REPORTING THE REMINISCENCES OF JUDGE BOWMAN OF NEWTON, KANSAS, REGARDING DAVID L. PAYNE, "THE FATHER OF OKLAHOMA," IN AN AUTOGRAPH LETTER, SIGNED BY HISTORIAN WILLIAM E. CONNELLEY, DATED JUNE 14, 1910

Two page letter, on letterhead of the Santa Fe Eating House and Dining Car System, Fred Harvey, Manager, General Office, Kansas City, MO. Two sheets, 24 x 15 cm., approx. 140 words, rectos only. Accompanied by an unaddressed envelope with an additional short note by Connelley written on the outside. In a neat hand, Connelley pens this story reported to him by Judge Bowman regarding David L. Payne's residence in the town of Newton, Kansas in 1871. Payne was elected to the legislature from the county of Sedgwick and secured passage of a bill establishing Harvey County. The town of Newton did not have a reliable water source, the closest being Sand Creek. Money was raised to dig two wells, and Payne was responsible for digging one of them. "Those were the cowboy days of Newton [and] the cowboys would put their ponies to the gallop amd make them jump clean over Payne's well." while firing their pistols. Apparently Payne and his men were unperturbed. William E. Connelley was the author of several books on western American history, including a work on Quantrill, and a five volume history of Kansas. David Payne (1836-1884) spent a good portion of his time trying to "boomer" his way into Oklahoma Territory before the area was officially opened to settlement.…