Martial Law: Soapy Smith in Skagway, Alaska, July 18, 1898

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ARTIAL LAW

Boston Daily Advertiser July 18, 1898

MARTIAL LAW

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Proclaimed by United States Troops in Skaguay.

     Skaguay, July 16. — Martial law was declared in Skaguay as a result of the result of the killing of “Soapy” Smith, a notorious gambler, and the subsequent arrest of several members of his associates.

     Bowers, one of the ringleaders, had stolen $27,000 from a returned Dawson city miner. The men refused to refund the money, which led to an indignation meeting, and the shooting of “Soapy” Smith.

     Citizens then armed with Winchesters patrolled the streets announcing their intention to arrest all implicated with the dead gambler. The search resulted in the apprehension of Bowers and about a dozen others.

     Capt. Yeatman, of the 14th inf., Stationed at Dyea, brought the soldiers to Skaguay and proclaimed martial law, and according to passengers on the steamer City of Seattle, Yeatman, fearing his inability to restrain the citizens who threatened to lunch the prisoners, decided to give the men a chance for their lives and allow them to go free.

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     There have always been problems with getting facts straight in newspapers. In the nineteenth century much depended on the word of others, and they usually list and quote people in order to protect their reputations as a reliable source for information. Sometimes, as in the example above, the newspapers get it all wrong, and with no one to blame but themselves. Following are a few of the errors.

• Martial law was not declared in Skagway, Alaska in 1898.
• It was approximately $2,670 that was stolen not $27,000.
• Captain Yeatman stopped the vigilantes from lynching the members of the Soap Gang, but he did not "allow them to go free."

Fantasy piece

Captain R. T. Yeatman: pages 550-51, 566-67, 569.

"An axiom often quoted by Smith was that every man is a sucker to the wily schemes of some other man."

—Rocky Mountain News, July 11, 1915