Soapy Smith's Soap Box: July 2023

July 29, 2023

Soapy Smith's "STAR" notebook, 1882-83: Part #3 - page 3

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 3 - original
1882-1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

THIS POST UPDATED
August 23, 2023

OAPY SMITH'S "STAR" NOTEBOOK
Part #3 - page 3

     This is part #3 - page 3 continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook in Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to this notebook can be seen on page 1.
     The notebook is in Soapy's handwriting, and parts have been hard to decipher. The goal is to transcribe the pages and receive help from readers on identifying words I am having trouble with. I am including the original copy of each page, an enhanced copy, a negative copy, and the deciphered copy, as tools to aid in translating and interpreting the notes. There are 24 pages meaning that there may be upwards of 24 individual posts for this one notebook. Links to all of the pages can be viewed at the bottom of this post for ease of research. When completed there will be a sourced record of Soapy's activities and whereabouts for periods in 1882-1883.
     Important to note that the pages of the notebook do not appear to be in chronological order, with Soapy making additional notes on a town and topic several pages later.

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 3 - enhanced
1882-1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 3 - negative
1882-1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Here is what I believe to be the correct deciphering of the text. Do you agree, or do you see something else? There are some words I have not yet been able to decipher. Please take a look and see if you can figure out them out? All comments, suggestions and ideas are welcome! I will update the new information to this post.

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 3 - deciphered
1882-1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Page 3.

Line 1: "First your Business"
Line 2: "and manner of"
Line 3: "Conducting it"
Line 4: "2d [2nd] Zuni Gold and Indians"
Line 5: "Its origin and"
Line 6: "first discovery."
Line 7: "The tests by the"
Line 8: "Government chemist ? ? record"
Line 9: "Its usefullness [sic]"
Line 10: "as armaments"
Line 11: "and worthlessness"
Line 12: "as money Rail Roads"
Line 13: "in old Mexico"
Line 14: "only difference in"
Line 15: "weight"
Line 16: "James E Readan Mfg Co."
Line 17: "Providence, RI [Rhode Island]"

Interpretation: I believe the year is 1882. Soapy was known for writing stories and poems, several of which were published.
     "Zuni" are a tribe of Indians famous for artistic metal work.
     Is Soapy copying words of wisdom from another individual, or are these his words for others?
     In regards to the "James E Readan Mfg Co.," Soapy might have come across some piece of equipment he wanted to acquire and had written down the name of the manufacturer for later reference.

Visit the Soapy Smith Soap Box blog

April 24, 2017
Part #1
Part #2
Part #4
Part #5
Part #6
Part #7
Part #8
Part #9
Part #10
Part #11
Part #12
Part #13 (not published yet)
Part #14 (not published yet)
Part #15 (not published yet)
Part #16 (not published yet)

"I've often thought, if I got really hungry for a good milk shake, how much would I pay for one? People will pay a hundred dollars for a bottle of wine; to me that's not worth it. But I'm not going to say it is foolish or wrong to spend that kind of money, if that's what you want. So if a guy wants to bet twenty or thirty thousand dollars in a poker game, that is his privilege."

―Jack Binion

July 28, 2023

Soapy Smith's "STAR" notebook, 1882-83: Part #2 - page 2

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 2 - original
1882
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

THIS POST UPDATED
August 23, 2023

OAPY SMITH'S "STAR" NOTEBOOK
Part #2 - page 2

This is part 2 - page 2 continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook in Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to this notebook can be seen on page 1.

The notebook(s) are in Soapy's handwriting, and often times hard to decipher. The goal is to transcribe the pages and receive help from readers on identifying words I am having trouble with. I will include the original copy of the page, an enhanced copy, a copy in negative, and then one with my deciphering, as tools to aid in deciphering the notes. There are 24 pages which means that there may be upwards of 24 individual posts for this notebook. Links to all the pages will be added at the bottom of each post for ease of research. When completed there will be a sourced record of Soapy's activities and whereabouts for portions of 1882-1883.

Unlike page 1 this page has text written on the back of page 1, which is seen when page 1 is turned to page 2. As with page 1, we can see the pencil "staining" sediment from resting on-top of the writings on the bottom page. The deciphering will be separated into two sections ["rear of page #_ (top")] and ["page #_ (bottom)]."
Important to note that the pages of the notebook do not appear to be in chronological order, with Soapy making additional notes on a town and topic several pages later.

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 2 - enhanced
1882
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 2 - negative
1882
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Here is what I believe to be the correct deciphering of the text. Do you agree, or do you see something else? All comments, suggestions and ideas are welcome! I will update the new information to this post.

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 2 - deciphered
1882
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Rear of page 1 (top).

Line 1: "Tournament"
Line 2: "Hollister Cal" [California].
Line 3: "Oct 23 + 24th"

Interpretation: These are planning notes. Soapy made plans and then later (in this case on page 5) he wrote the actual dates he was in the location as well as the amounts he made. He had initially planned to be in Hollister, California, on October 23-24, but he writes on page 5 that he was there October 22-23, "2 days work" and making $235.00. The year, determined on page 5, is 1882. The remainder of markings on this top portion is pencil residue from the bottom portion.

Page 2 (bottom).

Line 1: "Sherman Circus"
Line 2: "Moscow 15th" [Idaho Territory]
Line 3: "Colfax 16th" [Washington Territory]
Line 4: "Palouse 17" [Washington Terr.]
Line 5: "Farmington 18" [Washington Terr.]
Line 6: "Spangle 19" [Washington Terr.]
Line 7: "Spokane 21st" [Washington Terr.]
Line 8: "Sprague 23d" [Washington Terr.]
Line 9: "Dalles 25 + 26th" [Dalles City, Oregon]
Line 10: "Vancouver 28th" [Washington Terr.]
Line 11: "Oregon City 29th" [Oregon]
Line 12: "John Taylor" [Soapy's mentor?]
Line 13: "216 Wharton St"
Line 14: "Phila. Pa." [Philadelphia, Pennsylvania]

Interpretation: The month is probably October of 1882. Soapy planned to follow the Sherman Circus spanning through Idaho Territory, Washington Territory and Oregon, but at some point crossed out everything except for "John Taylor" and his address. This is most likely Soapy's mentor talked about in my book, Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel. These are planning notes. Did he go? There are no other mentions of these plans elsewhere in the notebook.
All I could find online about the "Sherman Circus" was the newspaper ad below, and a mention that “Educated horses were a highlight of the Sherman Circus, which appeared in San Diego, California in 1881 and 1883."

Great Sherman Circus
The Oregonian
September 12, 1882

Visit the Soapy Smith Soap Box blog

April 24, 2017
Part #1
Part #3
Part #4
Part #5
Part #6
Part #7
Part #8
Part #9
Part #10
Part #11
Part #12
Part #13 (not published yet)
Part #14 (not published yet)
Part #15 (not published yet)
Part #16 (not published yet)

Old card players never die, they just shuffle away.
~Author Unknown

July 24, 2023

Soapy Smith's "STAR" notebook, 1882-83: Part #1 - page 1

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
1882-1883
Courtesy of the Geri Murphy collection

(Click image to enlarge)

THIS POST UPDATED
August 23, 2023

OAPY SMITH'S "STAR" NOTEBOOK

     There are several notebooks in the Smith family collection in which Jefferson Randolph Smith II kept personal and business jottings. This one was shared to me by my cousin, Geri Murphy. Naturally, these are a treasure-trove of information as to what city and state (or territory) he was traveling to, the date, his profits, expenditures and the names of some of the individuals he met, while operating his prize package soap sell racket and other bunko games.
   This notebook is identified by the large star on the cover, hence the name "star" notebook. It spans the years 1882 and 1883, when Soapy was still a nomad confidence man traveling around the American West.
     The notebook pages are written in pencil, in Soapy's handwriting, and sometimes hard to decipher. The goal is to transcribe the pages and to receive help from readers in identifying words I am have trouble reading. I will include the original copy of each page, an enhanced copy, and a copy in negative, as tools to aid with deciphering the notes. There are 24 pages which means that there will be 24 individual posts for this one notebook. Links to the next page will be added at the bottom of each post for ease of research. When completed there will be a sourced record of Soapy's activities for parts of 1882-1883.
     Important to note that the pages of the notebook do not appear to be in chronological order, with Soapy making additional notes on a town and topic several pages later.

"star" notebook cover
1882-1883
Courtesy of the Geri Murphy collection

(Click image to enlarge)

Let's begin. Note that the top appears to have faint text. A pencil was used in the notebook and throughout the notebook he periodically wrote on the rear of the previous page, as well as on the front of each page. The deciphering will be separated into two sections ["rear of page #_ (top")] when utilized, and ["page #_ (bottom)]."

What is seen on the back of the cover is pencil sediment or residue "stain" from the pages resting on-top of one another. There appears to be a dollar sign ($) and some artwork that appears to be two fancy letters, perhaps "JS." Was Soapy playing around making a fancy abbreviation to his name?

The next three pictures are page #1: Enhanced, page #1: Negative, and page #1: deciphered. These were made to aid in deciphering the text, and this process will be used in the next 23 pages to come.

Page #1
Enhanced
Courtesy of the Geri Murphy collection

(Click image to enlarge)

Page #1
Negative
Courtesy of the Geri Murphy collection

(Click image to enlarge)

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
Page 1 - deciphered
1882
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

Click image to enlarge

Line 1: "Salem [Oregon] Sept 18th"
Line 2: "to [Sept] 24th"

Interpretation: These are planning notes. Soapy made plans and then later (in this case on page 5) he wrote the actual dates he was in the location as well as the amounts he made. He had initially planned to be in Salem, Oregon, from September 18 to September 24, but actually operated from September 18 to September 22. the year is 1882, which was determined on page 5.

Line 3: "Baker City [Oregon] Sept"
Line 4: "27th to Oct 4th"

Interpretation: Though Baker City, Oregon, from September 27 to October 4 is listed, it does not appear in the notebook again. I found no city or county fair in 1882, it may be that Soapy decided to skip Baker City, or upon arrival he did no work.

Line 5: "George Ebell, Secretary" [Maybe a fair or city secretary that Soapy met? Online and newspaper search came up with only one reference to a "George Ebell" in regards to water rights in an ongoing court case since 1888.]
Line 6: "Union, Oregon"
Line 7: "Oct 9th to 16th"

Interpretation: Soapy lists Union, Oregon, as a possible stop. The County of Union did have a fair, but "Union, Oregon is not mentioned again in the notebook, thus it is unknown if Soapy stopped or operated there.

Line 8: Appears to be "Olympia City" [Washington Territory]. I cannot read this clearly as Soapy scratched it out. Page 5 does not list "Olympia," but page 8 does. It is not known if he went there. He may have scratched it out as a planned stop.
Line 9: [Scratched out] Do I see "1st" on the far right end?
Line 10: [Scratched out] I see a "4" on the far right end.
Line 11: [Scratched out] Can't decipher.
Line 12: [Scratched out] Can't decipher.
Line 13: [Scratched out] There is a town name "[Wilsonville? Milwaukie? Winston? Willamina? Williamette?]. Looks like "Sept 4" on the right.
Line 14: [Scratched out] "L?" Perhaps "Lake?" [can't decipher the rest, maybe "Falls City?"] I see "Sept" at the end.
Line 15: "Walla Walla [Washington Territory] Oct 5th"
Line 16: "and last 5 days" [?]

Visit the Soapy Smith Soap Box blog

April 24, 2017
Part #2
Part #3
Part #4
Part #5
Part #6
Part #7
Part #8
Part #9
Part #10
Part #11
Part #12
Part #13 (not published yet)
Part #14 (not published yet)
Part #15 (not published yet)
Part #16 (not published yet)

"...but in my humble opinion, I'm no hustler. You see, neighbor, I never go looking for a sucker. I look for a champion and make a sucker out of him."

—Amarillo Slim

July 6, 2023

Soapy Smith shoots up 14th and Glenarm streets in Denver, 1894.

he colonel swore he thought the cartridges were blanks and went laughingly on his way.

An unknown Denver newspaper, dated "July 1893," clipped out and saved by Soapy Smith himself. This comes from my cousin, Jefferson R. “Little Randy” Smith collection.

WAS SURGEON’S DAY

The Red Fire Cracker Cut Many Red Tricks.

KEPT THINGS GOING WARMLY

Disasters Began Long Before the Fourth Dawned Luridly.

NUMEROUS SERIOUS ACCIDENTS

Colonel Jefferson Randolph Smith Turned Loose for Old Glory at 1 O’Clock A. M. —An Acrobat From Illinois Was Next Heard From—A Plumber at the Gumry and a Boy on Blake Street Patched Up by the Surgeon—The Worst Accident of the Day Happened at Rocky Mountain Lake—A Seven-Year-Old Boy Shot—Cannon, Crackers, Pistols, Explosives of All Description Get in Their Work.

      It was surgeon’s day at police headquarters. Unreliable toy cannons, stray bullets, erratic powder crackers, the booze of patriotism and other things incidental to a proper celebration of “The Fourth” furnished cases in plenty to Drs. Mack and Jarecki. The nation’s birthday anniversary began prematurely, so far as casualties marked it, by the sad death of John D. Mannix on Larimer street, soon after 10 o’clock Wednesday night. From that on the ambulance and …[sentence indecipherable]… to gather rust on their wheels and at midnight they were still making arbitraries. Not many arrests were recorded, owing to the tradition obtaining among police officials that the liberty of American citizens, particularly embryonic citizens, may verge toward license without much check on fire cracker day.
      About 1:15 o’clock a.m. notification that the [?] had been formally opened was telephoned to police headquarters from Fourteenth and Glenarm streets. It was a startling report that a man with black whiskers, a soft hat, a big revolver and a public—spirited jag, who looked like [words indecipherable] insurgent, had turned himself and his armament loose on the residents there.

It Was Only Jeff.

      An officer who went to investigate discovered that the author of the scare was Senor Colonel Jefferson Randolph Smith, amusing himself by shooting 45-caliber bullets through the windows of the Glenarm bar. The colonel swore he thought the cartridges were blanks and went laughingly on his way.

Fantasy depiction of Soapy shooting up the town

Apparently, Soapy was not arrested for the offense. Probably drunk, he had disturbed the peace, endangered public safety, and destroyed private property, and yet was seemingly allowed to go on his way. Did he privately recompense the owners of the Glenarm? Probably—unless Soapy thought he owed them the damage.

Visit the Soapy Smith Soap Box blog