Nice comments from Kick Him, Honey

The Blog Kick Him, Honey gave us a nice posting.

Yesterday I made mention of legendary Denver crime boss and bunko artist Soapy Smith when posting a picture of The City Hall War, and none other than Soapy Smith’s grandson was kind enough to leave the following in the comments:

The Denver Times reported how at one point that Soapy Smith leaned out, apparently with dynamite in hand, and called down to soldiers near the city hall perimeter.

“Say, you guys had better make a sneak. I’ve got enough of the stuff to send us all to hell, and as I am nearer to heaven than any of you, I’ll not be the first to die.”

My great-grandfather is/was Soapy Smith. If any of you are interested I just wrote his biography, Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel, which covers the City Hall War in great detail. I am more than happy to answer any questions you might entertain…

Jeff Smith

A couple of years ago I read everything I could find in the local libraries about Denver in the 1880s and 1890s, including a couple of out-of-print Soapy Smith biographies. I also, as I recall, spent a good amount of time trolling Jeff’s Soap Smith website. I don’t think Jeff’s book, Alias Soapy Smith, was out at the time, but if it’s half as much fun as the site, it’ll be a hell of a read. I’ll be tracking down a copy shortly.

Thank you guys! Denver's City Hall War was a major event in Denver and Soapy Smith history. Although Colorado state troops were sent him by the governor, Soapy stood by his corrupt city associates to the point of giving his life. He was made commissioned as a county Deputy Sheriff and had with him dynamite bombs ready to toss down on advancing soldiers. This willingness to fight to the death earned him a great amount of respect from those in office fighting for their jobs. It's a big story and gets big attention in Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel.

pp. 3, 59, 292, 294, 298, 310, 312, 321, 328-29, 334, 359, 379, 390, 594.











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