This letter, sent by Ed Russell to Franklin Crane, a prominent citizen of Topeka, Kansas Territory, concerns the proposed St. Joseph and Topeka Railroad. Russell is convinced that the people of Topeka had not acted in "good faith" by choosing to route the railroad through Doniphan rather than Elwood. Russell wants the railroad to go through his hometown of Elwood, which had been the initial plan. This letter illustrates how various communities competed for railroads, even if these railroads were never built.