Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-09-06
Thousands Of People Gather
to Witness Drawing
Of Names
Addresses are Made by Rep.
reSeDtatiVeS Hanna and
neIgeson
Greatest Excitement Attends
the Drawing Of the
First Name

Minot, N. D., Sept. 6-Several
thousand people gathered at the reg
istration building at $3.50 o'clock when
Judge Witten, Representative L. B.
Hanna of FGargo, and Representative
H. T. Helgeson, of Milton, arrived.
Men mix Up Envelopes.
Four men were mixing the pile Of
twenty thousand five hundred en-
velopes containing the landseekers'
affidavits which mad been piled on a
huge platform thirty by forty feet,
erected justde of the registration
building. At $3.50 o'clock Judge Wit.
ten introduced Representative Hanna.
who introduced in Congress the bill
opening the reservation.
Hanna Lands Witten
Representative Hanna paid strong
tribute to Judge Witten for the emin-
emily fair manner in which the land
drawing was conducted and explained
the provisions of bill which he has
introduced restoring to homestead en-.
try approximately 100000 acres of land
had been reserved on account of con-
in the Berthold reservation which
tanning Ignite coal.
HeIqeson introduced
Representative Helgeson, who fol-
lowed Mr.. Hanna, spoke of the tre-
mendous development of North Da-
kota and predicted that North Dakota
is on the eve of a great<growth. Mr..
Helegesen said he could remember
when land in the eastern part of the
state could be bought for song and
now this land sells for prices that
compare favorably with land in Wis
consin, Minnesota and other middle
western states.
He stated that the opening of the.
Berthold Indian reservation was one
of the most important events in the
history of western North Dakota;
that it meant the building of thous-
ands of new homes, the erection OF
hundreds of churches and schools, and
the development of vast material re-
sources.
Winner is a Lucky Man ~
"The man who draws winning
number on this reservation today is
a lucky man." said Mr.. Helgesen. HE
will have a mine of inexhaustible
wealth. The man who owns gold
mine may wake up some day and
find his mine depleted, but the man
who owns a North Dakota farm, it
he takes care of it, and farms it on
scientific principles, will find that
every year it is worth more than the
year previously"
NAS;AA>n E~nIa;ne Ma$h4a ~ OFaNinn
Judge Witten explained the advan-
tages of the new system of land draw
ings in comparison with the old plan
of stalking claims. Judge Witten then
offered to give any person in the
crowd an opportunity to draw the
first number if he did not think that
the drawing was on the square.
IF anyone will step forward and
will draw out his own envelope l will
give him claim No. l." said Judge
Witten. He then introduced Robert
Hanna, the nine year old son of Rep
resentative Hanna, who walked into
the center of the huge platform and
carelessly picked up an envelope
which he handed to Judge Witten,
who opened it and read the name OF
the winner.
First Number is Drawn
Perfect silence reigned among the
thousands of land seekers when Judge
Witten took envelope No. /. Eager
expectation was evident on the faces
of the homeseekers who had gathered
from every state in the Union at great
expense and in some instances at
great personal sacrifice, to tahe
chance in the government lottery.
When the name Of the winner was
announced the faces of the homeseek-
ers relaxed and pandemonium reigned
for several minutes.
Second Envelope Drawn.
When the tumult subsided Douglas
Devine, son of former governor J. N.
Devlne, drew envelope No. and the
drawing proceeded.