The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-12-16
MONUMENT
TO CAPT. PAYNE
Movement Has Gained Head
way for That Object,
ORGANIZATION is FORMED
Officers Elected and PreIimi-
naries Are Arranged.
ORGANIZATION Is FORMED

Blackwell. o. r, Dec 15.-The move
ment, several times attempted, was plac-
ed permanently on foot during the past
week to erect monument 10 the memory
of Capt. David L. Payne, the original Ok
lahoman, the man who did more than all
other men combined TO force the opening
CT old" Oklahoma TO settlement ia 1850.
This movement was finally andl effectu-
ally organized al Braman. in northern
Oklahoma, where last week the Payne
Memorial association was formed. ofic-
ers elected and the preliminary arrange
ments made for the erection OF the mon
ument
To Payne do the 100000 people of Okla
noma owe their homes and all blessings
which they are now enjoying, for it was
under the leadership of that indefatigeble
boomer that the attention of the country
was first turned 70 the land CT the fair
god" Payne. fl,e soldier and statesman,
led seven bands of boomers into Okla
homa prior 70 the opening, only TO be
driven out and dispossessed of their
claims by United States soldiers. He IL
was that discovered the truth that orig
inal Oklahoma was public domain, sub
ject to entry under the homestead laws
of the United States. and he continued
has agitation for the rights of the people
who wished to settle in the territory.
fighting, physically and mentally, finally
getting the matter into the courts and
winning victory for his views in No
vernber. 1884 before Judge Foster of the
United States court, just seventeen days
before Paynes sudden death. on Novem-
Der 2s, at wellington, Kan, from heart
failure.
Throughout this territory Payne is low
ingly referred to as the Father OF Okla
homa." He was native Of Indiana. born
at Paramount. that state. in 1896. He came
to Kansas when still young and was
twice elected TO the legislature of that
state from Doniphan county. He moved
to Sedgwick county in the early 'Ios,
familiar figure on the streets of Wich-
ita, which city he made the base of his
operations in his efforts to secure the
opening of the new country.
The pathetic side of the struggle was
the sudden death OF Captain Payne at
wellington just as he had reached the
point where he could view the land Of
promise His every contention had been
vindicaled by. the United States courts.
and it only remained Cor congressional
action to open the country, and this ac-
ton was even then assured.
The press of The entire country was con-
graduating the leader of the boomers up
on his success, and he himself had decid-
ed to await favorable action by the de-
partments. which he knew must soon
come. before he again attempted TO make
a settlement On November 2S 1884. while
at breakfast in the Barnard hotel at Wei
Iington. Captain Payne was seized with
an attack of heart failure and expired
before medical aid could reach him. II
has since become known. according TO
Capt. Frank McCammon OF Guthrie, who
was one of Payne's original boomers,
that on the day of his death Payne was
en- route 10 the home of a friend, where
he was to have been married to a woman
who had been his lifelong sweetheart and
aid and a companion in his work TO Sc
cure the opening of Oklahoma.
Oklahoma today, with 100000 people
making a fight for statehood in the ma
ttionaI congress is monument TO the
worth and ability Oh Capt. David ~
Payne. Many attempts have been made
to have the remains of the original boom
er moved TO Oklahoma, that they might
rest in the soil of the land that he loved
and created as territory, bur. thus far,
these attempts have prOvXl futile The
owner of the cemetery lot 3here rest the
remains OF Payne obiectss TO them be-
ing removed But all Oklahomans hope
that some such future attempt may prove
successful