Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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McCORMICK MESSENGER, McCORMICK, S. THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1939 The Most Eventful In History' Run Just 50 Years Horse-Race in Oklahoma Ago This Month W^m - T / A part of the crowd of 50,000 that massed on “Hie Line” awaiting the signal to make the “Run.” By ELMO SCOTT WATSON ® Western Newspaper Union. F IFTY years ago this month occurred “the most eventful horse-race in history.” On April 22, 1889, an army of more than 50,000 Ameri cans from nearly every state in the Union had gathered along the borders of a long-forbidden territory. At noon came the signal which sent them on their mad rush into the Promised Land and when a new day dawned they were already busy transforming a wilderness into a land of cities and farms. Never before had America ^ witnessed such a scene and it is not likely that it will ever see it again. But out of the dust and confusion and turmoil of that day arose a new commonwealth and Ok lahoma, “the land of the red people,” added a new star to the American flag. Back of this historic horse-race —or “the run,” as they refer to it in the Oklahoma of today—is the age-old story of a land-hungry people. Soon after the Creek and Seminole Indians, assembled in a great Indian council at Fort Smith, Ark., in 1866, ceded their lands west of the ninety-eighth meridi an to the United States govern ment, the agitation for opening this country to white settlement started. In a few years came the rail roads and in their wake the “boomers.” Between the two there was a close connection, at least in the initial stages of the movement. In 1870 the M., K. & T., the first railway to enter the Indian Territory, began laying tracks southward from the Kansas bor der. Its construction was rushed across the Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw nations, and thence across Red River into Texas. The A. & P. (Frisco) built its line across the Shawnee and Wyan dotte reservations, entered the Cherokee nation and affected a junction with the M., K. & T. at Vinita in 1872. The Boom Begins In 1884 the Santa Fe line began building straight through the cen ter of the territory from north to south. This line, completed in 1887, passed directly through the coveted “unassigned lands” and its coming was the last clarion call to homeseekers. The big boom—the irresistible cry for the new lands for white colonists— swelled into a national demand. The outstanding figure among the “boomers” was Capt. David L. Payne, who had been a scout during the Indian wars on the Southern plains in the sixties and seventies. As early as 1880 Payne led a colony to the North Cana dian river and attempted a settle ment near the present site of Oklahoma City. He was arrest ed and his colonists conducted back across the border. Within a month Payne was back -with another colony, which met the same fate. But he never relaxed bis ef forts. Colony after colony was organized under his leadership and pushed across the forbidden borders, only to be met by the bayonets of Uncle Sam’s soldiers. , Payne was finally indicted by a federal grand jury, but his death at Wellington, Kan., in the midst of another forward move ment, removed this industrious captain of the “boomers” from the scene. His work was taken up and carried on by William L. Couch. The last invasion was in the fall of 1885, when Couch was placed under arrest, and his people removed from the terri tory. By this time the federal au thorities at Washington were be ginning to get busy. Bill after bill authorizing the opening was debated and defeated. At last after a bitter fight, participated in by Indians and Indian agents, cattle barons and special inter est lobbyists, the Oklahoma bill -passed the house in February, 1889, failed in the senate, finally was* tacked on as a rider to the Indian appropriation bill and be came a law March 3, 1889. Presi dent Harrison issued a proclama tion setting the date of the open ing on April 22, 1889. Like wildfire the slogan “On to Oklahoma” again swept through the country and the prospective homeseekers, now clothed with legal powers, began everywhere to assemble for the grand rush. Two million acres in the unas signed lands were surveyed and staked into quarter sections and townsites. Detachments of cavalry were deployed to patrol the borders of the new lands. Registration of fices were opened at Guthrie and Kingfisher. Arrangements were made with the railroads to run as many trains as possible into the new territory on the day set for the opening. The Great Day Dawns A graphic account of what took place on that historic April 22 js given by Carl Coke Rister in his book, “Southern Plains men,” published recently by the University of Oklahoma Press. He writes: “The morning of the eventful day dawned bright and clear. For many miles along the northern boundary of the land to be opened thousands of homesteaders were camped, and hundreds of others were coming in hourly. Soldiers patrolled the southern side of the line to keep back any overly am bitious contestant, yet a majority of those who were present accept ed such restrictions without com plaint and a spirit of good cheer and friendly banter seemed to prevail. Still, as the morning wore away, the waiting people over their laboring mounts, were strung out across the prairies or they raced side by side, and their loud oaths, laughter and shouts accentuated the thundering hub bub. “Along the southern boundary of the land to be opened the con fusion was almost as great. Thou sands of contestants had congre gated at Purcell and at other points on the southern bank of the Canadian river. This silt- filled river was an effective bar rier which made the work of pa trolling soldiers easy. Several days before the opening, desir able crossings were located, and before the start was made long lines of horseback riders followed by vehicles were opposite Pur cell, on the north bank of the river. A Tense Moment “A short time before the starting signal was to be given Lieu tenant Adair of the Fifth caval ry. mounted on a white horse, took his station on a hill where all could see him. The atmos phere seemed to be charged with excitement and tenseness as the watchers saw him lift a bugle to his lips; and it is reported that even before the notes of the in strument were heard along the south bank, reckless horsemen were plunging into the turgid wa ters of the stream, making for the opposite bank, and that ve hicles, in some cases loaded with families and household effects, were following closely behind them. Some of the vehicles mired in the quicksands, but the driv ers unhitched their teams, mount ed their favorite horses and con tinued the race. Within an hour the prairies on the northern side of the river were covered with excited homeseekers, some peg ging down stakes on their claims, some engaged in heated contro versies over priority rights, and some speeding on to other sites.” No less an amazing spectacle than this epic “run” was the sight which followed immediate ly, of towns springing into exist- A view of the town of Guthrie a few days after the “Run.’ became restless, and long before the tima came to start they were arranging themselves in line along the boundary. “A signal officer, with a flag in one hand and a bugle in the other, took a position where all could see him. Promptly at twelve he sounded the note which sent thou sands in a mad headlong dash towards the south; and other of ficers stationed at intervals along the boundary relayed the signal down the line. The din and con fusion which followed is in describable. Many horses hitched to vehicles became frightened with the sudden noise and clamor and broke away in runs, over turning vehicles and spilling their contents on the prairies; a chok ing cloud of dust enveloped the racers making it difficult for one to see another and thereby im perilling the lives of heedless con testants; the speeding trains disgorged their shouting and ex ulting passengers, who were sent sprawling on the ground or who struck the earth running; and horseback riders, leaning low ence on the prairie overnight. It is said that within two hours after the homeseekers had crossed the Canadian, a townsite company was laying out the mu nicipality of Lexington, not more than a mile distant from Purcell. That night Guthrie was a tented city of 15,000 population and Okla homa City had more than 10,000. All in all more than 100,000 peo ple had entered Oklahoma on that historic April 22. Not all of them stayed. Thou sands became discouraged when they failed to establish claims or became involved in quarrels, fights and litigation over the land they wanted. For them the Promised Land proved to be only a mirage, so they drifted back to their old homes in other states. But many more thousands did stay and, enduring all the priva tions of life on the last frontier, they helped build the common wealth of Oklahoma. Today as they join in celebrating the gold en anniversary of their state, they look back upon their work and call it good. An interesting picture of the stirring scenes which preceded the “run” is given in the follow ing newspaper dispatches: INDIAN TERRITORY, April 19, 1889.—Within three days the peaceful prairies of Oklahoma will become the arena for the most picturesque race the world ever has seen. Long cavalcades of cgnvas- covered wagons have been arriv ing at Fall Creek all day, where temporary headquarters of the in- rushing hordes of settlers has been made. Tomorrow, permis sion will be granted by the gov ernment for settlers to cross the Cherokee Strip to the edge of Oklahoma, so that settlers from the north will have the same show as those now established at Purcell station. The line as far east as Arkan sas City is patrolled by soldiers, and special guards have been de tailed to watch every bridge and ford. Guards on the Santa Fe lines will not permit any passen ger to alight within the unopened territory. An Unnamed Town This town is unnamed. Its streets are formed by wagons. Its population numbers fully 18,- 000 people, roughly dressed, all armed and all alert for the bugle note on April 22, which opens the territory where no law prevails. Very few women are in the train. Fakirs who spread their green tables on every vacant spot, and in every available shack, are reaping a harvest from their games with which set- GEN. WESLEY MERRITT tiers while away the time. Here one sells a prize package soap; there one has a patent medicine; another offers hurriedly written maps of Oklahoma, on which the most desirable places for settling are said to be shown. Saloons have their share of faro and stud poker. Only last night a young fellow tprned back home, because he had nothing left with which to pay his regis tration fee for a claim. The crowds are increasing ev ery hour. Hotels, such as they are, were filled to capacity sev eral days ago, and tonight men are asleep on the bare ground, near their wagons. Blankets are at a premium, for although the days are very warm, the nights are chilly, and many fights have resulted over lost covering. Shacks which serve as saloons are a bedlam of snores, clinking glasses, and coarse conversation. One blue-eyed, middle-aged man just finished exhibiting his ex pression of humor on a sign which he took from his wagon, “Chinch bugged in Illinois; cy- cloned in Nebrasky; whitecapped in Indianny; bald knobbed in Mis- soury; prohibited in Kansas; OK LAHOMA OR BUST.” Merritt’s Report WASHINGTON, April 19, 1889. —Reports filed today by General Merritt in the Indian Territory state that every precaution is be ing taken by military authori ties to prevent violence on the part of boomers in their alleged attempts to delay settlers on the day of the Oklahoma opening. Bridges are being guarded, and soldiers are posted everywhere in the territory. Indians in the Cherokee strip were reported in an ugly frame of mind over the encroachments of settlers along the north boundary of the terri tory. ARKANSAS CITY, KAN, April 21, 1889.—We newly arrived news paper men have given the bar bers a holiday, boycotted the bootblacks, scorned boiled shirts, and stiff hats, discarded suspend ers, buckled on our belts and climbed into long-legged boots, which are as pliable as a strait- jacket. Nevertheless, our tender feet plainly can be seen through our stirrups. Sun-dried boomers shout all sorts of ironical advice as we pass by on our unruly mounts, and cowboys persist in challenging us to a race. Falling back to let us go ahead, they leap forward and as they whirl by us, they lash the tails of our already fidgety mustangs, and we hang on by grasping the saddle horn with both hands, while our sombreros sail away. From the menagerie we had planned to stage, we have become the roar ing circus of the camp . . . (From a dispatch by James Mor gan to the Boston Globe.) rwi IMPROVED UNIFORM INTERNATIONAL S UNDAY I chool Lesson By REV. HAROLD L. LUNDQUIST, Dean of the Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. ® Western Newspaper Union. Lesson for April 16 Lesson subjects and Scripture texts se lected and copyrighted by Internationa] Council of Religious Education; used by permission. PAUL ESTABLISHES CHURCHES LESSON TEXT—Acts 14:1-7, 19-23. GOLDEN TEXT—^According to the grace of God which is given unto me. as a wise masterbuilder. I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. —I Corinthians 3:10. “Onward, Christian soldiers,” says the well-known hymn, thus ex pressing the truth that Christianity is engaged in a relentless warfare against the world, the flesh, and the devil. Those who conceive of their relationship to the church as a convenient and comfortable so cial arrangement, with a bit of spiritual flavor but no responsibility, have none of the Spirit of Christ, or of His bondservant Paul, whose life we are now studying. Phillips Brooks was right when he said, “If Christian faith does not culminate in the effort to make Christ known to all the world, that faith appears to me to be a thoroughly unreal and insignificant thing, destitute of pow er, and incapable of being convinc ingly proved to be true.” The constraining love of Christ sent Paul and his co-workers press ing on from Cyprus to Antioch in Pisidia, to Iconium, to Lystra, and to Derbe. Joy and sorrow, fellow ship and hatred came and went, but the witness for Christ went on. Our lesson can best be considered as a study in contrasts. I. Belief and Unbelief (w. 1, 2). “Multitudes both of the Jews and . . . Greeks believed.” What joy that must have brought to the preacher. “Unbelieving Jews” and Gentiles with “minds evil affected” —how sad such a result made Paul’s heart. The same division prevails today. There are only two kinds of people in the world, the believer and the unbeliever. II. Popularity and Persecution (v. 4). “The multitude was divided,” Paul knew all about that, so does every faithful teacher and preacher of the gospel. Paul and Barnabas were thus made ready for the ex perience which they were to have at Lystra where the healing of the crippled man first brought them worship as gods, and then bitter persecution. Few temptations are more appealing to the Christian worker than popularity, and possi bly none is more treacherous. Let us labor to please God, not men, and when men give us false acclaim let us like Paul urge them to “turn from these vanities to the living God” (v. 15). III. Boldness and Caution (w. 3, 5, 6). The persecution at Iconium only made the messengers bold in their purpose to stay on (v. 3), giving testimony to God’s grace. The Christian worker need not be afraid of the devices of evil men so long as God leads him to stand his ground. Christian testimony calls for courage! But wait, in verses 5 and 6 we find the preachers fleeing to another city. Is their courage gone? No. They are exercising God-given judgment and caution. “Sometimes it is needful to fling away your life for Jesus; but if it can be preserved without shirking duty it is better to flee than to die . . . A voluntary martyr is a suicide . . . Heroic prudence should ever accompany a trustful daring, and both are best learned in com munion with Jesus” (Alexander Maclaren). IV. Death and Life (vv. 19, 20). The persecution at Lystra culmi nated in the stoning of Paul and his being left for dead. Some believe that he really died and had the glorious experience recorded in II Corinthians 12:2-5 before he was raised by God from the dead. Be that as it may, God miraculously brought the dead or apparently dead man to full life and vigor, and on he went to the city of Derbe. Those of us who belong to Christ and serve Him should recognize that our very lives are in His blessed hand. Our purpose should be to glorify Him, whether by life or by death. V. Advance and Return (vv. 21- 23). The work of God is not completed by the pioneering forward thrust into the strongholds of Satan. That work is necessary, and just now men are desperately needed to do such work in heathen lands. Wom en shame the men by their willing ness to go where missionary boards can only send men, who are all too often lacking. On the other hand, there is no more important work than that of confirming and establishing new Christians in their faith. Paul and Barnabas were not making a re treat. They were courageously re turning to the stoning and the hatred of the cities they had served in order to give counsel and encouragement to the believers. Note that they ordained elders, evi dently consummating some form of church organization. Sometimes one becomes so tired of intricate church machinery that the tendency is to wish there were none at all, but here again we need to be balanced in our thinking and acting. Trim ’n 1 Smart for Around the House A SMART button-front dress that you’ll want in street ma terials like wool crepe, flat crepe and silk prints, as well as in house-keeping cottons, is No. 1723. Simplicity itself, it has lines that are very flattering to the figure. The princess skirt makes your waist and hips look slim; the tucked and gathered bodice gives a nice rounded bust line. It's just absurdly simple to make—a pat tern you’ll use time and again. A Stock of Aprons. With a busy summer coming on, you’ll need a fresh supply of pret ty and protective aprons, and here’s a new pattern (1622) that gives you three different ways to make them. Two pinafore styles, and a dainty tie-around, they are; all full and flaring, so that they look smart as your frocks. Ging ham, percale, broadcloth and lin-. en are nice materials for aprons like these. The Patterns. No. 1723 is designed for sizes 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46 and 48. Size 36 requires 4% yards of 35-inch material and % yard for contrast* ing collar, if desired. No. 1622 is designed for sizes 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42 and 44. Size 34 takes, for apron No. 1, 2% yards of 35-inch material and 6 yards of braid. For No. 2, 2% yards, and % yard contrasting; for No. 3, 2% yards, and 1 yard pleating or ruf fling. Send your order to The Sewing Circle Pattern Dept., Room 1324, 211 W. Wacker Dr., Chicago, HL Price of patterns, 15 cents (in coins) each. ® Bell Syndicate.—WNU Service. FOLKS (are Is Amazing Rsllsff for Conditions Dus to Sluggish Bowels If yon think all lasattvw act alike, lust try this all vegetable laxative. 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These physicians, word of advsrtMzz the objective of which is only diOTrtW ___ Doan’s Pills as a good treatment for functional kidney disorder and for relief of the pain and worry It CMML If nAcw people were aware of how the kidneys must constantly remove waste that cannot .stay la the blood without In jury to health, there would be better wa- deretanding of why the whole body Buffers when kidneys lag, and diuretic medica tion would be more often employed. Burning, scanty or too frequent nrina- tlon may be warning of disturbed kidney function. You may suffer nagging haek- aehn persistent headache, attacks of dis- ataaas getting up night*, swelling, puffl- aees under the eyes—feel weak, nervous, all played out. Use Doan’s Pills. It Is better te rely on a medicine that baa won world wide ac- on something less favorably known. Ask yonr neighbor I DOANS PILLS