Gates Wide Open

THEY GOT THERE. Gutheie, Ind. T., April 23.- The object of ten years of agitation is attained, and Oklahoma is occupied. Guthrie, which was a name on the map, a little red station-house by the railway track, is now a booming city of 15,000 inhabitants. lts striictures are canvas and lts population almost cxclusively male, but there is an interest and excitehere that is wanting in many a more subBtantial city. Guthkib, Ind. T„ April 23.- Atnoonyesterday Oklahoma Territory was thrown open to settloment in accordance with the bill passed by Congres at lts last session and the order of the President Resistiese torrente of humunity began to pour over lts BoiL Froni the Cherokee strip came the great fleet of prairie schooners across the Canadian; f rom the Chickasaw Nationcame troop after troop of sturdy ponies, each ene carryinsr a boomer; from the Arapahoo and Cheynne reservations on the west carne a yelling mob of horsemen, who fired volley after volley to celébrate their final victory. The Kiawa of the southwest, and the Cherokee and Creek Nations on the east also furniehed their contingent of boomers. At the starting signal they moved all together, great waves of cheering' breaking upon the air. The wagons continued on over the level green plain until they were about half way across the northern tier of claims, and then upward of 100 of them were brought to a standstilL The others rolled on to the lower tiers. Men, women and children poured from the stationary schooners, and in an incredibly Bhort time the foundations for the pioneer homes ot' Oklahoma had been laid by willJng hands. Every farm had more than one clatmant, all ready to swear that they crossed the border first, and that theirs were the iirst improvements. So it is all over the Territory, and especially on the Bections adjolning Guthrie and üklahoma City. Betweon 20 000 and 30,0J0 people were dumped here by the Santa Fe road, which ran twenty immense trains from Arkansas City. The trains moved across the Cherokee strip cautiously and slowly and arrived here scarcely more than five minutes apart. As they approached the land of promise thousands of heads protruded from the windows, and envious eyes feasted on the green panorama that lay before them. There was much fighting to aret out of the cars when the little building which answers for a station was reached. Nobody was hurt, however, and the coaches were soon emptied. It was a curious sight to watch the boomers after they had got f airly on foot The majority of them seomed to be dazed by the vastuess of their surroundings. Hany of them gazed stupidly to the north, southeast and west, and then moved ahead like men who were lost Others started for the hills and still others bent themselves to the task of raisIng tents which they brought with them to open varlous kinds of business. Those who went for the hills were after claims. Just how well their explorations succeeded is not known, for very few of them have returned. It is safe to say that to-day every farm in the Territory is in possession of one or more claimants, and that besides there aro from 20,(KX to 30,000 more wandering aimlessly about in search of land. The rush at the land office here is terrifle. A dispatch from Üklahoma City states that the rush there is even greater than here. Over at Kingfisher, or ijsbon, where the orowds brought in on the Koek Island are gathering, there has been no trouble as yet FBOM AEKAXSAS CITY. Aekansas City, Kan., April 2;).- Oklahoma is open. The trials, struggles and Baciifiees of years aro partially rewarded, but the events of Monday will prove how far supply is below deinnnd and necessitate turther concessions to avert disorder, bloodshed and other conditions but little Bhort of anarchy. The history of the day will forever be memorable In frontier annals, and will leave behiml a heritage cf l.tigation which will be fruitful to landEharks and claim attorneys. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad began running lts sectional trains out of Kansas City Sunday night and picking np cars at almost evry section along tha route. Hundreds of peoplo were waiting at every depot, and if the all of which were filled before the border line was reached - could have been coupled the would have made a train miles in length. The crovvd began gathering on the platform two hours before daylight, and long before the first faiut streak of dawn of the Eateful day the city was a wake and itirring. The streets presented a lively, picturesque appearance. Hundreds of boomers and rustlers in their Impatience to get aboard rushed down to the yards and attempted to force an entrance into the cars, all of which were securely locked. The excitement may be judged from the f act that a largo number of coach windowa were brokon out by people who were anxious to secure seats. A strong guartl of railroad men was detailed to protect the Dompany's iroperty, and they had a contract of unusual dimensions on their hands. The crowd was panic-stricken. The first section made up consisted of nine coaches, the newspaper coach and one caboose. It pulledout at 8:45, railroad time, and was the first train that ever ran out of Kansas loaded for Oklahoma with settlers, and even those who were disappointed in getting aboard of it oined in a wild, enthusiastic cheer, which rent the Kansas air as the Iirst step toward the realization of hopes and dreams of years and the reward for the sacriflees of the past were taken. The train ran slowly, as there was great danger of misplaced rails and Bwitches ntid obstructions of various kinda placed there by those gone before, who wanted a corner in the best lands in light. It was Ü:40 when the sign which markB the ate line and thu dividing line from the Cherokee strip was reached. It was greeted with a cheer which rolled trom the newp car in front to the rustiere' caboose behiml. Along the Pawnee trail the train passed caravans of boomers' wagons, many going south, but some returning toward Kansas. At the last station outside of the Oklahoma Territory there was a great crowd cf boomers who had forsaken their teams and hoped to get in quicker by rail. There beIngnorooin inside, thoy climbed to the tops of the coaches, and the entire train, from one end to the other, was lined with them. In this way the line was reached about five minutes after 12 o'clock. lief ore the late dead-line was reached and passed, however, the great trantformatlon scène had begun and was plainly visible to the watchers from the train li) st came in view the white-topped wagon - uthftred toeretlior in "ro-ms on the !■■ nr In the llttle valleys which diversify the face of the country. lt was at onco noticeable that tho teams were not to be seen in any of these camps, and it was plain they had been taken out of the harness to be ridden across the border by the hard riders who were to lócate ciabas. A llttle farther on and this conclusión was proved to 6e the correct one, for the entire face of the country as far as the best field glass could carry the sight was overrun with horsemen galloping to the southward. The fieetest horses luid e vidently been picked for the woik, and they wore carrying their riders rapidly to the longed-for goal. The ride of Paul Eevere dwindles into obscurity beside the feats of horsemanship performed in Oklahoma. Rides of tifteen or twenty miles were made in an incredible short time by old boomeis familiar with tlie country, and who knew whero desirable lands were located. The day was cloudless, and far away in the horizon both to the east and west clouds of dust could be seen ascei 1ing trom the hoofs of hundreds of horses rushing toward different destinations In most oases, but some of them toward the saine. Out of the dust which arose toward the east could be Been, after the train had reached the summit of a high ridge, a wagon caravan fully two mi es in length, which was hurrying forward at the utmost speed of lts horses. These caravans were plainly outdistanced by the horseback riders, and after several miles of the Territory was traversod it was seen that the best riders were winning the best prlzes. It was 113:20 when the first section of the train reached the line, aud its progress from that point on to Guthrie was not rapid enough for the rapid men who wanted to get there in a hurry before all the cream was skimmed off the milk. Nevertheless it lacked but a few minutes to 1 o'clock when the train stopped in front of the Guthrie depot. Before the train carne to a stop it was seen that somebody was already there - in fact, the town was already well populated. Tente were nuinerous on the eastern slope and stakes were sticking up out of the ground like poles in a bean patch. Men could be heen racing in the direction of the valuable holdings, and the scène was busy and animated. The profanity among the Arkansas City and Wichita men, as well as of those from other points, was both loud and deep. If their had been a prospect of shooting at any time it was when these men found theniselves baffled at the game of freeze-out, but they were compelled to swallow their wrath, for, nccording to all the techn calities in law, the men in possession wero the rightf ui owners. There was nothing to do but to take what was lef t, and it was in the scramble to get these that the most ludicrous scène of the day was presented. Falling over each other in the eft'ort to get out of the cara, every variety of man along the frontier made an army which charged the land office at the top of the knoll, not in a body, but in detachments. The land office was not the polnt of their destination, though it stands at the corner of the section and is thereforo the present center of the town. It was to secure the lots nearest to it that the rush was made, but there was httle left near it Stakes had already been driven alinost to the limit of the half section of Ö20 acres allowed for a town site. As the law now stands there was but a sinall maiein, but this was being rapidly wiped out by the samo men who had already appropriatcd nearly evoiy thiug in Bight. The only recourselel't to the clisappointed men was to buy out suoh holders as were willing to soll or run all risk of taking lots outside the legal limit. Both courses ere adopted and a good number of Guthrie City iots changed hands. No one who had never seen a Western town tako form and shape can comprehend how quickly a full-rigged city with a double-deck boom can be put . in running motion. In the afternoon at i o'clock the first municipal election occurred. The election notice appeared in the Oklahoma Herald, a daily paper published at Guthrie on the firet day of its existence. Neariy 10,000 votes wero polled. The leadinsr candidates for mayor were ex-Adjutant-General lieece, of Illinois, WlUi&m Constantine, of Springfield, O., and T. U. Sumner, of Arkansas City. A strong dark horse is T. Volney Haggatt, of Hurón, D. T. The bank ot Oklahoma opened for business at Gutlirie with a capital stock of ?50,00a M. W. Levy, the Wichita banker, is president, and George W. Robinson, the banker of Winfield, and Hou. Horace Speed, of Indianapolis, are directora. The new city is floodod with business cards of all descriptions, representing every line of trade and business, every profession and every occupation imaginable. The Bcheme which resulted in the practical cornering of town lots Mouday originated with the Atohlson, Topeka & Santa Fe rail way, probal)Iy in combiuation with the syndicate which has been hard at work in Arkansas City for a week or more past. Numbcrs of men have been going into the Territory as deputy marshals and others under permits as railroad employés. The marshals were simply commissioned and not sworn in, and the railroad men were not burdened with official orders. They all did their work Monday and did it welL Officials in the Guthrio land office say that men seemed to spring out of the earth as noon approached, and that it did not take fifteen minutes to occupy half the town site. The land offloe at Kingfisher was not opened Monday, but advices from there by stage to Guthrie reported an orderly colonizing of the town which is to be a rival of Guthrie in the Territory. Every thing was reported quiet along the Canadian. Purcell is a deserted village, and a little station on the Atchison road about eight miles north of it was laid out as a town site. It is evident that Oklahoma is to be opened peacably and without bloodshed. The crisis wal passed Monday. The great numbei of her citizcns are law-abiding, and those who ure not will be suppressed by the Btrong hand of frontiei justlce, aided by military authority undei command of General Merritt, who has estab. lished hls headquarters at Oklahoma City. There are now about 500 troops in the Ter. ritory and they will be kept there until order is assured. FROM THE SOUTHERN EORM i: Purcell, Ind. T., April 23.- Five thou. sand boomers crossed the river at exactij noon on their double-quick march to Oklaboma. Every thing passed off quietly and there was not the elightest indication ol trouble. The mtmm vvurt inilai' to thos on the northern border. THKKB MEN HKPORTED MUKDEKED. Arkansas City, Kan., April XL- A speciai from Guthrie at 1 o'clock this murninj says that three men who took claims theri yesterday were foully murdered about ! o'olock by claim jumper. The names ol the assilants and their victims could not b learned. A vigilance committee is now sconring the country in Reare h of the miscreante who, it is sald, will be f unmiarilj dealt with if caiiirht