Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1909-10-24
LAND DRAWING ON TUESDAY
Fourteen Thousand Dakota Farms to
Be Distributed.
REGISTRATION AT END SATURDAY
Only seventy-Five Thousand Persons
Apply, Due to More Rigorous Reg
ulRtiOns Concerning Settle
ment of Territory.

SIOUX FALLS, S. D.. Oct 23-(Special.)
Tonight the registration for chances to
draw farms of 160 acres each from the
1900 farms which Uncle Sam is to dis
tribute among homeseekers in the ceded
portions Of the Cheyenne River and Stand
Rock Indian reservations came TO an
END. the date for the registration having
been fixed by proclamation OF President
Taft from October 4 to October q The
drawing will begin October % at Aber-
deem.
Instead OF 5000 persons registered. as
was originally expected in some quarters
the number reaches barely 1900, but this
will result to the benefit Of those who
have registered. for they stand better
chance Of winning farms when the draw
ing takes place. The falling off in the
number registering is due to several
causes, one OF them being the compare
lively high price which homeseekers who
draw farms will have TO pay per acre for
the land embraced in the farms to be
distributed.
Homesteading OF public lands is not what
it used to be when the government was
much more lenient with hometseaders than
in these modern days. Now fourteen
months residence is required in the case Of
commutation proofs and homesteaders
must have tehir homes on their land TO
the exclusion of a home elsewhere, and
must make improvements OF a substantial
character before they can make final proof,
which is preliminary to securing "a title to
the lands from the government
Entry Made Next spring.
Those who draw farms in the Cheyenne
River and Standing Rock reservations will
-
next spring. At the time Of making entry
the individual homesteader win be required
TO pay t14 fees and commissions, and in
addition one-fifth Of the appraised value
OF the land must be paid at the time OF
/ making entry. The remainder of the pay
ments for the land must be made at stated
| Intervals. and II a homesteader fails to
make payment when it becomes due al
his former payments Will be forfeited and
his or her entry will be Cancelled.
Now that the registration for chances
20 draw farms in the ceded lands has beer
ended. the next interesting event in the
disposal OF thse lands will be the drawing
which will begin at Aberdeen on Tuesday
October 8
Josephine Burke. the little daughter Of
| Congressman and Mrs. Charles II. Burke
Of South Dakota, and Miss Jeanette Hedger
daughter OF Mr.. and Mrs. S. c. Hedger Of
Aberdeen have been selected by Judge
James witten. who is in charge of the
drawing as the representative OF the in.
terior department at Washington, to repre-
sent the government in selecting the
envelopes containing the names OF those
who have REGISTERED at the drawing.
Josephine Burke Is 8 years of age and
jeanette Hedger is one year older. sinc'
being selected for this important duty. th'
littl Hedger girl has ben taken down with
an attack Of scarlet fever. Alice Jackson
a little girl OF about her own age, Of
Aberdeen. has been designated a subst
tute by Judge Witten, and will serve IL
place Of Jeanette Hedger II the latter hai
not recovered by tn time the drawing
begins,
Rules that VIII Apply.
tn drawing will take place in an audi
torium at Aberdeen. A huge platform hal
been erected I'm the building, upon which al
the envelopes containing the names Of thOs
who have registered viii be deposited an'
thoroughly mixed up. One OF the require
ments OF the registration was that nom
Of the envelopes should bear identification
marks. the outside OF the envelopes beinl
without writing or marks Of any kind Tn
drawing will open at 10 o'clock In the fore
noon OF the day stated, and will be don
publicly.
The numbers thus assigned viii fix an
determine the order in WEIGH the applicant
named therein will be permitted 70 late
select the lands they desire and presen
their filing therefor For instance. tn
person named in the application numbers
one win have first choice OF all the land
subject TO entry In the two reservations
the person named in application No.