Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 14, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 April 1892 — WILD RACE FOR HOMES. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

WILD RACE FOR HOMES.

SCRAMBLE OF HUNDREDS OF BOOMERS FOR CLAIMS. leene* Attending the Race Across the Lt no—A Good Deal of the Land Still Left for Settlers—The Situation in Oklahoma. Opening or SiMeton Section*. S<iys a dispatch from Brown's Valley, Minn.: The sharp, clear noteof a bugle at noon-Friday, the almost simultaneous erack of a carbine, then a Volley from the whole far-reaohing line of cavalry as the signal was taken up and carried in a reverberating report to thousands of waiting ears, a few more halting shots, be oming fainter as the distance increased, and the Sisseton reservation was at last open. Tlie military withdrew from the border and rejoined their companies. From the brush along the there of the Minnesota River, from ravines hitherto hold to be unpopulated, from every conceivable spot bordering on the reservation that could shelter a jnan, horse or Wagon there sprung hordes of home-seekers. There were ail sorts nnd conditions of men. Some who hail never passed a night out of doors in their lives slept on the damp ground with naught but the starry sky nbovo them. The west shore of Lake Traverse is the border line of the reservation for almost its entire length. A fleet of rafts and other hastily improvis 'd craft laden with household goods-so that their gunwales came within a few inches of the Water lay along the shore awaiting the stroke of 12. Many of their o?cupants had not tasted food for twenty hours. Hundreds lined the way all alon£ the border from Hankinson south. At iVheaton was the greatest crowd, for It was the nearest point to the desirable It was b spectacle not easy to forget. With the crack of the carbines horses dashed madly forward, urged to desperate speed by their excited riders. Struggling along to the rear came loaded wagons, with from two to six horses on each. They were lashed unmercifully by their drivers. The cracking of whips, the dull thunder of hoofs in the damp sod and the yells of the drivers ns they struggled for the lead filled the air with on unwonted din. Still farther to the rear came those without conveyances, struggling forward with their kits of tools until the reserve was dotted with them. The mounted crowd was soon

beyond the range of vision, and as they disappeared they were considerably strung out, the leaders evidently saving their strength for a hard run at the finish. Ida Burnett, graduate of the University of Minnesota, a strikingly handsome girl, is possibly the possessor of the choicest quarter-section about the town site to the northwest. She has just a suspicion of Indian blood in her veins, and Is a descendant of the Sioux race, She has been allotted land on the reserve. Behind the fastest tearnrobtalnable she was drawn to the town site from the agency. The start was made at gun-tire and the girl was first on the field. She staked out her claim and straighway went to work on the erection of a shanty, assisted by her driver. Governor Mellette had 250 deputy sheriffs on the reserve, heavily.armed and Instructed to maintain order, peaceably If possible, forcibly if necessary. They checked several rows before serious results ensued. The .si.neton Reservation. The Sisseton Indian Reservation surplus lands that have been opened to settlement are located in the northeast corner of South Dakota, covering most of Roberts County, lapping over on the edge of Marshall and Day Counties, crossing the pan-handle of Grant, and

the sharp point of the triangular-shaped reservation extending down to the center’ of Coddington, a few miles from Watertown. The northern base of the triangle extends over into Sargent and Richland Counties in North Dakota, and for that reason filings may be made at Fargo. The lands aro rich, and numerous lakes cover the entire extent of the reservation, a good portion of which is wcoied and of a hilly character. In fact, the character of the lauds reflects much credit on the judgment of the Sisseton Indians, who chose this land as their reward for their help to the settlers in the Indian war of 1862. For nearly thirty years they held the reservation intact, but finally concluded they would prefer to have their lands in severalty and live like whites, so the matter was soon arranged, with the aid of a commission, and a scramble for lands was the result. The Indians have selected many of the best lands on the reservation, but it is estimated that enough for about four thousand claims of 160 acres each still remained up to’ the hour of opening. , Oil the Oklahoma Border. The excitement over the Cheyenne and Arapahoe lands is quieting down, due principally to the fact that new arrivals are materially decreasing. The boomers in tlieir wagons continue to pour in all along ttjp border, but the crowd coming in by rail is not as large as that which moved on the Oklahoma country three years ag , and as the time for the opening draws near it begins to look as though the crowd that, will go in will not be nearly as great as that which entered Oklahoma. Thie is due to the

feet that three yean* ago ihenaatu!* X people who wore not former* rushed to Guthrie, Oklahoma City, and the other towns, thinking that they would secure town lot* that In a few year* would make them rich, while the new towns In the Arapahoe and Cheyenne country will all be miles from any railroad, and do not Invite this kind of immigration. Many of the boomers, even those who have horses and wagons, do not seem to have any cash, though most of them have flour and bacon. The soldiers stationed along the northern border estimate that there are 3,500 people on that line cast of Cantonment and about 1,000 west. There are perhaps 12,000 people ready to go in from the east and 7,000 or 8,000 in ihe Washita country, while about 3,000 Texans are drawn up along the south line. There are not many pe pie on the west line.

On the north line, about ten miles east of Cantonment, there are 1,500 people from western Kansas camped in one bunch.

WAITING FOR THE WORD.

THE DREAM.

THE AWAKENING.