March 11, 2025

Soapy Smith's "STAR" notebook, 1884, Denver: Part #18 - page 18

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 18 - Original copy
1884
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)



oapy Smith in Denver.
Operating the prize package soap sell racket in 1884.

This is page 18, the continuation of page 17, and dated March 28 - April 12, 1884, the continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook from the Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to this notebook can be seen on page 1.
     These notebook pages have never been published before! They continue to be of revealing interest. The picture that the pages draw is of young 22 year-old Jefferson pursuing "soap sales" over a very wide spread of territory and in a very tenacious, even driven, way.
     The notebook(s) are in Soapy's handwriting, and sometimes pretty hard to decipher. A large part of this series of posts is to transcribe the pages, one-at-a-time, and receive help from readers on identifying words I am having trouble with, as well as correcting any of my deciphered words. My long time friend, and publisher, Art Petersen, has been a great help in deciphering and adding additional information.
     I will include the original copy, an enhanced copy, and a negative copy of each page. Also included will be a copy with typed out text, as tools to aid in deciphering the notes.
     There are a total of 24 pages. This means that there may be upwards of 24 individuals posts for this one notebook. Links to the past and future pages (pages 1, 2, 3, etc.) will be added at the bottom of each post for ease of research. When completed there will be a sourced partial record of Soapy's activities and whereabouts for 1882-1884.
     Important to note that the pages of the notebook do not appear to be in chronological order, with Soapy making additional notes on a town and topic several pages later.
     In one noticeable respect, page 18 is different from most of the other pages seen so far, as it is notes taken after the fact. Page 18 is also different as it is a description of his operations in Denver, and only Denver. From my research I know that Soapy is not yet entrenched in Denver at this time, but this page may be the very beginning stages of that entrenchment.
     Although the communication of twenty-one-year-old Soapy Smith is with himself, the writing also communicates with us about him 142 years later (and potentially far beyond today).
     The first half of page 18 seems to be expense notes, and the second half begins to list income (which continues on p19).      
     Below are my attempts to attempts to make the writing easier to see and decipher.

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 18 - Enhanced copy
1884
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)


Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 18 - Negative copy
1884
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)



Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 18 - Deciphered copy
1884
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Page 18
  • Line 1: "Clothes from March 28 to [1884]"
  • Line 2: "Apr [April] 27. [$]75.00" 
Notes: Soapy paid $75 for clothes in the span of one month, between March 28 - April 27, 1884.
  • Line 3: "Board &. [$]75.00"
Notes: room and board, likely a hotel, for the same one month period, March 28 - April 27, 1884.
  • Line 4A: "incidental [$]70.00"
Notes: It's common to build "incidental[s]" into a budget.
  • Line 4B:"Paid RB [room and board] clerk [$]140.00"
Notes: Why is this different from Line 3? Was it another town, another hotel? Listed is $75.00 and then $140.00 as "Paid RB clerk." Instead of cost for board being listed twice, probably the 75 for "Board" is part of the $140 figure. That would make sense except that 75 + 70 = 145. Perhaps what's happening is that Soapy figures 70 may be what "incidental[s]" will come to, but in paying in advance for his stay, he paid the RB estimate of 75 but only 65 for "incidental[s]." If these came to more, he could pay upon checking out, OR, if he didn't use all the incidentals money, a refund would be due.
  • Line 5: "March 28th 1884"
  • Line 6: "ticket [$]5.00"
Notes: Train or stagecoach ticket?
  • Line 7: "License [$]10.00"
Notes: Likely a Denver city street vendors license. it is known that in other cities, Soapy did purchase "licenses" to engage in "sales." Ironically, following city ordinances often protected Soapy from legal problems.
  • Line 8: "lost [$]5.00 on bet."
Notes: Oh to know the details! This second "March 28th 1884" date may be a heading for expenses that day, including a notation for how much he has left ($114) after expenses "to open" his Denver sales campaign. The March 28 expenses list a license for $10 and $5 lost on a bet. These expenses seem clear, but two others are not—the "ticket" for $5 and the room also for $5. What was the ticket for—entrance to something, a train ticket? Or might the "ticket" be a printed sign of some kind that he could set up, or cards (as in business cards) for some purpose.  
  • Line 9: "room [$]5.00"
Notes: room and board for one night? He already paid for room and board, so what could another room be for—to conduct sales in, or a storeroom for storing sales good? Then there's the amount of $5, which is quite a bit ($167.55) for a room, unless it were over time, such as for a month. 
  • Line 10: "had [$]114.00 to open"
Notes: To open what? His street game? The prize package soap sell racket?
  • Line 11: "Commenced"
  • Line 12: "to sell in Denver"
Notes: He 'started' or 'begun" his game(s) in Denver, Colorado. 
  • Line 13: "4th time on Friday"
  • Line 14: "March 28th 1884"
Notes: March 28, 1884 is a Friday, but what does "4th time" refer to? Four sales, or four attempts? Perhaps it refers to prior visits since 1882-1883, as he was traveling the West for quite a while.
  • Line 15: "1. Sale $20.00 March 28th"
Notes: Line 13 implies it was the "4th time," however, line 15 reads only one sale?
  • Line 16: "2 Sales [$]55.00 ' ' [March] 29th [1884]"
Notes: Two sales for a total of $55 on March 29, 1884. He then took Sunday through Tuesday off, and began again on Wednesday, April 2nd, earning the largest amount of sales recorded on page 18, $74.50 ($2,645.50 in today's dollars).
  • Line 17: "2 Sales $74.50 Apr 2nd"
Notes: Two sales for a total of $74.50 on April 2, 1884.
  • Line 18: "2 ' ' [Sales] $28.00 ' ' [April] 3rd"
Notes: Two sales for a total of $28 on April 3, 1884.
  • Line 19: "2 ' ' [Sales] $39.00 ' ' [April] 4th"
Notes: Two sales for a total of $39 on April 4, 1884.
  • Line 20: "2 ' ' [Sales] $36.00 Apr 5th"
Notes: Two sales for a total of $36 on April 5, 1884.
  • Line 21: "2 ' ' [Sales] $45.00 Apr [April] 7th"
Notes: Two sales for a total of $45 on April 7, 1884.
  • Line 22: "2 Sales $32.00 Apr [April] 8th"
Notes: Two sales for a total of $32 on April 8, 1884.
  • Line 23: "1 Sale $28.00 ' ' [April] 9th"
Notes: One sale for $28 on April 9, 1884.
  • Line 24: "1 ' ' [Sale] $33.00 [April] 10th"
Notes: One sale for $33 on April 10, 1884.
  • Line 25: "1 Sale $14.00 ' ' [April] 11th"
Notes: One sale for $14 on April 11, 1884.
  • Line 26: "1 ' ' [Sale] $19.00 [April] 12th"
Notes: One sale for $19 on April 12, 1884.

     In Seattle in July 1882, over several days, Soapy took in $112 ($3,702,84 in today's dollars). "Several days" may be estimated to be three, so for the first three days of sales in Denver, Jeff took in $149.50 ($5,308.75) for an increase over Seattle sales of $37.50 ($1,331.63), or a 34% increase.
     Soapy's total income recorded on page 18 through April 12 (taking Sunday the 6th off) for 12 days' work through April 12, 1884, is $423.50 ($14,191.49). Soapy's skill at "selling" has apparently improved. Additionally, instead of moving from place to place, he's discovered a way to conduct his selling in one city without having to move from place to place. In this regard, if Jeff was working on 17th Street, the main thoroughfare from the train station, he had a steady stream of new customers all day every day.
     The Denver sales continue on notebook page #19



 



 









Part #17
Part #19 (not published yet)
Part #20 (not published yet)
Part #21 (not published yet)
Part #22 (not published yet)
Part #23 (not published yet)
Part #24 (not published yet)







"If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday. "
—Pearl Buck
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March 6, 2025

"Ice Box" Murphy: Another Soapy Smith gang member who didn't exist.


(Click image to enlarge)




ce Box Murphy

Did He Exist?

Anyone reading my book, Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel, and this blog, might have wondered why I have not included the history of the soap gang member, “Ice Box” Murphy. The early biographies introduced me to Murphy, whose story was also included in most of the later biographies and articles. Today, many writers repeat the same old fabrications. Wait, “fabrications?” Since I started researching “Soapy’s” history in 1985 I have never found a single source or newspaper article proving that “Ice Box” Murphy existed outside the old bios.

In my book, Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel, 2009, I wrote
Early biographers had access to scant factual information about members of Jeff’s soap gang. Invented yarns and exaggerations where no known facts were available made their stories more interesting. Some of the men said to have worked for Jeff, such as “Ice Box” Murphy, are possibly complete fabrications as not a single separate accounting of their existence could be found.
It was in the book, The Reign of Soapy Smith: Monarch of Misrule, by William R. Collier and Edwin V. Westrate, 1935, where I first read about "Ice Box" Murphy, describing the story of how he got his name (pp. 32-33).
     “Ice Box” Murphy, box-car tripper, amateur yegg, and one-time running mate of ‘A No. 1,’ the world-famed hobo, was taken on by Soapy as a booster. Ambitious to be a great safe blower, Murphy’s career in that field was irreparably ruined by the fatal blunder which earned him his sobriquet early in his efforts.
     His small stature secured him membership in a gang which took him along on a ‘job’ whose objective was to empty the safe of a wholesale butcher shop. The diminutive Murphy was boosted through the transom. Sent in with ‘soup,’ putty, fuse drills, and blanket, he operated alone in the darkness. Some fifteen minutes elapsed before he unlocked the door from the inside and rejoined his pals. A minute later, the building was shaken by a muffled explosion. The yeggs rushed in-to discover that Murphy had blown the steel refrigerator instead of the safe!
     In every direction the floor was strewn with shattered steaks, chops, frankfurters, hams, cutlets, and sides of beef. There was no time to correct the error, and Murphy, in disgrace, was banished forever by the blasting brotherhood. He was never allowed to forget his faux pas, and the name, ‘Ice Box,’ was fastened on him in derision. To Smith, however, he had his uses, and he was kept as a member of the soap gang.
In the book, Soapy Smith: King of the Frontier Con Men, by Frank G. Robertson and Beth K. Harris, 1961, the authors repeated the same story, and did not add anything new on Murphy.
Ice Box Murphy came by his name because in a burglary he crawled into a building to blow open a safe, but confused the safe with a large old-fashioned walk-in refrigerator. Instead of money, he blew steaks, roasts, and mutton chops all over the room.
Since that time, authors have repeated the same story, unable to add anything new. I don't particularly believe that there was an "Ice Box" Murphy but as William Wright said in 1888, "The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence," so I will continue to keep an open mind and open eyes.



 










"Ice Box" Murphy: page 73.






"The absence of evidence is not evidence of absence."
—William Wright, 1888



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February 27, 2025

Soapy Smith's "STAR" notebook, 1883: Part #17 - page 17

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 17 - Original copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy
(Click image to enlarge)




oapy Smith in San Francisco, Ohio, South Dakota, Kentucky.
Cheap John scam, Knight's Conclave, Cotton Exposition and horse races.

     This is page 17, dated July-August 1883, the continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook from the Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to this notebook can be seen on page 1.
     These notebook pages have never been published before! They continue to be of revealing interest. The picture that the pages draw is of young 22 year-old Jefferson pursuing "soap sales" over a very wide spread of territory and in a very tenacious, even driven, way.
     The notebook(s) are in Soapy's handwriting, and sometimes pretty hard to decipher. A large part of this series of posts is to transcribe the pages, one-at-a-time, and receive help from readers on identifying words I am having trouble with, as well as correcting any of my deciphered words. My long time friend, and publisher, Art Petersen, has been a great help in deciphering and adding additional information.
     I will include the original copy, an enhanced copy, and a negative copy of each page. Also included will be a copy with typed out text, as tools to aid in deciphering the notes.
     There are a total of 24 pages. This means that there may be upwards of 24 individuals posts for this one notebook. Links to the past and future pages (pages 1, 2, 3, etc.) will be added at the bottom of each post for ease of research. When completed there will be a sourced partial record of Soapy's activities and whereabouts for 1882-1883.
     Important to note that the pages of the notebook do not appear to be in chronological order, with Soapy making additional notes on a town and topic several pages later.
     It seems Soapy is not entrenched in Denver yet, still operating as a nomad moving from town to town.
     In one noticeable respect, page 17 is different from the other pages seen so far. In contrast, page 17 is uncommonly clear. The lead of the pencil must have been sharp and the notepad on a hard surface for the letters and words to be so dark and impressed so legibly. Other pages often seem written on with a dull pencil, and the words seem a bit shaken and jagged, as if made with the notebook in hand, perhaps while aboard the swaying car of a moving train or stagecoach. Alcohol may also play a part in the bad handwriting seen thus far.
     Page 17 continues listing places to consider visiting, that is, to list options to consider. The places are far flung (e.g., Louisville, KY; New London, OH; San Francisco, CA) and getting from place to place in 1883 would take days. Because of the distances, rather than an itinerary, they seem more suited to be individual options from which to choose. covers his possible journey to San Francisco, Ohio, South Dakota and Kentucky, operating the cheap John swindle while attending a Knight's Conclave, the Cotton Exposition and horse races. Although the communication of twenty-one-year-old Soapy Smith is with himself, the writing also communicates with us about him 142 years later (and potentially far beyond today).
     Below are my attempts to attempts to make the writing easier to see and decipher.

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 17 - Enhanced copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 17 - Negative copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy
(Click image to enlarge)



Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 17 - Deciphered copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)


Page 17
  • Line 1: "Goods to Handle"
  • Line 2: "Tin ware for California" 
  • Line 3: "Crockery for every"
  • Line 4: "place New London [Ohio]"
  • Line 5: "Ohio."
  • Line 6: "'Occurrences'"
  • Line 7: "Knights Conclave"
  • Line 8: "San Francisco Aug."
  • Line 9: "Cotton Exposition"
  • Line 10: "Louisville [Kentucky] Aug."
  • Line 11: "Races at Mitchell"
  • Line 12: "Dakota [South Dakota] July 3, and 4."
  • Line 13: "Over" [continues on page 18]

  • Lines 1-4, we see that Soapy was planning to operate his swindles in California (San Francisco?), interestingly enough, it appears that Soapy was preparing to run a "cheap John" operation. I knew he started using the cheap John in Round Rock, Texas, likely out of the back of a wagon, but I always figured that once he got into the short cons (shell and pea con, three-card monte and the soap sell) he gave up the cheap John con. Was he still doing it in 1883? I thought that perhaps this might be an older dated page (1878-1881).
The cheap John swindle is the forerunner of today's Jam auction. Below is the definition of "cheap John" from my book, Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel.
A cheap John operation is the predecessor of the jam auction, which Jeff would later operate in Denver. An operator sells, usually under high pressure, practically worthless merchandise at a fraction of its value in order to excite and confuse the audience. Sometimes the items are said to be valuable manufacturers’ promotional items. First, small, practically worthless items are given away to everyone, then unexpectedly slightly more valuable items are sold to bidders for almost nothing. The procedure is conducted in a way that confuses buyers about whether they are putting up money "as a good faith gesture" that they will get back or whether they are tendering payment. When buyers are thoroughly confused, the cheap John adds the final wrinkle: the sale of almost worthless (but apparently valuable) merchandise for what seem like outrageous "bargain" prices. 
A modern day Jam Auction
Courtesy of The Real Hustle
(Click image to enlarge)

The cheap John may also be an option for Soapy. It would be natural to continue listing that kind of selling as an option. But sales of that kind surely couldn't match what Soapy found he could earn in a day or an afternoon or an hour auctioning off money-wrapped soap. Additionally, it's hard to imagine Soapy lugging around suitcases of tin ware and crockery all across the West, as opposed to an easily portable box of little cuts of soap, a small commodity for which he could build up demand in minutes. Known is that Soapy continued to sell cheap John goods, but probably not when he was on the road. Later when operating solely in a city, an auction house would be a fitting location for sales of that kind, handled for Soapy by operators, and perhaps Soapy himself on occasion.

  • Lines 4-5, show a plan to operate in New London, Ohio.

  • Lines 6, are under the heading of "Occurrences," which are more plans to visit and operate.
  • Lines 7-8, at the Knights [Triennial] Conclave in San Francisco, Cal., August 20–25, 1883. It was the first Triennial Conclave held west of St. Louis.

Grand parade of the Knights Templar
Triennial Conclave
San Francisco, Cal.
August 20, 1883
(Click image to enlarge)

  • Lines 9-10, Soapy plans to operate at The Cotton Exposition, formally called The Southern Exposition, in Louisville, Kentucky. The Southern Exposition was a series of world's fairs held in Louisville, Kentucky from August 1, 1883 to 1887. The exposition showcased the South's products, including cotton, and featured a working farm and horticultural garden.

The Southern Exposition
Also known as The Cotton Exposition
Louisville, Kentucky
(Click image to enlarge)

  • Lines 11-12, horse races in Mitchell, South Dakota, July 3-4.
  • Line 13, "Over" [continues on page 18]








 









Part #18
Part #19 (not published yet)
Part #20 (not published yet)
Part #21 (not published yet)
Part #22 (not published yet)
Part #23 (not published yet)
Part #24 (not published yet)












"Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong."
—Thomas Jefferson










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February 23, 2025

"Clubfoot" Hall - Soapy Smith's mentor?


(Click image to enlarge)




LUBFOOT" HALL - CON MAN
Soapy Smith's mentor?


     Recently, I saw two Youtube videos on "Soapy" Smith. Both chose to use the old error filled biographies as sources. Sometimes I leave a comment, letting the author and visitors know some of the errors in the videos and letting them know that there are published true histories of Soapy if they so desire. In both videos I noted the inclusion of "Clubfoot" Hall and "Ice-Box" Murphy. I normally stop watching these type videos once I come across old, outdated information being touted as "history." The sources on one of the videos included the early biographies rather than my book and research. I wrote up a response and was going to include links to my blog writeups I have done on these two men but found I have overlooked writing about them outside of my book Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel. So, I re-read The Reign of Soapy Smith and Soapy Smith: King of the Frontier Con Men again, so I could create a blog post on what I know, and don't know, about the two men.
     Those of you who have read the older books and articles on "Soapy" Smith, might wonder why I have not included the history of “Clubfoot” Hall on this blog. The early biographies introduced me to Hall, whose story was included in many of the later biographies and articles. Even today, many writers repeat the same old fabrications. Wait, “fabrication?” Since I started researching “Soapy’s” history in 1985 I have never found a single bit of provenance, source, or newspaper article proving that a “Clubfoot” Hall existed. In fact, the only place I have seen his name is in the two early Soapy bios. In my current opinion, an author, somewhere over the decades, added "fluff," fiction added to a story to round out and explain a missing history. 

What is clubfoot? 

Also known as talipes equinovarus, clubfoot is a condition where a baby's foot turns inward and downward. It can affect one or both feet. In the early nineteenth century numerous attempts at cures were being published, but it would be decades before the vast majority could locate a doctor who was knowledgeable in said cures.
     Allow me to introduce "Clubfoot" Hall, a bunko operator of the three-shell and pea scam, and said to be Soapy's first introduction to the world of crime. The primary question I put out there to be answered is, did Hall exist? 
     The first mention of “Clubfoot” Hall I found was in the book The Reign of Soapy Smith: Monarch of Misrule, by William R. Collier and Edwin V. Westrate, 1935. The book has Soapy and Joe Simmons starting out as cowboys, but right from the get-go this has been disproven. The cowboy story began in 1892 with the poem Jeff and Joe. The poem’s author embellished the truth in order to romanticize their friendship. Both Jeff and Joe met in Denver in the mid-1880s. Both the Smith and Simmons families state that Jeff Smith and Joe Simmons were never cowboy's.     

The Reign of Soapy Smith: Monarch of Misrule, 1935.

Following is "Clubfoot" Hall's story in The Reign of Soapy Smith: Monarch of Misrule, 1935.
     “Circus days were big events in the cow country, and when the announcement came that the big top was to be raised in San Antonio [Texas] for a day, young Smith resolved to make an occasion of it. Joe Simons [sic] was unable to accompany him, so he went alone. With a month’s wages in his pocket, he rode into San Antonio in the morning, to find the gala spirit already manifest on all sides. The townsfolk were out in force, and hundreds of cowhands were drifting in from every direction, while sharpers and hawkers already were barking away on the street corners.
     While waiting for the big parade, Jeff’s attention was caught by one of these, offering a type of diversion he had never seen before. A man was standing behind a table which held nothing except three half walnut shells, beneath one of them which, at intervals, he would place a pea. He then would slide the shells about in quick confusion and challenge one and all to bet with him as to which shell covered the pea.
     Jeff stopped, looked, listened—and was lost. He didn’t know he was face to face with 'Clubfoot' Hall, one of the greatest shell-game experts of all time, but, if he had, it is doubtful that this would have deterred him. He was sure he could follow the trail of the pea. So he tried it. Then he tried it again—and again—and again….
     Jeff Smith didn’t see the circus that day. When he left Hall’s stand, he couldn’t have bought a sandwich. Seeing no purpose in remaining in the festive atmosphere, penniless, he mounted his horse, dejectedly, and rode back to the ranch.
     As the black clouds of bitterness descended upon his youthful soul, he didn’t know that he had reached the turning point in his life. But, as he jogged along, he began pondering what had happened to him. Most sharply etched on his gloomy mind was the realization that, in a few minutes, the suave, clubfooted shall man had acquired all the money for which he himself had toiled arduously an entire month.
     By the time the home corral was in sight, Jeff had reached the conclusion that he was in the wrong business. Playing with those shells provided one was the manipulator—seemed vastly easier and far more profitable than rounding up a herd of thirsty, unruly steers.
     Throughout his life, for Smith to decide meant to act, so he acted now. Always potently persuasive in manner and speech, he made the rounds of his range comrades and managed to borrow a few dollars. Then he quit his job and hurried back on the trail of the circus. Let it be said, in passing, that he repaid every cent loaned to him.
     In the wake of every big tent show of those days were hanger-on squads of grafters, grifters, and crooks. Young Smith picked up their acquaintance easily enough and, in a few days, he was one of them. His native intelligence, combined with his natural agility and a pair of deft hands, soon made him a capable assistant to the masters of his new profession, and they found him a desirable and valuable adjunct.
     It was typical of him that he had no qualms of conscience. He had never harbored resentment against Clubfoot Hall, believing that, since he had been foolish enough to fall for the blandishments of the shells, his loss had been only his just due. So, now, he felt that he was perfectly justified in seeking to bilk any other moneyed innocent.”
My research shows that Soapy first became successful as a legitimate store salesman in Round Rock, Texas. At some point he met John “Old-Man” Taylor, who taught him the cheap John business, which was the early version of today’s “jam auction” scam. See links on John Taylor at the bottom of this post.     

Soapy Smith: King of the Frontier Con Men, 1961.

The second mention of “Clubfoot” Hall I found was in the book Soapy Smith: King of the Frontier Con Men, by Frank G. Robertson and Beth K. Harris, 1961. As there are no other sources on Hall, I am left to assume that The authors gathered the information from The Reign of Soapy Smith and changed it around a bit, to make it into a version of their own invention.
Their [Jeff Smith and Joe Simmons] return trip took them as far south as San Antonio. Here they heard that there was a circus in town, but only one boy could go. They cut the cards, honestly, to see which would go, and Jeff won.
This version gets the history wrong in regards to Joe Simmons, including the spelling of his name "Simons," which the authors copied from The Reign of Soapy Smith. The book has Soapy and Joe Simmons starting out as cowboys, but this is not factual. This story began with the poem Jeff and Joe, written in 1892. The poem’s author embellished the truth in order to romanticize their friendship. Both Jeff and Joe met in Denver in the mid-1880s. The Simmons family stated that Joe Simmons was never a cowboy either. That he started out as a gambler in Denver, known as "Gambler Joe"
This was the biggest city Jeff Smith had ever seen, but he followed the crowd to the circus. He strolled around, looking at the animals in their cages, charmed by the singsong spiels of the barkers. They were pretty good at it, but it was in Jeff’s mind that he could do better; they lacked what he had, imagination.
     One spieler in particular attracted his attention. He was a short, stubby man with a clubfoot, dressed in dingy black. Jeff Smith didn’t know it, but he was on the verge of a new career.
     “Step right up, gentlemen, and flirt with Lady Luck,” the spieler said. “The hand is quicker than the eye. Now you see it, now you don’t. I have here three simple little walnut shells and one inoffensive little pea. All you have to do to win is guess which shell the little pea is under. Here it is, hiding right under the shell in the center. I put it down so, but there is no guarantee it will be there when I raise the shell. Anybody want to bet me it’s there?”
     Jeff stopped to watch. He watched the man’s hand carefully; the pea had to be under the middle shell, but he was not ready to bet.
     A man stepped up and said, “I’ll take that bet, mister. It’s under the middle shell.”
     “You’re a brave man, friend, and unfortunately—for me—you win.” He lifted the shell, exposing the pea, and handed the man five dollars. The man took his money and disappeared chuckling in the crowd.
     “I thought I had him fooled,” the clubfooted man said, “but I wish I could try him again.” He shuffled the shells rapidly, and the watchers caught occasional glimpses of the pea.
     “Any of you other sports want to take a chance? I’m old and crippled and I have to make a living. You can’t win every time.”
     Another man stepped up and made his bet, and won. Jeff was sure the pea would be where the man said it was. “I guess it’s not my day, but I still think the hand is quicker than the eye,” the shell man said. “How about you, young fellow? You look like you have a keen eye.”
     “I’ll take a chance,” Jeff said, and put up five dollars. He watched the cripple manipulate the shells and the pea, and said boldly, “It’s under the middle again.”
     Clubfoot raised the shell and there was nothing there. It was under the one to the right. “Fooled you that time, young fellow. Your eyesight must not be as good as I thought it was.”
     My eyesight is all right,” Jeff said. “I’ll bet you another five.” The gambling fever was in his blood. If another man could win, he could.
     Jeff lost three times in succession before he located the pea under the right shell. He was confident that he could win his money back. He bet again and again, but at the end of half an hour his pocketbook was empty, and others were pressing in to try their luck with varying degrees of success, while Clubfoot continued his chant to draw the crowd.
     Jeff was humbled but not angry. It would be hard to take the chaffing he was bound to receive from Joe Simons [sic], but he had learned a valuable lesson—never try to beat another man at his own game. He looked at the cripple’s hands; they were stubby, and at times seemed to fumble, but it was evident that he could win when he wanted to. Jeff’s hands were far more supple. It would be an easier way to make a living than herding cows—not that he had anything special against such work. He liked horses, and he was expert with them, but he felt that the men who worked with him, barring only Joe Simons [sic], were beneath him in intelligence. He, Jefferson Randolph Smith, scion of a fine old Georgia family, was cut out for better things.
     He hung around the place, hands in empty pockets, till the circus closed, always keeping his eyes on Clubfoot Hall, the shell-game artist, and Jeff was prepared to acknowledge his artistry. He saw the man fold up his “tripe” and “keister” (tripod and suitcase), the implements of his trade, and fade away into the darkness, but not from Jeff’s sight.
     Presently Clubfoot became aware that he was being followed, and he turned suddenly, a gun in his hand. “A man could get himself killed doing what you’re doing,” he warned. “When I win a man’s money, it stays won. Now, backtrack.”
     I’m not after my money,” Jeff said. “I Iost it fair and square.”
     “Then what are you after?”
     “I want to learn how you manipulated the shell.”
     “So do a lot of other men.”
     “I mean it. Teach me how. I’ll pay you for it,”
     “With what? Now don’t come any closer, for this gun is cocked and I got an itchy finger.”
     “Would I have let you see me if I intended to rob you?” Jeff demanded. “I only want to learn.”
     “Why?”
     “I’ve got fast fingers, and it’s an easy way to make a living. I can already beat your spiel all to hell.”
     “Maybe you could at that, you’ve got a nice convincing voice, but if I taught every sucker how I trimmed him, how long do you think I’d be in business?”
     “There’s lots of room, and I’d go somewhere else.”
     “Nope, there’s too many shell-game artists as it is, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do. The real king of them all is a fellow named Taylor [John] who is operating up north somewhere in the mining camps. That’s the real harvest ground for suckers. If you find him, you tell him Clubfoot Hall recommended you. He may teach you, and he may not, and now you beat it; I’d rather carry this gun in my pocket than in my hand.”
     Jeff Smith grinned. “Thanks, Clubfoot,” he said. “I’ll look up Mr. Taylor.” (see King of Frontier con men, page 22-27. And blog links, for Taylor)
Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel, 2009.

In my book I address the "Clubfoot" Hall story.
     Jeff had begun the phase that would shape his life. It was not an overnight transformation as described in earlier biographies of him. In 1920, Jeff’s cousin Edwin stated that Jeff had been educated by a confidence man but failed to name him, if he knew. Numerous histories of Jeff mention the tutors as “Clubfoot Hall” and later as “Old Man Taylor,” but no clear information has been found to relate these men to Jeff. Further, cousin Ed Smith’s remarks are the closest known contemporary descriptions of Jeff, and Ed mentions no mentors by name. However, in 1887, a John Taylor wrote several letters to Jeff. Perhaps this is the "Old Man Taylor" written about, but no known provenance shows them to be the same person. The only reliable description of Jeff’s educator comes from Edwin in 1920.
     The peripatetic gentleman persuaded Jeff to learn the business, and soon the latter was allowed to take the place of the regular man on the street corners…. He canvassed the entire region, and as the profits ran from 300 to 400 per cent, he became very prosperous. In fact, he was so successful that small towns organized against him and prevailed upon the Texas legislature to pass a law imposing heavy taxes upon traveling salesmen of Jeff’s persuasion.
     All this time Jeff was supporting his family and was in all respects a good boy…. The change came after he left Round Rock. [Trail, 01/1920, pp. 7-8.]
My research shows that young Jeff "Soapy" Smith became successful as a legitimate store salesman in Round Rock, Texas. At some point he met John “Old-Man” Taylor, who taught him the cheap John business, which was the early version of today’s “jam auction.” There is plenty of information in Soapy's own words, my research and personal collection, that John Taylor was someone that existed, and was likely Soapy's mentor, and probably his first introduction into the world of bunko crime.


CONCLUSION: The only places I have ever seen the name "Clubfoot" Hall is in the two books on "Soapy" Smith. In my 40 years of research I have never come across any other source, including in books, newspapers, other historians, etc. This still does not mean there wasn't a "Clubfoot" Hall, but there is no provenance that he did exist. So I ask fellow historians; "ever find anything on a criminal named "Clubfoot" Hall?



 









John "Old-Man" Taylor
Jan 07, 2009
Jul 28, 2023
Nov 02, 2024
Nov 13, 2024
Nov 21, 2024










"Clubfoot" Hall: page 30.
John "Old-Man" Taylor: pages 30, 90, 102, 109-13. 





"He who knows nothing is closer to the truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods and errors."
—Thomas Jefferson










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February 11, 2025

Soapy Smith's "STAR" notebook, 1883: Part #16 - page 16

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 16 - Original copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)




oapy Smith in Nebraska, Iowa, Denver.

This is page 16, dated July-October 1883, the continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook from the Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to this notebook can be seen on page 1.
     These notebook pages have never been published before! They continue to be of revealing interest. The picture that the pages draw is of young 22 year-old Jefferson pursuing "soap sales" over a very wide spread of territory and in a very tenacious, even driven, way.
     The notebook(s) are in Soapy's handwriting, and sometimes pretty hard to decipher. A large part of this series of posts is to transcribe the pages, one-at-a-time, and receive help from readers on identifying words I am having trouble with, as well as correcting any of my deciphered words. My long time friend, and publisher, Art Petersen, has been a great help in deciphering and adding additional information. 
     I will include the original copy, an enhanced copy, and a negative copy of each page. Also included will be a copy with typed out text, as tools to aid in deciphering the notes.
     There are a total of 24 pages. This means that there may be upwards of 24 individuals posts for this one notebook. Links to the past and future pages (pages 1, 2, 3, etc.) will be added at the bottom of each post for ease of research. When completed there will be a sourced partial record of Soapy's activities and whereabouts for 1882-1883.
     Important to note that the pages of the notebook do not appear to be in chronological order, with Soapy making additional notes on a town and topic several pages later.
     So how did Soapy find all these fairs, races, GAR events, etc? We know he purchased “fair lists” mentioned in one letter, so does he look at the list and write them down in his notebook? Surely some of the dates, etc., have mistakes which would explain why the Denver GAR event had a different published date than listed on page 16.      
     It seems Soapy is not entrenched in Denver yet, still operating as a nomad moving from town to town. 
     This page represents a list of possible future work trips as the dates are not in consecutive order and intertwine with one another. He appears to be just taking notes, but is page 16 a continuation of page 15? On p. 15 at the bottom we see the dates of August 21 – 27. At the top of page 16 we see the month of September. After that the dates go back to July and then jump to October, and back to July. At this time it is not known if he went to any of these towns, except for Denver.
     Page #16 covers his possible journey into Denver, Colorado and further east to Nebraska and Iowa. Although the communication of twenty-one-year-old Soapy Smith is with himself, the writing also communicates with us about him 142 years later (and potentially far beyond today). 
     Below are my attempts to attempts to make the writing easier to see and decipher.


Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 16 - Enhanced copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy


(Click image to enlarge)


Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 16 - Negative copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy


(Click image to enlarge)




Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 16 - Deciphered copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy


(Click image to enlarge)

Page 16 - Top
  • Line 1: "Grand Reunion"
  • Line 2: "at Hastings Neb" [Nebraska]
  • Line 3: "in September 1883."
  • Line 4: "Races at Lincoln" [Nebraska]
  • Line 5: "Neb [Nebraska] 3 & 4 July"
  • Line 6: "Pawnee Co [County] Fair" [Nebraska]
  • Line 7: "Neb. [Nebraska] Oct 2. 3. 4 & 5-"
  • Line 8: "Clinton Ia [Iowa] July 4th"
  • Line 9: "Luverne Minn" [Minnesota]
  • Line 10: "July 4.th"
  • Line 11: "Denver July 21st"
  • Line 12: "Grand Army Republic"
Page 16 - Bottom
  • Line 13: "Fairs that can"
  • Line 14: "be worked"
  • Line 15: "I. E. Laighman"
  • Line 16: "prop" [proprietor]
  • Line 17: "Hamburg" [Iowa]
  • Line 18: "Red Oak" [Iowa]
  • Line 19: "Sioux City" [Iowa]
  • Line 20: "Shenandoah" [Iowa]
  • Line 21: "Races at"
  • Line 22: "Mason City" [Iowa]
  • Line 23: "July 3, 4, 5, & 6"
  • Line 24: "Good"

In looking at the deciphered text above we see that Soapy was planning to operate his swindles at the Grand Army Republic "Grand Reunion" in Nebraska in September 1883. The Hastings Weekly Nebraskan newspaper reveals that the affair was large enough to warrant Soapy attending. 


Hastings Weekly Nebraskan
The Grand Army Republic Reunion
September 6, 1883

The grand parade by states yesterday was grand indeed. We could make no proper estimate of the numbers in rank, but to the naked eye it looked as though the whole Grand Army of the Republic was there assembled. Sheridan avenue from headquarters to the grand pavilion was filled so full of moving squadrons that civilians found it necessary to look for standing room in the alleys, cross avenues and nearest tents. The old vets were supremely happy. 
The Hastings Weekly Nebraskan, September 20, 1883 states that there were over 30,000 civilian attendees and 8,000 veterans, so the event was plenty big for Soapy's liking. There were plenty of dupes to swindle, so it is unlikely that Soapy included vets in his game. Besides, Soapy was very patriotic and sought a military commission later in life so he probably left the old soldiers alone.
     The only mention of crime comes from the Hastings Weekly Gazette-Journal, September 13, 1883 

Bold Thieves
The Grand Army Republic Reunion
September 13, 1883


"If any 'gouging' was done it was by traveling mountebanks"
The "mountebank" is three-card monte, and besides the house burglars ("Bold Thieves"), it is the only crime mentioned at the event that Soapy may have enacted.
     Lines 1-3 are regarding the "Grand Reunion" (Grand Army of the Republic) "at Hastings Neb" [Nebraska] "in September 1883." A Reunion is different from an Encampment as for this event there's only one a year. Reunions seemed to have been localized as opposed to national. Both, though, seemed to have been big events, just the sort to attract Soapy's attention. 
     Lines 4 & 5 is an additional note added, dating two months before the Grand Army Republic Reunion, are horse "races" in Lincoln, Nebraska, July 3 & 4. 
     Lines 6 & 7 show that less than a month after the Reunion, the Pawnee County Fair, Nebraska, takes place October 2-5, 1883. It is not know if Soapy attended.
     Line 8 only mentions "Clinton, Iowa" for July 4. 
     Line 9 & 10 reads "Luverne Minn July 4th." I initially thought it was Lu Verne, a very small town in Iowa, laid out in 1880. The third word remains unclear. It seems to be something in Lu Verne on July 4th, but what besides the usual Independence Day events escapes me? An elaborate "M" is the first letter of a mystery word that appears after Lu Verne. Evidence has led to a nomination: "Minns," Soapy's abbreviation for Minnesota. Lu Verne is a town in Iowa, and Luverne is a town in Minnesota. Only 162 miles apart. Luverne, MN, had been named since 1867 and was named the county seat of Rock County in 1871, whereas Lu Verne, IA, was a railroad stop named in 1880. Founders of the Iowa town must not have had much imagination when it came to naming because, as stated in Wikipedia, the town was named after Luverne, MN. Most towns on this page have state abbreviations after them, and so does this one. Since many other towns on the list were in Iowa, it seemed reasonable to assume that the Lu Verne Soapy meant was also in Iowa. But as he tells with his abbreviation of Minnesota, the Lu Verne he meant was Luverne (spelled as one word), a county seat possibly worth visiting on the 4th of July.
     Lines 11 & 12 deal with the seventeenth Grand Army Republic Reunion held near Denver, but it was held in June 1883, not July 21. Smaller encampments occurred here and there, some recorded and probably some not.
     Lines 13 - 20 deal with "fairs that can be worked." Soapy may have attended, or was planning to, in the Iowa towns of Hamburg, Red Oak, Sioux City and Shenandoah.
     Lines 15-16: It appears that Soapy plans to introduce himself to the “proprietor” I. E. Laighman of the fair(s) in the listed Iowa towns (Hamburg, Red Oak, Sioux City
and Shenandoah), no doubt paying a generous fee for the privilege of opening his game.
     I looked in Newspapers.com for a Laighman in Iowa and then throughout the U.S. in 1883, and turned up nothing. However the name might be spelled, the person (a proprietor of something) probably seemed to Soapy someone to be consulted or to work with, perhaps even a bunko-man Soapy knows in Iowa who could work as a shill? "Prop." usually means proprietor, but could he mean as a "prop" for his prize package soap sell? I also looked in Ancestry.com. for a Laighman. A couple showed, but all women, and no "I. E."
     Lines 21-24 are in regards to horse "races" at Mason City, Iowa, running July 3-6, 1883. Line 24 is a last notation from Soapy, reminding himself that the races and perhaps the fairs, are "good."   






 









Part #18
Part #19 (not published yet)
Part #20 (not published yet)
Part #21 (not published yet)
Part #22 (not published yet)
Part #23 (not published yet)
Part #24 (not published yet)








"Cards are war, in disguise of a sport."
—Charles Lamb










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