USA > Oklahoma > Oklahoma County > Oklahoma City > The story of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma : "the biggest little city in the world" > Part 11
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Assurance of construction of the St. Louis & Southwestern Railroad from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City had not been
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vouchsafed at the end of the year and the subject inevitably had become entangled in the contest for supremacy between Oklahoma City and Guthrie. Governor Barnes again in- curred the wrath of Oklahoma City business interests who charged him with being connected with what was known as the Red Fork scheme to divert the projected line to Guthrie.
An industrial project of that year, which proved to be a forerunner of a rush for gold that was supposed to have been discovered in the Wichita Mountains, was the Navajo Mining & Townsite Company, a local concern that proposed to develop mineral properties in Greer County. The directors were Edward L. Dunn, then clerk of the United States District Court and in later years a townsite promoter of note in East- ern Oklahoma oil fields, W. J. Gault, J. A. Flattery, J. S. Lindsey, Frank MeMasters. C. A. Compton, J. H. Beaty, J. M. Brogon and J. R. Blair.
In recent preceding years the milling and grain business had developed into an important industry in the city. "Great news!" screamed a newspaper one day. "Another elevator to locate here." Wire service with Chicago had been estab- lished and keen competition in buying had developed. What was more natural. therefore, than that Oklahoma City should emulate Chicago in market activities. Speculators in Chi- eago went upon a bull spree and local speculators followed suit. Wheat reached the unprecedented price for the decade of 52 cents and before checking influences could operate a top of 57 eents was attained in the course of a day. In market- ing quarters of the city some historically wild scenes were enacted, and these increased like a panic trend next day when the produet mounted to 75 cents. Many losers dropped out at that stage and they and others more composedly watched the figures mount to 82 cents and then to the highest level of the flurry, 86 cents.
The first National Bank was voluntarily liquidated this year, the principal reason being that J. P. Boyle, the cashier. found it necessary to take his family to a different climate. He and other stockholders bought stock in the State National Bank and among them was Pat Roden who took a position with the State National and there remained for many years.
Those given to imbibing, who in recent years may have
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suffered more or less of thirst because of the Volstead drouth and who find comfort and pleasure in returning again and again to the "good old days," may appreciate being reminded that in 1897 good home-made blackberry, strawberry and grape wine could be had at 16 South Broadway. "It's good for that tired feeling, " the distillers announced.
A peregrinating parson this year, inspired by an abun- dance of the fruits of freedom, went about baptizing converts and performing marriage ceremonies and accepting fees therefor. His mission was ended and the source of his ineome abolished when two preachers of Oklahoma City made star- tling announcement through the newspapers that the parson was withont authority to perform either of such rights. Whether any considerable moral damage was done records of the period do not divulge.
1898-ON TRAIL OF THE VOLUNTEERS
In the rather sanguinary breakfast-spell affair with Spain this year Oklahoma City was not conspicuously represented, but the fault was not with the city. Rather it was with the ninety millions whose military leaders distributed honors only among those who graded up to the strict physical requirements of army standards.
Company C of the Oklahoma National Guard was quar- tered here, Capt. A. W. Dunham in command. On his staff were Lieut. D. A. Johnston and First Sergeant Guy Black- welder. On April 26th, after the declaration of war against Spain, Governor Barnes ordered Captain Dunham to send eight of his fittest men for examination preparatory to active military service. The men selected were Luke Chenoweth, Edward Loughmiller, Theodore Folk, Earl Hammer, W. A. Manpin, Robert Peyton, David MeClure and Alexander H. Denham. Governor Barnes looked them over, declared they were too young for service and ordered them back home. Whereupon the young men, in the bitterness of their disap- pointment, for the moment forgot official and military etiquette and at least one of their number, speaking the senti- ment of them all, boldly told the executive he didn't know what he was about.
Adjt .- Gen. Bert C. Orner seemed to have more liberal views with reference to age and experience, for on May 3d he requested Captain Dunham to dispatch another detachment of ten or twenty men for examination, admonishing the cap- tain that they must be physically sound. This second detach- ment also was rejected. Meantime, however, eight members of Company C applied for enlistment in a cavalry troop and four were accepted. These were Folk, MeClure. Longhiller and Sidney Johnson. Later Denham enlisted and he and MeCIure. Folk and Loughiller were transferred to the regi- ment of Rough Riders organized by Theodore Roosevelt.
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Early in the enlistment period the secretary of war desig- nated Oklahoma City as a troop rendezvous point. When there had been some reverses to American troops at the front and it appeared probable that a second call for vohmteers would have to be made by President MeKinley, Governor Barnes requested the War Department to permit Oklahoma to raise a regiment of its own in case there was a second call. Meantime battalion officer appointments in further prepara- tion for service were made by the governor. Roy Hoffman was commissioned as captain and MacGregor Douglas of Oklahoma City as second lieutenant. Dr. John Fee was made a member of the medical examining board. Douglas declined the appointment, saying that the governor had not permitted the recruiting of a force of twenty-five men by these officers, as he had promised.
On July 7th, John O. Casler, an unofficial recruiting officer, advertised for 100 picked men. D. A. Johnston and E. F. Cochran joined in this call. Nine days later Johnston and Cochran announced the organization of a cavalry troop, with Cochran as temporary captain and Johnston as temporary first lieutenant. Formal announcement of the organization of the troop was made to the governor and he advised that he he would make an effort to get the troop into service. He failed, however, and a short time later the governor of South Carolina wired Captain Cochran that he believed he could fill his state quota with the Oklahomans." Captain Cochran re- plied that the assignment would be satisfactory provided the troop would not lose its entity in the Carolina process of ab- sorption. This exchange of telegrams seems to have been the termination of efforts of the Oklahomans to get a chance to fight the soldiers of Spain.
Oklahoma volunteers-there was a considerable number gathered from over the Territory-were ordered assembled at Fort Whipple, Arizona, and the battalion was in command of Maj. John F. Stone. Among Oklahoma City men found ac- ceptable before enlistments closed were Fred Banks, Fred Norris and William Condon.
Loughmiller, MeClure, Denham and Folk took part in Rough Rider engagements and MedInre was wounded in the leg in the Battle of Santiago. His return home on August
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10th was an occasion of patriotic rejoicing, and for some weeks, as runs the American fighting blood, he was the hero of every group that gathered to hear him relate over and over again his wonderful experiences as a fighting man. Denham and Folk returned on September 18th and Loughmiller, who had been a faithful war correspondent for his relatives and friends, arrived two days later. Patriotic receptions were given them.
Industrial enterprises continued to rap on the city gates and early in this year the City Club again made resolutions concerning greater accomplishments. The new board of di- rectors consisted of J. M. Owen, J. H. Wheeler, A. L. Frick, B. M. Dilley, Henry Overholser and F. W. Smith. Mr. Dilley was elected president ; Mr. Wheeler, first vice president ; Mr. Overholser, second vice president, and F. W. Smith, secre- tary-treasurer. An executive board was chosen, consisting of E. H. Cooke, W. W. Storm, F. J. MeGlinchey, E. J. Streeter and W. E. Harper.
The club had occasion for rejoicing-and its expressive feeling spread radiantly among the masses-when President C. G. Jones of the St. Louis & Southwestern Railway Com- pany telegraphed from St. Louis that a contract had been signed for construction of the road from Sapulpa to Oklahoma City. This happened on January 25th and the contract pro- vided that grading should be started by February 15th and that it should be completed by August 1st. President Dilley and a committee provided for Mr. Jones a demonstrative re- ception. Announcement was made at abont this time that the St. Louis & San Francisco Railway Company had agreed to operate and eventually assume ownership of the road. The coming of the Friseo, the third railroad to enter the city, was among the portentous events of the first ten years of the city's existence.
As had been the case when the Choctaw road was assured. railroad promotions became popular. Hardly had public rejoicing ceased when the City Club had notice that another railroad was in promise. A corporation had been organized. known as the New Orleans & Oklahoma City Railway Com- pany, that announced its purpose of constructing a line · through the city with sncb objectives to the south as Tisho-
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mingo and Sherman, Texas, and to the north as Kingfisher and Enid. It had a capital stock of $4,000,000 and the board of directors consisted of C. G. Jones, D. C. Lewis, Henry Over- holser, S. A. Steward and former Governor C. W. Renfrow.
Suit against the city for $10,000 damages was filed this year by Frank MeMaster who previously had demanded pos- session of a tract of land extending thirty-six feet south into - Grand Avenue at Broadway. Nonconformity of two townsite surveys gave rise to the controversy. MeMaster had been re- fused a deed by the townsite board and he sought relief through the District Court by mandamus proceeding. The court ordered the deed executed by J. H. MeCartney, presi- dent of the board, and he refused to obey the mandate of the court. The city had sought to end the controversy by giving MeMaster title to some lots on Robinson Avenue, opposite the courthouse, but was unable to deliver the lots because of their having been sold by the townsite board.
It undoubtedly was the rapid growth of Oklahoma City that inspired Guthrie to have a bill introduced in Congress providing that that city should be designated as the perma- nent capital of the Territory. On February 6th a mass meet- ing held in Oklahoma City, presided over by G. W. R. Chinn, adopted resolutions that were sent to Congress protesting against passage of the bill. The resolutions were drawn by a committee consisting of Sidney Clarke, Henry Overholser and Senator Johnson. Support of this opposition was asked of other ambitious towns of the Territory and fighting propa- ganda was furnished them by a committee consisting of Mayor Allen, E. J. Streeter and R. Q. Blakeney.
Judge Jolm II. Burford, who in after years was a resi- dent of Oklahoma City, was this year appointed chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court, succeeding Justice Frank Dale, and Judge Bayard T. Hainer was appointed associate justice to succeed Justice JJ. R. Keaton. W. F. Harn was selected as clerk of the court of Justice Hainer. The United States attorney general called for the resignations of Thomas MeMechan as district attorney and Roy Hoffman. his assist- ant, announcing that it was his intention of appointing to those places B. S. McGuire of Pawnee and J. W. Scothorn of Guthrie.
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The democratie county convention in Jime, presided over by Jasper Sipes, passed a resolution favoring the nomination of Judge Keaton for delegate to Congress. Judge Keaton had been popular on the bench and was an excellent cam- paigner and these were attributes in his favor when the Ter- ritorial convention was held July 15th. This was a joint con- vention of democrats and populists, presided over by Judge Robert Neff, and it was characterized by a long deadlock dur- ing the balloting. The leading candidates were Keaton and Delegate J. Y. Callahan. On the final ballot Keaton received 242 votes and Callahan 78. A heated campaign ensued be- tween Keaton and Dennis Flynn, the republican nominee, and the Oklahoma City Keaton Club took a conspicuous part. Dr. Delos Walker was president of this club, V. H. Hardcastle was vice president, John H. Wright was secretary, and R. G. Hays was treasurer.
Flynn was nominated in a convention held at El Reno. Oklahoma City delegates supported C. G. Jones for the nomi- nation, but the revival of the old animosity between Flynn and Governor Barnes and the bitter fight between the factions supporting them, presaged at the outset of the convention, probably was responsible for Oklahoma City support going to Flynn. Flynn had gone into the convention pledged not to be a candidate and he offered vigorous protest when delegates framed the first organization in his behalf. His final word was that he would not consent to his name being presented miless his friends made satisfactory negotiations with can- didates of the anti-Barnes group, and this appears to have been accomplished, in a measure at least. Defeat of the Barnes group cansed the governor to make overtures for a reconciliation. Flynn was agreeable and the two are said to have buried the hatchet.
Flynn was elected by a substantial majority. Democrats and republicans divided honors in Oklahoma County. Sidney Clarke, democrat, was sent to the Territorial Council and C. G. Jones, republican, won a seat in the House of Representa- tives. C. W. Olmstead, also a republican, was the other representative elected. County officers elected were of the democratie-populist fusion brand. They were W. R. Taylor, county attorney; Richard Caffrey, county. clerk : C. JJ. Brown,
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register of deeds; Asa Jones, probate judge ; W. L. Alexander, county treasurer, and Alice Beitman, county superintendent of schools. Henry Overholser, republican, was elected a mem- ber of the board of county commissioners.
Clerk Caffrey had been in office but a short time when he was sent to jail in contempt of court for refusing to obey the order of the court to make certain increases in taxes. Judge John H. Burford, who sentenced him, granted his petition for an appeal to the United States Supreme Court but de- clined to admit him to bail pending a decision by the higher tribunal. Judge Keaton, his attorney, perfected the appeal in Washington but the Supreme Court also refused to admit Caffrey to bail. Early in the next year, while he was vet in jail, the Territorial Supreme Court issued a commitment for him in a second contempt case based on his refusal to extend the 1897 board of equalization valuation and assessment figures upon the county books. Caffrey is said to have been amused by this action and to have sent word to the court that he was just as far in jail at that time as it was possible for him to be. Polities had a hand in the affair, as was evidenced in January of 1899 when what was known as a taxpayers organization called at the jail and presented the clerk with an ebony gold-headed cane. The presentation speech was made by D. C. Lewis.
Some interesting events of the year were an excursion to St. Louis participated in by several hundred Oklahoma City men and their entertainment by the Mayor of St. Louis and other distinguished citizens: the application of John Shartel for a street railway franchise, succeeded by announcement of the city council that he would have to guarantee that no horse- drawn cars would be operated; the settlement of the city's controversy with Hill over the city hall site by an agreement to pay Hill $6,000; the organization of a Territorial associa- tion of liquor dealers with a charter membership of seventy; the appointment by Governor Barnes of B. F. Nyhart, super- intendent of city schools, as a member of the Territorial Board of Education : the organization of the Federation of Women's Clubs of Oklahoma and Indian Territories and the election of Mrs. Selwyn Douglas as president : the resignation of D. F. Stiles as colonel of the First Regiment of the Oklahoma Na-
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tional Guard, the result of an incident in Guthrie in which Colonel Stiles and some other officers were reputed to have been "egged"; the organization of a lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which T. A. Connor was elected exalted ruler; and the purchase by L. F. Kramer of twenty acres of land, at a cost of $200 per acre, situated north of the Choctaw railroad on the Higgins homestead, to be used for racing and park purposes.
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Scenes quite like those of the opening year growing out of boundary disputes were enacted this year when the City Coun- cil, the Santa Fe Railway Company and the Choctaw, Okla- homa & Gulf Railway Company became involved in a con- troversy over a narrow strip of land paralleling the Santa Fe right of way between Main Street and Grand Avenue. Trouble threatened to lead to tragedy but was checked by counsel and court short of that termination.
In order that it might be properly equipped with switch- ing and transfer facilities, the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf secured the passage of a bill by Congress permitting it to lay a side track on a strip of ground ten feet wide near the Santa Fe tracks between the two principal business thoroughfares. Meantime the Santa Fe, desiring to utilize the same area for a siding, received permission from the City Council, through emergency ordinance, to install a track. Men and material being held in readiness, the company proceeded, on the same night the ordinance was passed, to lay the ties and steel.
By virtue of higher authority, since the area was vet sub- ject to some measure of control by the Government, the Choe- taw- the name by which the company was designated from its inception-laid a siding over at least a part of the disputed area. This being in violation of the city ordinance, Street Commissioner Warren marshaled a squad of employes and ordered that the Choctaw track be removed. His men set to work and had part of the track in disorder when an officer of the court of Judge Burwell arrived bearing an injunction of the court forbidding execution of the order of city officials.
During the remainder of the night and the next day and the next night armed guards were stationed at the scene of controversy, representing the city and the railroad com- panies. A later opinion by Judge Burwell held that the strip
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was the property of the Santa Fe and the city was ordered to abstain from in any way exercising control over it.
The controversy over the Higgins homestead, which had become a west-side addition to the city, was renewed January 7th when J. C. Adams, who had completed a term in the Fed- eral penitentiary at Leavenworth for the shooting of Captain Couch, instituted snit for title to the land. Formerly the land office had approved the entry of R. W. Higgins and rejected that of Adams. Adams claimed that at this time the land was worth $40,000. Defendants in the suit were R. W. Higgins. W. C. Renfrow, Lulu Carey, L. F. Kramer, J. L. Brown, Estella Newell, O. S. Russell, Cynthia E. Couch and Anna Venner.
Arrangements were made this year for the issuance of bonds with which to purchase a county courthouse. The county commissioners entered into a contraet, which they ap- peared to have valued as more or less tentative, to sell an issue of $22,000 of bonds to R. J. Edwards, provided Edwards could secure the enaetment of a law by the Legislature legalizing the issue. Subsequently M. L. Turner presented to the commis- sioners a contract to buy the county's bonds and make them payable in New York without the necessity of legislative ae- tion. The commissioners rescinded the contract with Edwards and accepted that of Turner, which provided for his buying bonds in the total sum of $77,600.
Lee Van Winkle, the demoeratie nominee for Mayor in the April election, defeated Henry Overholser, the republican nominee, by seventy-two votes. The campaign involving the election of a chief of police was no less exciting than the race for mayor, for Capt. C. H. DeFord, who had held that position, again sought the office, as the republican nominee. He was defeated by W. B. Hendrey by 238 majority. John H. Wright was elected city attorney and W. D. Gault city treasurer. W. J. Pettee, who the previous year resigned as a member of the City Council because of having moved out of the ward from which he was elected, was reelected to mem- bership, defeating Dr. E. Witten, democratie nominee, by a vote of 73 to 24. W. M. Jones was the only other republican elected. Other democrats elected to the conneil were J. H.
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McCartney, Edward L. Dum, W. A. Hudelson, W. T. Parker and J. S. Morrow.
Selection of a site for the public library was made this year, after a lively tilt between advocates of the several loca- tions offered. Mrs. Selwyn Douglas, a club leader of local prominence and president of the Territorial Federation of Women's Clubs, appeared at the meeting called to select the site in behalf of those who chose a corner at the intersection of Main Street and Walker Avenue. Others present urged sites at California and Robinson and at Third and Robinson. The latter was selected. Mrs. Douglas had made such an able presentation of her claims that after the selection was made Capt. D. F. Stiles publicly commended her and called upon those present to give three cheers in her honor. The commit- tee of the council having the library matter in charge was com- posed of J. H. Hudelson, W. J. Pettee and Mayor Van Winkle.
The first reunion of Roosevelt's Rough Riders was held this year in Las Vegas, N. M., and Oklahoma City in that convention was chosen as the place for holding the reunion of 1900. Accordingly in the autumn preliminary prepara- tions for entertainment were started. A Rough Riders' Re- union Association was organized, of which Anton H. Classen was elected president : E. W. Johnson, vice president ; Clifton George, secretary, and Seymour C. Heyman, treasurer. Di- rectors were chosen at large from over the Territory and an ong them were Capt. Roy Hoffman of Chandler and Ed- ward L. Dunn and Ehner E. Brown of Oklahoma City.
A rather extraordinary event of the year was the adoption of an ordinance by the City Council annulling the franchise the city had granted to D. H. Scott and the Oklahoma City Waterworks Company. This followed a report of a commit- tee of the council which charged the company with noncom- pliance with its contract. It was found that pressure in the mains was too low to assure protection against fire, that the company's equipment was insufficient, and that the company had ignored the public's interests to such an extent that pub- lie health was hazarded and property subjected to danger of destruction by fire.
Three street railway franchises were applied for during
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the year. The first proposition was submitted by J. A. Clark of New York, the second by Henry Overholser of Oklahoma City, who also promised an electric-light service, and the third by Anton H. Classen and associates. The Classen proposition in substance was that the franchise should run for twenty-one years, that a minimum of four miles of track would be laid the first year, two miles of which would be completed within six months, that construction should be started within ninety days, that the fare should be 5 cents, and that the city should receive certain percentages of earnings of the company based on receipts ranging from $20,000 to $50,000.
Two new railroad projects appeared this year. C. B. Ames, an astute young lawyer of Mississippi, who recently had come west and been made president of the Southwestern Cotton Seed Oil Company, was one of the chief promoters of one of them. He and his associates organized and incor- porated the Oklahoma Railroad Company. Ames was elected president : S. T. Alton, vice president ; J. M. Owen, secretary, and J. L. Wilkin, treasurer. The other developed into an organization known as the Wichita Falls & Oklahoma City Railway Company, and among the influential men behind it was A. M. Huff of Wichita Falls, Tex., who afterwards be- came noted throughout the Southwest because of the indus- trial enterprises, including railroads, that he had a part in concluding in Northwestern Texas and Western Oklahoma. It was apparent that before many years the Kiowa and Co- manche Indian reservation would be opened to settlement, and no cities of the Southwest were more vitally concerned over that matter than Oklahoma City and Wichita Falls, for the great reservation lay between them. The reservation was opened to settlement two years later but the railroad did not materialize. That it failed may have been due to the already announced desire of the Frisco to penetrate that territory. Other incorporators with Mr. Huff were C. G. Jones, D. C. Lewis and F. M. Riley.
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