The Wichita daily eagle., 1901-06-02
DAVE PAYNE
MONUMENT
MOVEMENT
Hoosiers viii Give Proposition
Their Support
STRONG MEN AT WORK
VIII Build Monument at
Permanent Capital.

Guthrie. o. T, June If the plans Of
Oklahoma people are carried ont, one Of
the finest monuments that the people OF
the territory have ever seen. viii be erect9
ed to the memory and over the remains
of the noted Oklahoma boomer. Captain
David L. Payne. Payne was a native Of
Indiana and for this reason, the Indiana
Association OF the Territory has taken up
the idea that Payne should have a monu-
ment and that il should be a splendid
one. The movement is already on foot
and President Freeman Miller os Still
water the executive Of the Indiana as
sociation appointed Frank AIcCammon.
one OF the Payne boomers chairman OF a
committee consisting OF Chief Justice
Burford and Judge Herrod to start the
movement among the old soldiers and the
press of the territory. The monument
is to cost in the neighborhood Of 100000
and it viii be erected at the capital OF
Oklahoma wherever that may be. If the
capital is moved after Oklahoma is ad-
mitteS as a state, the remains of Captain
Payne VIII be removed from Wellington.
where they are inferred and taken TO the
capital city an dthe monument erected at
that place.
The idea OF having a monument for this
man Of history is taking well with the
people Of Oklahoma and organizations
wiz be formed in every county in the
territory to carry out the plans Of the
Indiana association. This kind of an
organization over the territory will GER
tainly push the project to the front and
carry it out in every detail. Mr.. Nc
Cannon in speaking Of the matter said
that the monument would be the finest
thing that the territory had ever seen
and that all of the people OF Oklahoma
would be interested.
Frank McCammOn probably has had
more experiences while one Of the Payne
boomers than any man in the territory.
He has been arrested many times while
a boomer, but each time had escaped with
out any serious trouble. McCammon has
been in the territory of and on for twen-
ty-eight years and its topography is per-
fectlv familiar TO him. mas the honor
of making the first wagon track on the
original Oklahoma Boomer trail and at
that time there were eight persons with
him. This was in the winter OF 1878 and
the boomers went TO Cowboy Springs
now in Oklahoma county. The boomers
staid at these springs for a few weeks
and were driven out by the Pawnee In
dams who were then on their annual
hunt. They then proceeded to move
north and camped a short time at the
mouth of Skeleton creek While in the
country, however, they told the story
that they were hunting for stolen stock
and thue escaped from the many embar-
easements which the Oklahoma boomer
usually found when he entered the for
bidden land.
Il first met Payne in Wichita in 1873. %
said Mr.. McCammon to the correspon-
dent Of the Eagle. "and was introduced
to him by "Wn Bill" Haycraft He
was Of hervulean build and we called him
Old OK Heart He was hospital per-
sonhed; that is the only way that can
well express his traits.
He had a little store on the banks Of
the Little Arkansas. near Sedgwick City
and during the hard times in 1874. he gave
away the goods in this store to the people
who were destitute. This was the kind
Of a man that Payne was. After giving
away the stock in his store. he then went
on the range. This was all that he could
do. In 1873 I Joined Payne. This was
after he had had his Black Hills trouble
but was determined TO open up this coun-
try for settlement often secuted for
him and Tom Fegar and myself came
down in this country together 70 look
over the situation. There were no fences
at that time and the cattle men simply
had their cowboys out watching the
thousands Of cattle which roamed over
the hills and dales Of the land. We were
in here for some time and then we wen;
back and reported 70 Payne what we
had found out
II have no idea how many times we
were arrested. Each tine that the
that the troops captured Us. I gave
different name and 20 tel the truth
about the matter I probably had more
names on the records Of the army than
an yother man connected with the Payne
movement"
McCsmnon came from Indiana before
coming into the territory and at the time
that he was interested ia the boomer
movement he owned farm ln Sumner
county. This was net very far from the
lire and Il IS probably one reason that u
made fl easy for him 70 take part in the
boomer colony affairs. The fact that both
Payne and McCammon had been born in
Indiana inspired the feeling thar the two
men had for each other. They were much
together and campcd out i1 the Dkiah0-
ma country many times on fheir trirs x
was around the camp fires ard 81 bis
dealings with men that one secured q