO is past understanding.
Campers who came in prairie
schooners by the thousands brought
with them provisions sufficient to last
for from FIVE to ten days The first
few days of camping were enjoyed
the people were lighthearted and
merry but continued droutn caused
the water supply to be restricted. The
prairies were parched by a fierce sun
which has sent the thermometer above
a hundred. Every day for two weeks
hot winds have come and the same
crowd which was contented and hap
by at the beginning is now suspicious
and inclined to grumble.
Many Don't Understand the Plan.
The nature of the drawing is only
imperfectly understood. Perhaps ono
fourth of all those who have come to
Fort Sill brought with them all their
possessions. Their families were
huddled into prairie schooners, the
household effects fastened to the
wagon bed, and the ycame to the new
country prepared to remain. Even
under most favorable conditions their
existence would be a struggle
But the spectators at El Reno out
number the bona fde homesteaders
two or three TO one. II the law Of
chance prevails the men who have
never farmed will draw more home
steads than the men who are accus-
toned to till the soil.
Drouth has sent the price of all the
necessities of an agricultural country
beyond the reach Of the poor There
cannot be dollars worth of anything
raised in either of the Indian reserva-
tions for months and months. All of
this would not be so bad were it not
for the idle population, nine out of ten
of whom have been disappointed and
have the natural suspicious of men
who do not know and cannot be made
to understand.
After the close of registration this
crowd will be no longer on the mill
tnry reservation. on the evening OF
| fully 2e the military authorities will
move every comper onto the land
which is to be opened Civil and not
military law will prevail and the
crowd viii be conferred around a town
whose officials are unknown and un.
able to enforce order The instruc
tions from the war department for the
preservation of order extend no fur
ther than July 26, when registration
ends. On the morning of July p
every person who has entered the
military reservation will be driven of
Between July 20 and August dis
contented crowd of 10000 or more
people many of them hungry viii as
semble around the Lawton land office
With absolutely nothing TO do these
people viii have a week or ten days
to discuss the situation. Then vii
come the opening Of the lands, with
it's final dlsappointments Grea
precautions will De necessary TO main
tain anything akin to order