Luther Woods: Soapy Smith Gang Member

LUTHER WOODS
Soap gangster
Denver Republican
October 12, 1882

(Click image to enlarge)

 

hat about Luther Woods?

Member of the Soap Gang
 

 

 

 

 

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Luther Woods, David Rice and Miner Smoot, proprietors of the gambling rooms over the Collender billiard hall, were arrested for keeping a gambling house, the complaining witness being William Shedd, who claimed to have lost $800 in the house. On their trial before Justice Sopris, yesterday, the defendants were discharged. They then had Shedd arrested for frequenting gambling halls.

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      Not a lot is known about Soap Gang member Luther Woods except an incident in 1898 involving a joke that turned sour and made Soapy look bad. This latest newspaper find shows that Woods had an early history in Denver, Colorado, apparently as a proprietor of gaming rooms. I love the account of having the victim arrested, "for frequenting gambling halls." If Woods remained in Denver then it is very possible that Soapy knew him for a longer period than previously known. 

     It was in April 1898 that Soap Gang member Harry Green got on Soapy's bad side when he orchestrated a joke upon a newspaper reporter that involved Luther Woods and other gang members, pretending to be other people. Green pretended to be Soapy himself. The ruse was discovered by Soapy who sent off an angry letter to Green.

     Harry Green again pretended to be Soapy when arrested on May 1, 1898 in Tacoma, Washington. Although not actually Soapy, the newspaper account only added to the growing negative stories about Soapy. It is unknown if the real Soapy ever saw Luther Woods, let alone Harry Green, again.

SOURCE:
Denver Republican, October 12, 1882.

Luther Woods:

June 21, 2020

Luther Woods: page 497.

"Luck never gives; it only lends."

—Swedish Proverb