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Show CITY WINS CONTEST. ENID, OKLA WHIPS RAILROAD IN DITTER FIQHT Attempt of Roek laland to Eatabllah Townalla of lie Own la Aban. doned Victory Accompllihed by Aid of Senate. Knld, Okln The laat chapter In the moat hlalnrlr town flaht of the aouth. went wna written when the Hock la-land la-land railroad abandoiiHl Ita alatlon In North Knld and muted the effect of tho omen there tu tide rlly Knld claim the dlitlnrtlou of betiiK tho only city that pier whipped u rail rnad In a tnwnaltn llRht nnd that over auccceiloil In enllatlnK Iho Unllisl Utnte ainnto'a aid to brlnK about aucti a reault. When tho Cherokee atrip wna opened for aetllement In 1801 tho Hock laland had Iho nnly lino acroie jlw,t;la-froni notlli Jo wuiiLln tho wStPrn pmtl tho now countryT Oov. 'rnment Inwnalte had been bile out 'nit tho railroad, In order to keel for itnelf the aplendld profit that mild iccrue from the added vnluo to kit In the future bualneaa center, rente! to agree to the goterumynt towwlte and eatnhlbhed townalte of Itiown two mile dlatant from tho nrflaally platted ground Thla wna done lithe1 eaaea of Medfurd, Pond Creek and Knld. but the fight nil centered at the laat named place hecnueo It win believed, be-lieved, b nfterward developed, that thl wa the moat Important post Twelve hundred ncre of land re bought by tho Hock laland frimlhe Chtiwkro Indian prior to the optilng two mllea north of tho townalv of Knld nnd n fiiluro city laid out A itnllon, tho large! nt that tlmdt-ulh of Wichita lo tho Toxa Unit, waa erected by tho railroad and thntkfor matlon given mil Hint thl wnjlibo n dlvlalon point with hop for all tho aouthweat. Hut no depot vaa ericted on tho government altptwo mile dlalnnt. ', Thirty tbouaand pcraon aaTiruaied on th4 tr iHri the day of th oth-- Ing silt tbo number rrm diminished I to ahoat 5.0OJ at Boilth Knld. u the Hock laland renteied In ratline; Ui : present city, and 2,000 or 3.000 la , North Knld For a year a flht waa waged between the two town, with j the railroad aupportlnff Ita elte aid lefualng to atop train at South Enid. ' In that year popular reientaient i reached a pitch where It wa dander, oue to life to ride on the rallroed bo. tween Kanaaa and Texaa On numr otia nccaalona bridge wero burned along the lino, and In each Inttanco the following note wa found potted near To tho Hock Iiland lletter build a depot In Knld Wreck became frequent, track were torn up or blocked Conductor of train going through were arreited by the aherlff for violating ordinance enacted by tho city, and everything tioeellile waa dono lo haraa tho road ' Tho city Ittolt became an armed camp, eery atreet patroled at night to koop unknown men out for fear It would bo burned Kvery afternoon nt two oclock the flrcbell rang and the people of Knld naiembled on tho public qunre to llaten to (lory ad-dree ad-dree against tho road and hear liana fur further action A few month after the opening federal troom were Imported to protect pro-tect the railroad' property In Pond Creek and Knld Word that they wero coming waa received In advance, and when they arrived In Pond Creek on their way aouth they were met by n committee It waa ahown to tho officer that tho troop wero lielng llaed by tho railroad agalnat the people, and that It waa not a fair fight On thla Information an order waa given for no man to alight from tho train, and the aoldlera returned to Knnta Ho nntnrlou did tho loaa of life and property nnd tho reign of lawleaaneaa become that congrea Anally look a hand and ordered tho Hock Iiland to put In a depot at "Houth Knld " Senator Sen-ator Tellur of Colorado and Senator Iterry of Arkanana championed the clty'a cnuae on the floor of tho uppor home In n bitter ililmtn between the friend of the Hock Iiland and the frlenda of tho goternment townalte llnko Smith, then aecntary of tho In. terlor, atood by the official plat and aided In getting tho bill paused that gave Knld n depot The rtrat train etnppcd In Knld September Sep-tember 10. 1F9I. while tho Inhabitant of tho city wero holding n great annl icreary celehrntlon From that time on train atoppml regularly North Knld, huwoter died hard, but gradual. ly It wa foraaliou Within the laat fhc, )cnr nlmoit in cry building of Importance ha been removed to thla city. To-day thero I not a itore, poat officii or building of Importance, where onco thero wna a thriving and promlalng city numborlng thouianda of Inhabitant. A movement haa been atarted to celebrnto tho abandonment of tbo ata tlon. |