The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1911-08-25
MANY SoU i 4 R !! ! FILE
SPECIAL TRAINS CARRY HUN.
], 81 bREDs or hoMEsEEKERs.
Registration AMsdavits viii % Drawn
From Huge Hight snesd
Platform.

Minot.- That the Fort Berthold land
opening 10 attracting attention in the
South Is exemplihed By, the fact that
almost daily chartered cars filled with
anxious land seekers are arriving in
Minot. the chief point Of registration.
Special cars have arrived from Mis-.
souri,, Iowa and Nebraska during the
past few days with homeseekers.
Among these delegations have been
many representative men Of the COM
munfties from which they came. Some
of them have been extensive farmers
and others have represented the labor
ing element.
notable feature of the registration
is the large number of former Ameri-
cans from Alberta and Saskatchewan
who are declaring their intentions to
again become citizens of the United
States and are registering for chance
in the land lottery. Many of these
went to Canada several years ago and
have been unsuccessful and are now
returning to make this their perma-
nent home. Thirty-seven came in on
one train from the north.
Judge James w. Witten announces
that any person over the age of six
teen years who possesses good intelli-
gence may act as an agent for an old
soldier. The belief has been prevail
emit that it was necessary for party
to be eligible to make homestead en-
try or of age, but this was an errone-
Gus idea. It is perceptible fact that
practically every land seeker from
Kansas has had an affidavit for an old
soldier. Several hundred old soldiers
have written to the post office and also
to the. Commercial club to know
whether or not they could secure an
agent for them, and as a result, prac-
tlcally all of the men and women of
the city of Minot have been solicited
to register for veteran. The soldier
must make affidavit to the effect that
the name of his agent was written in
the blank before he swore to the affi-
davit and that makes it necessary to
secure the agent before the papers are
mailed from Minot.
It is an absolute fact that the ma.
Jority of the land seekers who come
here are not satisfied to return home
until they have an opportunity to view
the promised land, as the reservation
Is being styled. About twenty auto
mobiles are kept busy daily conveying
the land seekers to and from the res
ervation. The post card dealers have
done a thriving business since the
registration began, and Postmistress
Mrs. j. M. Murphy has added three
extra clerks to the stamp department
to facilitate matters at the postoffice.
Regular postoffice hours have been
kept since the registration began, but
all night service will be inaugurated
the last week while the big rush is on.
AS the time approaches interest is
naturally attracted to the manner in
which the drawing will be conducted.
! At previous drawings huge cylinder
has been used, in which all registra-
/ ton afidavits have been placed and
the morning of the drawing thoroughly
mixed by revolving the large cylinder
| for 30 minutes. Judge Witten has de-
cided, however, to construct spacious
platform which will be screened in by
| a fence 10 feet high and upon this plat
form will be thrown all of the en-
velopes containing the affidavits of the
entire'registration, and for 80 minutes
they will be mixed with wooden pitch.
forks At this juncture the S-year-old
son of Congressman Hanna will be
hoodwinked and walk into the midst
OF the piles and pick out an envelope,
returning to Judge Witten, and he will
announce the name as drawing No. 1.