The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-07-15

spsed 10 The townsite TO stake the ohoicesI
lots they found tho best lots already ooou.
pied, and, not knowing that they were held
by ~sooners, kept running east and nortt
until they found other and less desirable
lots. or until they fell from exhaustion
The disappointed ot,ss began coming baob
and Jumping the stalled lots.
The Territory was without law, the or
Ganic act not passing until May, 1890. There
wore no Territorial laws until members Of
tho Legislature had been nominated and
elected under tho organic act.
h people became q aw unto Them
selves. They organized a provisional gov.
ernment In the municipalities and life and
property received as good protection %
they onjoy ut this day.
Restaurants were the first kind OF busi-
ness established. Shortly afterward gam
bling was started, and every game known
In tho United States was In sight. The
gamblers played their games In the streets
In the open air.
Jones by accident found himself In the
restaurant business before he realized
what had happened. The hastily impro-
vissd eating booths were, serving q small
SNA ~nP Va ooho WItIout IO&i vs.
a slice or two Of bacon, O fried egg and o
few slices Of bread at u a chance. Jones
had several boiled hams, some leaves OF
bread, DO, which he had brought tn a
trunk for his own use.
"A hungry man with a ~pooketful Of money
stopped at his tent and asked for a sand
witch. which Jones gave to him with his
compliments. The stranger threw down Q
dollar and said that the sandwich wa q
better meal than tho one for which he had
paid a dollar ut q restaurant. @ -
He told his friends OF his discovery, and
they sought put Jonss's tent. In an hour
he had made $780, and in q week he had saved
$500. His sole cash assets amounted to
$50 when he sold bis frst sandwich.
He ordered 1000 loaves Of bread at Ar
kansas City. They were packed hot, and
when they reached Guthrie each loaf had
Rhrunk TO about the size and frmness'of q
hard boiled egg. He sold all OF this bread
at rs cents a loaf, Inoluiing freight, each
loaf had cost him about . cents.
Though selling at ~exorbltant prices
during the first two or three days, groceries
were cheaper in q week than they were at
Kansas City. There was an oversupply
uAu liz buAuIuHD III NkllSu W bIOIO vLcIlls
Carloads Of potatoes were piled On the
ground, and hundreds Of bushels were
carried away. the owners knowing that
thsv could not be sold before they decayed.
l. ~ or yards were open for business
the third day, and humber sold on a basis
Of about 500 a thousand feet, though the
Price was much higher In smaller quantiy
ties.
The first postmaster was Dennis T. Flynn;
afterwsrd Delegate to Congress-, and the
post Office q small frame shack. After
standing In line all day, a man would be
within two o. three numbers Of his turn
when the post office closed at 0 O'Clock p. M.
and then he would lie on the ground all
night to be at the head Of the line next
morning.
There were probably $1,000 persons In
Guthrie then. Stamps were peddled In the
Water was hauled from the Cottonwood
and sold at 8 cents a glass, Is cents a bucket
and 81 q barrel.
Prior to the organic act, Intoxicating
liquors could not Be sold or brought into
The Territory. which was stu under the
tions. Bootleggers did q profitable but
dangerous business, n many were sent
to the penitentiary.
, When the organic act became law any.
body who could pay i9r q Government
which to plaos q key and two Or three
glasses were the sole fixtures Of many saloons
hat ran openly In tho streets.
In three or four days dance halls and dis
orderly houses were running. The largest
was IN q tent so1eO feet. There was q bar
enough for two quadrilles.
There were few women in town, and
when the big dance hall gave O grand OPEN
ing practically all the men In town we're in
attendance. The crowd grew 90 large that
tent. This merely whetted curiosity and
coon the dance hall was 50 densely packed
that dancing was impossible. Probably the
first piano brought to Oklahoma during the
rush was in this dance hall.
There were no Federal statutes against
own laws gambling was controlled by
Each gambler al Guthrie paid Ss a day to
the police Judge, and 1t Is estimated that
for a long time the daily cash receipts Of the
police Judge amounted to 5000.
The first religious service was held on
what was KIN own as the Government acre,
set aside by the Government for the land
Office. On the third or fourth night q cow
boy evangelist, riding a calico pony, came
In Az And . ssla Z %9 meet t X: ..dd,. and v.r,.a
=, LAC SoAnou AAosh hh1. ooooios auu WdIueU
the people against their sins. While be
speaking Jim Masterson, now dead,
brother Of Bat Masterson, came out OF
the Long Branch gambling house and
threw Ihohy-poky Carbon Hsulphide) on
the calico pony.
The calico pony began performing at
creased lightning gait, and the cowboy |
evangelist was thrown. As he mounted
rode away he turned and said, with q
grin:
There's some damned smart fellows in
his crowd"
The. first funeral was that Of Skinner,
} gambler from Dodge City. Kan, who died
1t st. AIMS Rest, a gambling house. There
vas no public cemetery. and his grave was |
lug on school land south Of town.
All the gamblers and q number Of painted
women went to the funeral. No minister
vas present. and after the coffin had been
owered into the grave there wa an en-.
'arr Iesing silence OF eight or ton minutes.
10 ono speaking a word or Offering To all
Finally. old Dog Kelly, an old timer
t Dodge City, threw his hat on the ground
nd, half crying. exclaimed:
J.Holy Jasusl There's neyther praste nor
'raycher here; let's kiver him up.'
During the first days there were few
I'm plays Every mai supposed the
Their had a pistol, and being strangers
men did not modest one another. THE
filings took. place after men became ao-
With ea oh othar