William Goodnow, brother of Isaac Goodnow, wrote from Shannon, Wild Cat Creek, Kansas Territory, to his wife Harriet in New England. Goodnow described his current activities, among them serving on the Manhattan city council along with his brother. He related his experience of seeing Governor Reeder pass by on his way to Pawnee, and judged him "fully able. . .to meet any Missouri renegade." Goodnow also anticipated that the free soil members of the Territorial Legislature would resign "not acknowledging this Legislature as a constitutional one."