A Tragedy and Trial of No Mans Land. who in due time came and was installed as town marshal, Sam Robinson for Hugoton and Ed Short for Woodsdale, each becoming to the other the embodiment of the hostility of their respective towns. In July, 1888, C. E. Cook, Orin Cook, A. M. Donald, and Robinson, with the wives and children of three of the party, left Htigoton in wagons, with the necessary tents and equipage for an outing, fishing and plumming in the Strip. The " Strip," or " No Man's Land," is thirty-three miles in width from north to south, by two hundred and ten miles from east to west, is bounded on the east by the Cherokee Strip, on the south by the north ern projection of Texas, known as the " Pan Handle," on the west by the Territory of New Mexico, and on the north by Kansas and Colorado. This tract of land, left out in the formation of surrounding States and Territories, was never provided with courts, nor was it attached for judicial purposes to any adjoining State or Territory until 1890, when, as Heaver County, it became a part of Oklahoma. Prior to 1850 it was a part of Texas, that State having extended north to the Arkansas River and west to the Rio Grande. In that year Congress purchased from Texas all that portion of the State lying north of thirty-six degrees and thirty min utes north latitude, the present northern boundary of the Texas Pan Handle, and then the Missouri Compromise line, purchas ing also the territory west of the one hun dred and third meridian west longitude, the present eastern boundary line of New Mexico. The line between the Cherokee Strip and "No Man's Land" having been established years before, the fixing of the northern line of the Texas Pan Handle and the eastern line of New Mexico in 1850, left "No Man's Land " a jog one-half degree south, on the south side of the public domain that lay to the west of the Missouri River. In the establishment of Kansas and
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Nebraska as Territories in 1854 the south line of Kansas, from east to west, having been established conforming to the thirty-seventh degree north latitude, created the north 'boundary line of "No Man's Land." Upon learning the destination of the Cook-Robinson party for an outing in the Strip, Short, with two or three men, went in pursuit, coming upon the Hugoton people in camp upon the Beaver, a stream in the Strip. At a distance of a couple of hundred yards the Short party halted, made demand upon the Cook party for the surrender of Robinson, and upon their demand being refused opened fire with Winchesters. To save the women and children from danger, Robinson mounted a fleet horse he had with him and made off at full speed in the oppo site direction from the attacking party, pur sued by Short and his followers. This proved the immediate beginning of the bloodiest conflict in the history of Kan sas, growing out of county organization! The Cooks, Donald, and the women re turned to Hugoton, where a squad of eight or ten men was organized and went to the rescue of Robinson. A like party of res cuers from Woodsdale having been sent to Short's assistance, the rival towns had sent out armed squads until twenty-five to thirty men from each were in the Strip in quest of friends. Among others, Sheriff Cross of Woodsdale, with a party of four men, at the close of a day's ride, on Sat urday, July 25th, at about nine o'clock in the evening, dismounted for the night, at the camp of some haymakers, ten miles in the Strip. There were no settlements in the Strip save an occasional ranchman's cabin. On the same day, at four o'clock in the afternoon, the last rescuing party left Hugoton for the Strip. Of this party, numbering twelve men, six were in buggies and six were on horseback. At six o'clock the party halted for supper, and while prepar ing their meal were joined by Sam Robin son, who, after a three days' chase, had
