Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 34, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 April 1889 — AFFAIRS AT OKLAHOMA. [ARTICLE]

AFFAIRS AT OKLAHOMA.

Arkansas City, Ark., April 18. —If the bearing and general get-up of the men who have arrived here thus far, go for anything, it may be pretty safely &s----sumed that Oklahoma after the opening days will be the scene of many bloody conflicts. The streets of Arkaneas City are filled withmen, each one of whom is a walking arsenal. Every man regards his neighbor with distrust, and even the most peaceably inclined have apparently deemed it essential to tiieir protection to put on the most swaggering and war-like air possible. Everybody that arrives here and takes in the warlike appearance of the surroundings begins straightway to look out for the authorities, and most, well disposed settlers are horrified to hear that in Oklahoma there is scarcely any law other than that of the strong hand. That might will constitute right until legislation can provide law and lawyers for this new territory may. be judged from the fact that already there has been formed an organization called the Oklahoma League, whose object is to protect by force if necessary what they claim to be their rights. The members of this association have all selected their lands as far back as fifteen years ago, and they now clai m to own them by right of preemption. These lands they are prepared to hold againet ail comers, and any one daring enough to make counter-claims will have to make them good by a species of persuasion not known in ordinal of land litigation. He will havAto be a better shot not only, than the members of the League whose tracl heelaims, but than all the other also, who will make their fellow member’s fight their own. Fort Smith, Ark., April 18 —Four men were killed on the border of Oklahoma yesterday. Word was received here last evening of a conflict between parties of boomers, cattlemen and Chickasaw police at the fort at Chisholm’s cattle tram, forty miles west of Oklahoma City, on the Canadian River. The cattlemen were taking several bandied animals from Frank Colbert’s ranch in the Chickasaw Nation 'of Kansas, but the mounted police guarding the northern border of Oklahoma refused to permit them to use the celebrated Chisholm trail leading through the new territory. A fight resulted in which the cattlemen were reinforced by a party of boomers from Cooke and Fanning Counties, Tex. One of the guards, two cattlemen and one boomer named Geiss were killed in the melee, besides the loss of some valuable horses. The cattlemen took the old Abiline trail and went around through the" Cheyenne reservation. Wichita, Kas., April 18. —The first serious affray among the' boomers occurred yesterday about ten miles north of Kiowa. Two boomers claimed a certain quarter section and one named George Kramer undertook to put the other, Charles Heidkl?, off the land. Both men drew revolvers and Kramer was shot through the head and instantly killed Heidke was shot through the groin and may die. Oklahoma Harry Hill, one of the oldest boomers in Kansas left for the Territory from this city last Friday and has not since been heard from. He was expected to return Sunday and his disappearance is most mysterious. The last heard of him was from Purcell. He left that village Sunday evening, saying that he would ride over . to Oklahoma City. Monday noon bis dog was found shot through the head. A reward-of Wil haa been offered for his discovery and this reward will be greatly increased. Arkansas City, Kan., April 18.—At 5 o’clock this morning one of our runners, just in from Crptain Haye’s camp, says the camp is all alive and getting ready to accompany the boomers across the Cherokee strip. Nearly thirty thousand are here and will fall in line. They have been ordered to move in an orderly manner along the established trails. If- any fences are destroyed or other depredation committed the whole line will be stopped and the guilty ones turned back. The grand procession will be accompanied by twentjr reporters on ponies, now stationed with the cavalry at Chiiiicoco Creek. Caidwell, Kas., April 20 —Cnethousand camp-fires glimmered along the old Reno stage trail last night from Caldwell io Pond Creek. Yesterday 1,000 canvas-covered wagons slowly moved along the trail. 'The day was favorable,

and, notwithstanding the late heavy rains, the trail which is almost identical with the old Caldwell and Ft. Reno stage trail, was in very good condition. Some large wagons have four or five, or even six horses. Some parties are mounted on . ponies and carry whole camp outfits behind their saddles. Some are crossing the strip in buggies. One odd turnout is a large, high old-faah-lonedbuggy drawn by two shaggy yellow hortea, while a colt hitched by its mother and a black cow tied behind. The driver is a women and she drove with one hand, while the other supported a little child. A shockyheaded youngster of ten followed behind, stopping now and then to wade in the water--4hat filled the buffalo waland pelting the old cow with clods/The woman was a Kansas widow, seeking a home in tne prom sed land. .Four large horses pull a large frame room, like a traveling photographer’s outfit, upon which. in large letters read, “The Great War Show.” From tbe great number of old soldiers who are among tbe colonists it would seem that it should do a good business. It seems as if half the men on the trail wear G. A. R. badges. All the, stories to the contrary notwithstanding,it does not seem that there can be any trouble among the men who are driving over the trail. They are as fine a body of pioneers as ever went into a new country. Most of them are Kansas and Nebraska farmers, and although a gun is m every wagon and across every saddle bow, the owners are men who will use them to keep peace and not to make trouble. They know how to use their guns if necessary, as they show now and then by taking a shot at a jack snipe or a meadow lark which starts up along the trail. There has not been the least trouble among the wagonmen since they first went into camp at Caldwell. Most of the wagon boomers got out of Caldwell yesterday and this morning. Many of them have little or do money, but almost ail are well equipped for camp life. There are still many men in town who will go down to-day and tomorrow, taking the train to Pond Creek, and trusting to the stage to get them to Kingfisher, of Lisbon, tbe name which the new postoffice will give to the town. Salt Fork, Pond Creek and all the other streams in the strip, it is thought, can be forded, although every one is very high. All is doubt about the chances of fording the Cimarron, and a wagon left Caldwell last night bearing a large boat, with which the owners expect to start a ferry. In addition to the men who have during the past twenty-four hours entered the Cherokee strip, there will be a great rush into the new country Monday by the cow-boys, who have been working for the Cherokee strip cattle men. Almost all of these working on the ranches around Caldwell have given up their jobs and will be on the border on April 22. They do not intend to become farmers, but will take a good claim, hold it until they can sell it, and be back for the round-up. The cattle-men are making no attempt to protect their fences in the strip, ana the boomers are cutting them. Hundreds of miles of fence will be broken“fo pieces. To-day word was received here that whisky could be sold in the strip, but no saloon wagons have yet started. They would do little business for a while anyway, for the 7,C00 or B,COO men who have started from Caldwell have taken 7,000 or 8,000 quarts of whisky 1 with them. The business done by the drug stores in this line is enormous. The stream of wagons continued unabated all through the day, and fully as many wagons passed over the Bluff Creek Bridge as yesterday. One man who lives close to this bridge line kept a count of the teams passing up to o’clock this afternoon. Eleven hundr« and fifty-three bad gone over the roM to Oklohoma. Four hundred forded the JSalt Fork River a few south of the terminus of Road in the Indian Tenitcry. A cowboy from Caldwell, who late last night.says the CimaironßfexS high, and that Up to the time eighteen persons Lad been dBMM trying to ford the stream. He oHM no names, as he said he did not i«