1964 art rendition of the Soapy Smith ,Shootout on Juneau Wharf.

The King of the Klondike
Story by Paul Brock
Artist is unknown
Adam magazine
Volume 8, Number 10, 1964

(Click image to enlarge)

ewly "discovered" art rendition of  the Shootout on Juneau Company Wharf

      In 1975 my father, mother, and I attended the Harriet Pullen auction in Seattle, that sold off the entire holdings of the private museum that once graced the Pullen House (hotel) in Skagway, Alaska. My father bought quite a few artifacts that belonged to his grandfather, Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith, along with other collectibles. 

    One of the collectibles was an issue of True magazine (August 1958).  On page 58 is an article, Showdown for a Con Man. The article is a rehash of old books, but the artwork, by artist Stan Galli, was something my father and I treasured as it was one of the few accurate depictions of Soapy's demise.

Showdown for a Con Man
Story by J. P. Cahn
Art by Stan Galli
True magazine
August 1958

(Click image to enlarge)

  

      Six years later, an adult magazine called Adam, published a rehash article, with a new piece of art, obviously copied from Stan Galli's art. Needless to say I located a copy for my collection.
      The one defining difference between the two art pieces is that the Galli piece shows the moments just before the shootout began, with Soapy, rifle draped over his shoulder, approaching Frank Reid and the 101 vigilantes.  The second piece shows the shot fired into Frank Reid's groin. I like this one as it presents just how close Soapy and Reid were to one another. In fact, Reid was holding onto Soapy's rifle barrel with his left hand, trying to keep Soapy from shooting him. At least three shots had already been fired by the two combatants.    

A comparison between them

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"You see, nobody would touch Soapy after he was shot. … They were just scared to touch him. This woman came down … and she offered one hundred dollars a piece if they’d carry him off, and they did. They took him down to the morgue. Cost her four hundred bucks according to the story…. That was the story that went around. I don’t know how much they got."

— Royal Pullen, Alias Soapy Smith, p. 537.

DECEMBER 19

1732: Benjamin Franklin publishes his first Poor Richard's Almanac.

1776: Thomas Paine publishes his first American Crisis essay.

1777: General George Washington leads his army of 11,000 to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to camp for the winter.

1842: Hawaii's independence is recognized by the U.S.

1859: Denver, Colorado hires its first lawman, William Sisty. He had no jail and no deputies. He resigned after five months.

1863: George Ives is hung in Bannack, Montana Territory for the murder of Nicholas Thiebalt.

1864: Nicholas Earp and family, including son Wyatt Stapp Earp, and six other children arrive by wagon-train in San Bernardino, California from Iowa.

1871: Albert L. Jones wins a patent for corrugated paper.

1880: Outlaws Billy the Kid, David Anderson alias Billy Wilson, Dave Rudabaugh, Charlie Bowdre, Tom O'Folliard, and Tom Pickett are ambushed in New Mexico Territory by Lincoln county Sheriff Pat Garrett and several deputies who fire on the outlaws. Pickett and O'Folliard are shot dead from their saddles. Rudabaugh's horse is shot and collapses, but Rudabaugh manages to mount Anderson’s horse and escapes with the Kid and Bowdre.

1887: Jake Kilrain and Jim Smith fight a bare knuckle boxing match fight which lasts a seemingly impossible 106 rounds. The fight is halted due to darkness and Kilrain is given the win.

1893: Soapy Smith files a $5,000 damage suit in Denver against Charles G. Chever and William B. Palmer at whose property at 1705 Larimer had a coal-delivery hole which was left open and he fell in. Outcome of the suit is unknown.

1903: The Williamsburg Bridge opens in New York City. It is the largest suspension bridge in the world 1924. It is the first major suspension bridge to use steel towers to support the main cables.

1905: Outlaws Robert Leroy “Butch Cassidy” Parker and Harry A. “The Sundance Kid” Longabaugh are positively identified by witnesses as having robbed the Banco de la Nacion in Villa Mercedes, Argentina of 12,000 to 14,000 pesos. Although not identified, two others were seen at the bank, which may have been Harvey “Kid Curry” Logan and the fourth person, some claimed was a woman, which may have been Etta Place.

1907: A coalmine explosion in Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania kills 239 workers.