The Wichita daily eagle., 1901-06-02

had not had anything TO smoke for some
time We had plenty OF tobacco. buy We
never said a word about giving the sold
iers any Of our supply.
When we camped at night, CORPORAL
Bush decided that he would go doxa 10
the stream after 8 bucket Of water. I
said that I would 20 with him I got
my bucket and started ous- When we
got down 70 the stream. said, Corporal.
why are you people all smoking cold
pjpes? he answered why. We are ali out
Of tobacco and there Is nothing else for
Us TO do. I told him that We had
large supply OF tobacco and that he had
plenty OF liberty. I then stated that
an exchange could be made. The cor
poral said. all right and when we got
back 70 camp. got some tobacco and
distributed it around among the men-
They were al delishted and had . long
smoke OF course. The next morning a
heavy snow storm came up. but the sold
iers mounted and started away. Corporal
Bush said 10 US: We have got 70 make
Willow Springs today and We are in a
hurry. You fellows hitch up ana follow
US. keeping Us in sisht We said that
we would and that was the last thar we
saw OF the soldiers that time. This IS
the first and last time that we ever pur-
chased our liberty with smoking tobacco.
"Over at Rock Falls there was quite a
colony OF boomers. we published a pa
per there. IL was known as the Oklahc-
ma War Chief. The last issue was print
ed on common wrapping paper. for the
cattlemen stole al OF the white paper
that we had. But that didn't make any
difference. the paper came out al right
and It was Just as good as any OF them.
while / was IN the territory then.
discovered that Preston B. Plumb had a
cattle ranch here. The land did not cost
him a cent and he had some mighty fine
cattle too. do not know how large his
ranch was or how long he kept IL. but
do know that It was a splendid place.
was there once and probably would not
have discovered that ii was Plumb's had
not the foreman or tho ranch. an Irish
man. stated that Plum paid All Of the biz
for the maintenance Of the outfit
1T was a common fact among the peo-
PIE then IN the territory. that the man
who killed Payne could set $4,000 from
the cattemen. IN fact. Payne was offered
900 himself if he would cease his opcr-
alton in trying 10 have the country open
ed up. Payne never told this himself.
but found it out from another source.
OF course he turned down the OFFER and
after that proceeded as hard as he could
work to push the boomer colony.
Payne's death was a very sad affair. He
was on his way TO my place in Summer
county when he died and when We re-
ceived the news that he had died. there
was sorrow indeed. He was az a hotel
in Wellington. and the last order that be
gave the waiter was for glass Of milk.
one waiter took the order and another
brought the milk from the kitchen. Payne
took drink of IL and a short time after
that. his head dropped down on his chest
and If was all over. This is a delicate
subject. for his death occurred very mys-
teriously. A post mortem examination
was held and his stomach was taken out
to be expressed to a chemist but IL never
reached its destination. It is hlnted that
the cattlemeut were responsible for his
death and for the disappearance OF the
stomach.
"A grander and fined man than Payne
never lived and we could 90 nothing bet
ter than erect a monument for him ia
this territory. 10 viii not ha simple affair
by any means. but It VIII be a monument
that Oklahoma people viii be glad 20 look
at and admire for years TO come"