 |
| Artifact #73 Letter to Jefferson R. Smith III From Seattle Police Dept. May 15, 1908 Jeff Smith collection |
(Click image to enlarge)
Soapy Smith's younger brother, Bascomb Smith, sometimes spelled Bascom, disappeared from the family radar shortly after Soapy was killed in Skagway, Alaska, July 8, 1898. What ever happened to Bascomb Smith and when he died, has been a mystery in the Smith family for decades. The last the family had heard from Bascomb was in a letter he wrote to the widow Mary, on August 8, 1898 (Artifact #48). In December 1899 Bascomb was ordered to leave Seattle, Washington after shooting and wounding a man. There is a family story that Bascomb died in the 1920s but it is not known where this information came from, nor is there any provenance. There are links on posts about Bascomb at the bottom of this article.
In 1908 Soapy's son, Jefferson Randolph Smith III sought the whereabouts of his uncle. Artifact #73 is one attempt to locate Bascomb. Below is the transcription of the letter written in 1908.
May 15th/08Jeff Smith,
St. Louis, Mo.Dear Sir:-
Our delay in answering you letter in re to Bascom Smith was that we were trying to get him definately[sic] located, he left here in 1902 and went to Denver Colo since then we have not heard from him, the Smith that was reported as having been shot by a woman named Nellie was Charlie Smith, Bascom was not killed and as far as we can learn is alive, if you should write to the Chief of Police at Denver he may give you the desired information in regards to him.
Respectfully
“Irving Ward” (signature)
Acting Chief of Police.
The letter is a response letter to a letter written by Jeff R. Smith to the Seattle police department in 1908. The letter is typed on City of Seattle Department of Police stationary. Acting Police Chief Irving Ward is typed in below the printed previous chief's name, "C. W. Wappenstein." Below that is a printed line that reads, "When answering kindly refer to initials" with "J.L.B." I assume that this is a filing abbreviation, possibly meaning, "Jefferson [Smith] Looking [for] Bascomb [Smith]."
 |
| Artifact #73 Envelope Addressed to Jeff R. Smith III From Seattle Police Dept. May 15, 1908 Jeff Smith collection |
(Click image to enlarge)
From the envelope we see that in 1908 Soapy's son Jefferson is a reporter for the St. Louis Globe Democrat.
It is believed that Bascomb Smith died of a drug overdose in Omaha, Nebraska, previous to September 7, 1909 (see post Sept 24, 2020).[1] It
is known, according to the Seattle newspapers, that Bascomb was a "hop
fiend." The fact that his father and several uncles were attorney's, I
can see where Bascomb might lie about being a retired "young promising
lawyer," as described in the notice of death.
 |
| Irving Ward Seattle Police Chief circa 1908 Courtesy of PEMCO Webster & Stevens Collection Museum of History & Industry, Seattle |
(Click image to enlarge)
Irving Ward Became a police officer in Seattle on June 1, 1904. He was appointed Acting Chief in March 1908 and apparently was still "Acting Chief" when he responded to Jefferson's letter on May 15, 1908. Ward's position as police chief did become permanent, but by December 7, 1908 Ward announced his resignation due to unending attacks by the local newspapers over his performance.[2]
SOURCES:
[1] Alliance Herald, September 9, 1909.
[2] The Seattle Star, December 7, 1908.
Bascomb Smith
"Gambling itself will only end when human nature has changed completely and there are no more bets to win."
— Harold S. Smith Sr., I Want to Quit Winners
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for leaving your comment and/or question on my blog. I always read, and will answer all questions asap. Please know that they are greatly appreciated. -Jeff Smith