The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1904-08-24

Hurry up, please, / want to get a
turnip crop in" shouted a pale faced
| man at the front of the stand. His
voice was thin and piping, and in the
tense silence the entire crowd heard
him distinctly. The commissioner had
Just turned to the crowd to make his
announcement, but the crowd had a
new idea. The thin mans anxiety to
get to his farm and plant his turn1ps
before it should be too late carried the
throng off Its feet, and in an instant 1t
was shouting with laughter. But the
interest was too earnest for this to last
long. Commissioner Richards held up
his hand for order, and he got it.
William Mccormick, whose last post
office address was Lancaster, Pa.
draws the first chance" he announced
The crowd was not pleased at first
Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa fur
nfshed three-fOurths Of the applicants,
and here came q man all the way from
PENNSYLVANIA to draw the $4,000 first
prize, for the first quarter section, sure
to be used for town site was figured
easily worth this sum.
"Who is he?" demanded somebody
after spasmOdic effort at cheers had
resulted unhappily. The commissioner
had turned to the record books and had
the information at hand in a moment
He's twenty-seven years old, five feet
six inches high, unmarried, was born
in Philadelphia and served in the Sec
ond Nebraska in the Philippines during
the Spanish war" called out the COM
missioner.
That made it all right. The winner
was a Nebraskan and a soldier of the
famous Second Nebraska that saw
more hard fighting and earned more
glory than perhaps any other volunteer
regiment that was sent to the Philip
pines. The Nebraskans in the crowd
started the cheering and everybody
Joined.
well marry him to the first girl
that comes out of the box" yelled a
man with a voice like the angel Ga
briel.
The crowd remembered it. The
drawing went on with only abated in
terest. The numbers came rapidly and
were announced. TaluS Rugge was
No. 2. His address was announced as
Tea, S. D. Hell want something
stronger than tea when he gets the
news" piped the humorist with the
thin face and falsetto voice.
H. Wesley Brown, Dakota City, Neb.,
was No. 3. The crowd disapproved Of
his parting his name in the middle and
made sundry jocular remarks. When
the drawing had reached No. "a the
first lady's name was down.
anna NJ Alden, Dentonville, Kan"
announced Commissioner Richards.
Come on, Billy Mccormick. Here's
yer superior twO-thirds" came up from
the thin mans falsettO.
First lady of the Rosebud" volun-
teered another.
"Send for the preachery' from the
megaphone.
"Ne'll run 'em both off the reserva-
ton if they don't invite us to the we'd
ding" announced another.
that evening the health of "the first
lady of the Rosebud" was drunk all
over town.
Iowans, South Dakotans and Nebras-
kans will divide honors about equally.
They will get about so per cent of all
the lands.
After 1t was all over the land office
clerks made the discovery that they
had given an erroneous residence for
Mccormick and instead of living in
Pennsylvania he was resident of
Lancaster county, Neb. The announce
ment was made on the evening of the
first day Of the drawing, and the west
erners were greatly pleased to learn
that after all a real westerner had
drawn the big prize.
The town which will get more than
any other is Sioux City, Ia, because it
is near and almost 20 per cent Of its
$4,000 people registered.