The Savannah morning news., 1901-07-29
WILL DRAW FOR LAND
,ovERNMENT's BIG LOTTERY BE-
GINS TODAY.
LUCKY NUMBERS ARE FEW
cu.NcEs OF WINNING ARE ONE IN
THIRTEEN.

ThOusands VIII WAthess ~
to Eagerly Hoping and Praying
~ Success-Only 1000 Numbers
,,,,,, Re Drawn TO-day-The
DrouinG VIII Be in Public by
which Is Intended to In
,re Fairness to All.
I'll Reno. o. T., July 2S.-An is ex-
oectancy tonight among the tnous-
,de of homeseekers here over the
.rand lottery that begins tomorrow
,,orrins. There are thirteen thousand
claims TO be distributed and each OF
tbe 1s5 S65 persons who have registered
during the past fifteen days, has ABOUT
ono chance in thirteen of winning. IL
&c long shot, but every one apparent
Il, feels confident of being numbered
or,ong the lucky, and in consequence,
the best of good nature prevails. While
the scene lacks the great excitement
of +he run which heretofore has
been a part of other land openings in
this part of the country, the last act
in the throwing open to the 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
bv thousands of people. 1t will be ac-
complished on large platform in the
omen. around which the sloping hillsides
form natural amphitheater, by a
committee appointed last week by Sec
retarv Hitchcock and composed of w.
Richards. assistant commissioner
Of the general land office and who has
had charge of the registration; d. z.
Over of St Louis, former United
States district attorney, and Frank
Dale ex-chief justice of Oklahoma.
The Governments Lottery scheme.
The actual drawing will be novel and
interesting. On the platform will be
two obong box wheels, each fifteen feet
in length, one to hold the names of
the applicants for homesteads in the
FL Reno district and the other for
those of the Lawton district. In these
wheels will be placed envelopes con-
tanning the names of all the registered
applicants. The envelopes first will
have been brought to the platform in
packages consecutively numbered. A
corresponding series of numbers upon
slips will be placed in another recep-
tace. from which they will be drawn
out at random. The packages of en-
velopes bearing the first number drawn
will be the first to be placed in the
drawing box and we'll distributed, when
another number will be drawn and an
other package of envelopes distributed,
and this course VIII be continued until
all of the envelopes shall have been
placed in the box wheels, after which
the wheels will be revolved for a suf-
of if11a n a fhnT-
Ough mixing of the envelopes.
How the Numbers, VIII Be Drawn.
In each wheel there are five aper.
lures. from which the envelopes finally
will be drawn. Ten men, one for each
aperture, will perform the actual draw
ing. The order in which they will be-
gin will be determined by lot.
The first envelope drawn will b'
No J. which will be at once opened anC
the identification slip, which it contains
will be given corresponding number
and the name and residence which ap
pear upon the slip will be publicly an
ncunCed. This course will be pursued
numbering each enve lope and it's con
tents consecutively, until twenty-five
numbers shall have been drawn from
one box, when an equal number will
be drawn from the other box in a sim
sued until 500 names shall have ibeel
drawn from each box, and if the com
mlttee shall deem it best to do so ar
rangements will be made for drawing
simultaneously from both boxes
After the names are drawn and an
nounced they will be recorded, and
nouce prepared to be mailed to the on
whose name is drawn. The drawin;
VIII proceed in this ma nner until ever.
envelope in the box shall have beel
drawn.
Only 1000 the First Day.
Only 1000 envelopes, 500 for each dis
ulct' will be drawn Monday. After tn
nrst day the drawing will proceed witt
greater rapidity, and it is expected tina
the last envelope will have been draw
py Tuesday night. The lucky ones vii
pe permitted to file claim in the or
ger that their numbers have bee
orawn from the wheel. All applicant
Ior homesteads have been permitte
10 inspect the land beforehand to Sc
iect claim in case they shall b
uCKy enough to draw number. Be
sues the three commissi oners appoint
eu 10 superintend the drawing and tn
zen men who will draw the envelope
rom the wheel, space ON the platform
WI De provided for newspaper report
.Is' commissioner Richards decline
to-Hsht TO disclose the names of tn
IN VINO will draw the numbers fror
~, ~ wheel, and said that the selectio
ih NOT be made until lust before tn