The men lost no time in making up their minds to organize a second attempt to establish homes for their families, and once more they made the march.  A bitter disappointment awaited them, for they found that their cabins had all been destroyed and they had to commence work over again.  This they did, and they had scarcely got themselves comfortable when another small detachment of troops arrived to turn them out.  The men were tied by means of ropes to the tail-ends of wagons, and driven like cattle across the prairie to the military fort.  For a third time they conducted an invasion, and for the third time they were attacked by Government troops.

A spirit of determination had, however, come over the men in the interval, and an attempt was made to resist the onslaught of the soldiers.  The Lieutenant in charge was astonished at the attitude assumed, and did not care to assume the responsibility of ordering his men to fire, as many of the colonists were well armed and were undoubtedly crack shots.  He, accordingly, adopted more diplomatic measures, and, by establishing somewhat friendly relations, got into close quarters with the settlers.  A rough and tumble fight with fists soon afterwards resulted, and the hard fists and brawny arms of the settlers proved too much for the regulars, who were for the time being driven off.

The result of the boomers’ victory was the sending of 600 soldiers to dislodge them, and it being impossible to resist such a force as this, the colonists yielded with the best grace they could and sadly deserted the homes they had tried so hard to build up.  Some of the men were actually imprisoned for the action they had taken, and the colony for a time was completely broken up.  The example set was followed by several others, and for some years a conflict, not particularly creditable to the Government, went on.  No law was discovered to punish the boomers and thus put a final end to the invasions.  All that could be done was to drive the families out as fast as they went in, a course of action far more calculated to excite disorder than to quell it.  Sometimes the soldiers displayed a great deal of forbearance, and even went out of their way to help the women and children and reduce their sufferings to the smallest possible point.  Again, they were sometimes unduly harsh, and more than one infant lost its life from the exposure the evictions brought about.  The soldiers by no means relished the work given them, and many of them complained bitterly that it was no part of their duty to fight women and babies.  Still they were compelled to obey orders and ask no questions.