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Contest Over a Land Claim Causes » Esinion In Marriage. A romance of morfi than ordinary in iexens, dating back to the opening of the Cherokee strip, was made public here recently, saya an Arkansas City (Kan. ) special. When the great rush was made for the land of the strip, John Bell, from Bloomington, Lls., came to this site and made the race, securing a choice claim south of the Chillico reservation, but when he went to file he found that a woman by the name of Sarah Bell had filed ahead of him. He returned to the claim and found no one in possession and no signs of improvements, and, of course, thought the woman had made a mistake and filed on the wrong quarter section. —_ Finally, after waiting several weeks for the matter to be straightened out by the officials of the land office, he decided to file a contest, and a few days later he received a letter from a lady, who prov ed to be his divorced wife, whom he had been separated from for eight years. She had come here from Bloomington just before the opening, made the race and was one of the first to file, and aft er securing her papers returned to Illi nois to sell her property there, with the intention of returning and taking pos session of her claim. Further correspondence followed, but no compromise was effected, and finally Mrs. Bell came here, bought lumber and hhd a house built on her claim. The date was fixed for the contest, but was postponed from time to time, but was finally to have been decided at Per ry one day last week The two contestants boarded the train for that place at Newkirk, but before they reached their destination they were both sitting in the same seat, and John had his arm around her waist, and she was sobbing on his breast. The con test was settled. When they arrived at Perry, they cel ebrated the anniversary of the opening of the Cherokee lands by being reunited in marriage They are now living hap pily together on the new home near the Chilicco reservation.
Newspaper Details
Moline Review Dispatch
Moline, Illinois, US
Fri, Nov 30, 1894
Page 3
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 29 May 2026
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