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ADDENDUM: New information added 03/29/2022. See "ADDENDUM" below.

DENVER, Oct. 13.—J. P. Davenport, a wealthy sheep raiser from Grand Junction, was buncoed today out of $2,000 in a dice game by Court Thompson , a notorious bunco steerer. He paid the money by check on which payment was promptly stopped.

Silverton Standard , October 20, 1894.

 

What does this have to do with Soapy Smith you might ask The name "Court Thompson" is actually Corteze D. "Cort" Thomson, husband of Denver madam, Mattie Silks. Cort was involved in the Cliff Sparks shooting in 1892 and is believed to have held a grudge against Soapy ever since, as did Mattie Silks no doubt. It was Mattie, in 1898 who claimed Soapy, the marshal, and other soap cronies, were planning on robbing and murdering her. As it does not fit the normal m.o. of Soapy to murder women, it is wondered if Mattie was exaggerating a story in revenge for perhaps not being allowed to work a brothel in Skagway. This story and all the details will be unfolded in my upcoming book, which naturally will be announced here. 

 

ADDENDUM:

 

BLAMING "CORT" THOMSON.

The swindling of Alexander Blair.

 

Since the killing of Cliff Sparks in 1892, poor "Cort" Thomson, received blame for numerous crimes committed by Soapy Smith and the Soap Gang. The newspaper article below blames Thomson for the swindling of Alexander Blair.

 

Silverton Standard, October 20, 1894.

DENVER, Oct. 13.—J. P. Davenport, a wealthy sheep raiser from Grand Junction, was buncoed today out of $2,000 in a dice game by Court Thompson , a notorious bunco steerer. He paid the money by check on which payment was promptly stopped.

Corteze D. "Cort" Thomson, husband of Denver madame, Mattie Silks. Cort was blamed in the Cliff Sparks shooting in 1892 and is believed to have been used to add confusion to the murder case. Naturally, Thomson and Silks held a grudge against Soapy ever since. It was Mattie, in 1898 who claimed she overheard Soapy and Deputy US Marshal Taylor planning her murder. As it does not fit the normal method of operation for Soapy to murder women, it is wondered if Mattie exaggerated a story in revenge, or even overheard what was intended for her ears, to convince her to leave Skagway quickly, which she did. Silk's knew Soapy in Denver and probably did not want her talking to Skagway newspapers about "the real Soapy Smith."

___________________

 

(The following is from Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel)

 

Though Jeff’s Tivoli Club [in Denver] was “closed,” his other criminal activities prospered, fixed poker games being the swindle of choice. In an 11-day period Jeff’s men were arrested in 4 separate incidents involving crooked poker in a room at the St. Charles Hotel on Market Street. On September 27, 1894, Bascomb, Jackson, and Hoffses were arrested after a poker game with a greenhorn. Jeff furnished the bonds.[1] Eight days later Bowers and Jackson in a card game took $240 from a Freeman Libby.[2] Three days later on October 8, George Wilder, Hoffses, George Van Orten, and John Kerr were arrested for cheating at poker.[3] Newspapers gave one “long-con” game, extensive coverage.

 

Alexander Blair was a sheep farmer whose range was near Rawlins, Wyoming. Returning from Kansas City where he had sold several carloads of wethers[4] for a good price, he stopped over in Denver on Sunday, September 30, 1894. On Monday he met an old friend named Jackson whom he had known years prior in Wyoming. Jackson showed Blair around the city, and they talked old times. It is probable that Jackson was W. H. Jackson of the Soap Gang and that he passed on crucial personal information about Blair to another member of the gang, believed to be John Bowers. On Tuesday Blair shopped about town for sheep shears. At the door of a hardware store on Arapahoe Street, someone stopped and addressed him by name. Although not recognizing the man’s face, Blair was pleased with his manner.

 

The man introduced himself as “Taylor,” a partner in a company interested in purchasing mines in Northern Wyoming and Arizona. Upon stating that he knew both states well, Blair was offered payment for services as a guide to the mines. Blair expressed interest, and Taylor took him to meet the other two partners, one of whom was Jeff [Soapy Smith]. A deal was made whereby Blair would guide the party at $5 per day and expenses. The trio invited Blair to join them in a private room at the St. Charles hotel. Refreshments were brought in, and a friendly game of poker was suggested. When the game was over, Blair was a little behind, owing the pleasant Mr. Smith the small sum of $29. Blair wrote out a draft for this amount on the First National Bank of Rawlins. In a later interview Blair stated,

I lost $29, … and as I didn’t have the change one of the men told me to write a check. I am a very poor writer and it’s about all I can do to write my own name. One of the men filled out the check and it was for $29. I signed it….[5]

Jeff informed Blair that if he would visit Jeff’s office everyday for any consulting that might be needed, beginning immediately until they were ready to leave for Wyoming, Jeff would pay him $5 a day. Blair agreed. On the fourth day, October 4, Jeff regretfully informed Blair that the partners had decided not to invest in the Wyoming-Arizona mines, so his services would no longer be needed. Paid for his services as agreed and with nothing to hold him in Denver any longer, Blair left for home. Jeff and the other partners accompanied Blair to Union Station and bid him a friendly farewell.

 

Once home, Blair was shocked to discover that his bank had cashed the check he had signed, not for $29 but for $1,029. Blair realized at once that his check had been altered and that his paid stay in Denver for four days was to give a Denver bank time to clear the check with Blair’s Rawlins bank.

 

Blair immediately returned to Denver and in Justice Howze’s court swore out a complaint that resulted in an arrest warrant for Jeff Smith on the charge of forgery. An informant alerted Jeff of the warrant, and before he could be apprehended, Jeff walked into the office of the clerk of the court and said; “Well, I hear I am in trouble. Make out a bond.” The papers were prepared, signed, and Jeff walked out a free man.[6]

 

At a hearing on October 18 before Justice Woodson, for reasons unknown, Blair did not appear. The Denver Post reported Jeff’s statement to the court:

He said that the complaining witness was an old-time poker-shark, who owns 10,000 sheep in Wyoming, and the only trouble with him was that he was beat at his own game.

“Somebody told Blair,” said Jeff, “that I was a richer man than Dave Moffat, and he afterwards tried to obtain $500 from me. When he comes to Denver again I will have him arrested on the charge of blackmail and perjury.”

The court after absorbing the eloquence of Jeff’s appeal dismissed the charges, and the happy southerner joined his faithful subjects. Rev. Bowers and Jackson were waiting at a safe distance…, and Jeff informed them that the docket was once more cleared of its black marks against the Smith family.[7]

After the Blair case Justice Woodson openly declared that he would no longer take bunco cases in his courtroom. He stated that the blame for failing to convict thieves was too often laid upon the justices and that he was tired of being unfairly blamed.[8]

 

[1] RMN 09/28/1894, p. 8.

[2] RMN 10/05/1894, p. 5.

[3] RMN 10/09/1894, p. 8.

[4] wethers: castrated rams.

[5] Denver Sun10/13/1894.

[6] RMN 10/13/1894, & Denver Republican 10/13/1894.

[7] Denver Post 10/18/1894.

[8] RMN 10/20/1894, p. 4.