The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-07-30
PRIZE WINNERS IN The
GREAT LAND LOTTERY
First Days Drawing Gives Valuable Homes to Many
in Oklahoma Reservation.
Enthusiastic Crowd that Greeted the Fortunate Ones With
CheerS-One Lucky Woman.

FL Reno, o. T, July 29.-OklahOm7' 5
great land lottery was begun here in
earn st today, and when the commits
sioHers appointed by the federal gov
eminent adjourned the drawing for the
day, 1,0OO of the choicest of the 1900
160-acre claims in the Kiowa-Comanche
country had been awarded.
The first name drawn from the
wheels was that Of Stephen A. HOIcomb
of PauIs Valley, l. T. for a homestead
Leonard Lamb OF Augusta, Okla.
These two may select the two choicest
claims in this district
The capital prize winners, however,
proved to be James r. Wood of Wea-
theTford. Okla, whose name was the
first to come out Of the LawtOn district
wheel. and Miss Matte II. Beals of
Wichita, Kan, who drew the second
number in that district They will have
the privilege of making the first filings
in the LawtOn district, and viii Un-
doubleday choose the two quarter sec
tons adjoining that town. These are
considered the most valuable in the
territory, and are, it is estimated
worth from $4,000 to $40. 900 each.
The day has been one of keen excite
msnt, replete with interesting scenes.
1t is estimated that fully $4,000 persons
witnessed the drawing. The immense
thTOng was wrought up to the highest
pitch. The drawing of the first few
names was followed by a mighty shout
that reVeTberated between the hills
and must have been heard for miles
over the pTairies-
All Was Pleasantly.
Each succeeding winning for time
was made with shouts of applause and
merriment. All was pleasantly. Every
man, though he did not draw a prize
from the wheels today, had Steadfast
faith that tomorrow or next day would
surely see him the pOssessOr of a slip
reading him a title clear to 100 acres Of
OklahOma's land. So in the success of.
friends or relatives. unfortunate ones
today instead of bewailing their fate
cheered Justify as familiar names were
called out from the commissioners
platform.
The crowds fairly exhausted them
selves, and when The close ot the draw
ing for the day was ANNOUNCED at
O clock, hundreds who had ueifher eat
en- nor drank during the day sank to
the ground where they stood from
sheer fatigue, or dragged themselves to
better places of rest, or to refreshment
booths uptown.
The day was remarka bly, free from
quarTeIs. ana satisfaction with the gov
ernments method Of diSpOsing Of land
was felt. It has been found that many
hundred applicants have repeated"
and that others have applications
which are so illegibIe that they viii be
thrown out over this discOrd has re-
suited, and the outcome may be an ap-
peal to the courts.
The drawing had been set for .
O'Clock, but the transferring of the
bundles Of envelopes holding the On
plicatiOns from the general receptaCle
to the wheels, which was by lot, was 81
slow that il was 1850 o'clock before
the first name was drawn.
The First Prize Winner.
Twenty-Five names were drawn from
the FL Reno district and then an equal
number from the LawtOn district.
When all was ready, Ben Heyler placed
his hand in al aperture in the FL Reno
wheel and withdrawing an envelope
handed it to Colonel Dyer. It was
passed to Chief Clerk Mackey, stamped