Fascinating account about "Cell" Hatcher, in 1893. Have not checked to see if he is on the Hatcher Family Assn website. In a hurry. Martha ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sandi Gorin" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Cc: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 9:56 AM Subject: [SCKY] THE BARREN COUNTY CONTINGENT GETS THERE > We've all heard of or seen movies about the land rush in Oklahoma. > Here is a first-hand description - very interesting! > > From the Glasgow Weekly Times, 27 Sept 1893; transcribed by Martha > Harrison. > > "The following interesting letter is from Mr. Cell HATCHER, of this > place, who made the rush for a quarter section in the Cherokee strip > and got there in great shape: > > "Enid, O. T., [Oklahoma Territory] September 20. Dear Mother and > Father: I have just got in from the plains. I made a race, and made > it successfully. I got a claim of 160 acres of very fine land - all > creek bottom and just as level as a floor. It is three miles east of > Enid, on the Rock Island railroad, and on Skelton creek. I intended > writing earlier but have been busy digging a well on my place that I > might hold it. Enid is the county seat of county "6". I made the run > of sixteen miles into the Strip in a buggy and in one hours and two > minutes, or about an average of one mile every four minutes. The > train started the same time we did, but we beat it three minutes and > didn't kill our ponies either. The road from her to the line is > strewn with dead horses. Several men and women were killed, while > many others got their legs and arms broken. I wish you could have > seen the sight when the cannon fired at 12 o'clock the 16th. They > made the run in every way imaginable -- in buggies and wagons, on > horses and bicycles, and on foot. Women put men's saddles on horses > and rode straddle like men. When the cannon fired, everybody put spur > and whip to their horses and dashed across the plain, the men > whooping and cursing and firing pistols, the women waving their caps > and hands to those behind. We led the procession for about thirteen > miles. Orville PACE did not get a claim, but BRADSHAW, MOSBY and > myself did. The prairie was set on fire a few days ago and has been > burning ever since. You can see the fire at night miles away. We > slept out on the prairie on blankets last night and the fire came > within a quarter mile of us to a small branch which stopped it. A > woman and two little children were burned to death last night. > > "I wish you could see Enid. Saturday at noon there was not a man, > house or anything whatever to be seen there by a few stakes marking > off the town lots. Today there are six thousand people here in tents, > wagons, and houses. Men were at work building houses and plowing all > day Sunday. > > "I wish you could see us out on the plain eating light bread and > canned tomatoes and apricots for breakfast, dinner and supper. It > would be a show for you to see Dink BRADSHAW and me walking out of > town with our provisions, each with five or six loaves of light bread > under our arms without any paper around it and the wind blowing dust > so thick that you could not see a man ten steps away from you. I will > let you know about a week before I come home so you can cook up a > little, as I expect to eat you out of house and home for a week or > two after my arrival. I can now eat almost anything on earth, from > light bread up. > > "I was offered $50 a month to run a newspaper here for a man, but > that is no money for this country. Well, I must close for this time. > Your loving son, Cell. > > P.S. Dink and I found a red flannel petticoat on the prairie as we > were going out to our clam, and wrapped our light bread up in it. We > are now using it as a tablecloth. > > Later: "Since the above was put in type, a letter has been received > from Mr. HATCHER giving an account of the killing of three men on his > claim. Mr. Hatcher had gone to Enid after provisions when a man from > Texas jumped his claim. Almost at the same time, three men from > Oklahoma Territory tried to dispose of the Texan. In the fight that > ensued, the Texan killed two of the men and was killed himself by the > third. The third man was thereupon immediately arrested and jailed, > and Mr. Hatcher, by the time he was done buying provisions in town, > again took possession of his claim, three men having been killed > while he was out shopping. Times appear to be somewhat hilarious and > boisterous out on the Strip. Mr. Hatcher has a choice claim, being > bottom-land with a creek cutting it in two." > > Sandi > > > SCKY Archives: > http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=south-central-kentucky > Barren Co Archives: http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index?list=kybarren > Sandi's Website: http://ggpublishing.tripod.com/ > Sandi's Puzzlers: > http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~gensoup/gorin/puz.html > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >

HATCHER website: http://hatcherfamilyassn.com HALL DNA project: http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~nhatcher/hall/HDNAtest.htm "One of the tragedies of life is the murder of a beautiful theory by a brutal gang of facts" - La Rochefoucauld Martha, This is Samuel Purcell Hatcher and I added this news item to his page this morning. Yup! Very fascinating! Nel

Thanks, Nel! I dearly love my land, but not sure I would have been willing to go through that ordeal to obtain and keep it. Wow! Martha ----- Original Message ----- From: "nelhatch" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 4:07 PM Subject: Re: [HATCHER] Fw: Cell HATCHER,from the SCKY list: THE BARREN COUNTY CONTINGENT GETS THERE > > HATCHER website: http://hatcherfamilyassn.com > HALL DNA project: > http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~nhatcher/hall/HDNAtest.htm > "One of the tragedies of life is the murder of a beautiful theory by a > brutal gang of facts" - La Rochefoucauld > > Martha, > > This is Samuel Purcell Hatcher and I added this news item to his page this > morning. > > Yup! Very fascinating! > > Nel > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >