Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-08-10
Miseellaneuus Rsaaina.
THE BEGINNING OF OKLAHOMA.
II Came With the Memorable Rush Of
April, 1889.

The BEGINNING Or OklA1OMA
Il Came With the Memorable Rush o
| April, 1889.
Oklahoma sprang into existence II
a day. At the start its settlement wa
a contest Of brute strength and endur
ance. The federal government drew
a line around the domain 1t had Sc
aside for homestead settlement and a
a signal at noon on April %, 1889, per
mitted an army Of men and women t
rush across the border and take pos
session of whatever land they fount
unoccupied.
| The race was to the swift and th'
strong. No scene like 1t had ever beer
witnessed on this continent nor in 9th
er lands 1t has become historic like
the adventures of the California Argo'
nauts, and in future time some poe
may celebrate its epic glory.
At this day citizens Of Oklahoma wht
came here in that memorable rush art
distinguished above their neighbor:
who came later. They belong to ar
aristocracy.
AS the capital of the new territory
Guthrie was the scene of greatest ac'
tivity and the most characteristic incl
dents. All the political fortune hunter:
came here for fame and plunder. Some
of them were sent to the penitentiary
some are dead and some now am
known as distinguished citizens.
A man who saw those first attempts
to reclaim virgin wilderness in day
told the story of his experiences late.
| ly. He was a sooner. A sooner wal
la man or woman who stole into Okla
hona before the legal hour. and per-
haps violated the law by setting upor
land and swearing that he had not en-
tered upon and occupied 1t before noon
In after years the penitentiary was
filed with sooners convicted Of per-
jury, and the soil Of Oklahoma Is dyed
in many places with the blood Of mer
who were killed In sooner quarrels OIL
assassinated to prevent their evidences
that would send men to prison. This
particular sooner did not commit per.
| Jury and got no land.
The twenty-s second day Of April, 1889
came on Monday. This man, with sew.
eral companions, entered the territory
on the preceding Saturday night and
induced the conductor of a freight
train to stop In the sand hills north OF
the Cimarron river near Guthrie.
He carried a valise filled with food
around which was rolled his blanket
and in addition he had a spade, an a,
and Winchester rife. It was O'Clock
Sunday morning when the train stop
ped. The night was chilly and the
country uninhabited.
One man in the party had wooder
leg. The only way to cross the Cims!r.
ron river was to walk on long rail.
road trestle. At the other end was ar
armed guard, placed there by the rail.
road company to prevent burning of tho
bridge by sooners, who In that way
might try to delay the arrival Of tho
llaB-abidIng settlers, until > after 1ht
hour Of noon had passed, which wollt
permit the sooners the more easily t
get the choicest lands,
The man with the wooden leg collt
mot walk the trestle In the darkness:
and the leader Of the party took The
cripple man on his back and carrying
the baggage Of both, crossed the river
They were challenged by the guard
but the latter was intimidated by theii
number and remained in the brush
when he saw that they did not at
tempt to injure the bridge. The man
who carried the cripple fell exhausted
when he stepped from the bridge.
Federal troops were riding the coun-
try and arresting all persons without
credentials. These sooners had come
from western Kansas, where there was
no timber on the prairies. In the dark
ness they saw a clump Of blackjack
oaks on a nearby hill and mistooh
them for a camp Of soldiers. They hid
themselves in the weeds for an hour
or two before they would venture to-
ward Guthrie, where there was moth
ing except a railroad station, hastily
constructed frame building to be USE
ed as a land Office and tent occupied
by a United States marshal. A mem
Der Of the party who had walked In
advance lost his way and turned back
and began firing his pistol to locate his
friends. This was a second alarm that
sent the .sooners into the weeds.
Near Guthrie Is a small stream, the
Cottonwood, often in flood, and ther
dangerously deep. The sooners camp.
ed on it's bank, but the night was sc
chilly they could not sleep. The mex
morning the man of whose experience
| this story is a record saw a tract OF
beautiful farm land across the stream
The stream was high. and he could
not swim Lashing two pieces Of tim
Der together and fastening his bag
gage securely he plunged from the
steep bark as a coaster goes down g
hillside, and by clinging to his small
raft and kicking his heels vigorously,
was washed to the opposite bank.
He staked his claim and began dig
ging a dugout. An hour or two later
he was startled by the appearance Of
a man on horse on the bank immedi-
ately above him.
What are you doing there, young
man." asked the stranger.
Locating my claim and digging q
dugout."
We'll, sir" answered the stranger
who also was a sooner" this is my
claim, and will kill the first man who
lies on It,"
The man who had swum the Cotton
wood picked up his Winchester. and
the stranger rode away. But each
knew that the other was a sooner, and
both would be living in the same town
The man who refused to be bluffed
never made entry on his claim. When
he read a copy of the required oath
he saw perjury staring him in the face
and he had received a cash sum from
contestants who feared that he might
have a valid claim, and did not know
| that he was a sooner
10 90 1nte