February 27, 2025

Soapy Smith's "STAR" notebook, 1883: Part #17 - page 17

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 17 - Original copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy
(Click image to enlarge)




oapy Smith in San Francisco, Ohio, South Dakota, Kentucky.
Cheap John scam, Knight's Conclave, Cotton Exposition and horse races.

     This is page 17, dated July-August 1883, the continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook from the Geri Murphy's collection. A complete introduction to this notebook can be seen on page 1.
     These notebook pages have never been published before! They continue to be of revealing interest. The picture that the pages draw is of young 22 year-old Jefferson pursuing "soap sales" over a very wide spread of territory and in a very tenacious, even driven, way.
     The notebook(s) are in Soapy's handwriting, and sometimes pretty hard to decipher. A large part of this series of posts is to transcribe the pages, one-at-a-time, and receive help from readers on identifying words I am having trouble with, as well as correcting any of my deciphered words. My long time friend, and publisher, Art Petersen, has been a great help in deciphering and adding additional information.
     I will include the original copy, an enhanced copy, and a negative copy of each page. Also included will be a copy with typed out text, as tools to aid in deciphering the notes.
     There are a total of 24 pages. This means that there may be upwards of 24 individuals posts for this one notebook. Links to the past and future pages (pages 1, 2, 3, etc.) will be added at the bottom of each post for ease of research. When completed there will be a sourced partial record of Soapy's activities and whereabouts for 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.
     It seems Soapy is not entrenched in Denver yet, still operating as a nomad moving from town to town.
     In one noticeable respect, page 17 is different from the other pages seen so far. In contrast, page 17 is uncommonly clear. The lead of the pencil must have been sharp and the notepad on a hard surface for the letters and words to be so dark and impressed so legibly. Other pages often seem written on with a dull pencil, and the words seem a bit shaken and jagged, as if made with the notebook in hand, perhaps while aboard the swaying car of a moving train or stagecoach. Alcohol may also play a part in the bad handwriting seen thus far.
     Page 17 continues listing places to consider visiting, that is, to list options to consider. The places are far flung (e.g., Louisville, KY; New London, OH; San Francisco, CA) and getting from place to place in 1883 would take days. Because of the distances, rather than an itinerary, they seem more suited to be individual options from which to choose. covers his possible journey to San Francisco, Ohio, South Dakota and Kentucky, operating the cheap John swindle while attending a Knight's Conclave, the Cotton Exposition and horse races. Although the communication of twenty-one-year-old Soapy Smith is with himself, the writing also communicates with us about him 142 years later (and potentially far beyond today).
     Below are my attempts to attempts to make the writing easier to see and decipher.

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 17 - Enhanced copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)

Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 17 - Negative copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy
(Click image to enlarge)



Soapy Smith STAR Notebook
Page 17 - Deciphered copy
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)


Page 17
  • Line 1: "Goods to Handle"
  • Line 2: "Tin ware for California" 
  • Line 3: "Crockery for every"
  • Line 4: "place New London [Ohio]"
  • Line 5: "Ohio."
  • Line 6: "'Occurrences'"
  • Line 7: "Knights Conclave"
  • Line 8: "San Francisco Aug."
  • Line 9: "Cotton Exposition"
  • Line 10: "Louisville [Kentucky] Aug."
  • Line 11: "Races at Mitchell"
  • Line 12: "Dakota [South Dakota] July 3, and 4."
  • Line 13: "Over" [continues on page 18]

  • Lines 1-4, we see that Soapy was planning to operate his swindles in California (San Francisco?), interestingly enough, it appears that Soapy was preparing to run a "cheap John" operation. I knew he started using the cheap John in Round Rock, Texas, likely out of the back of a wagon, but I always figured that once he got into the short cons (shell and pea con, three-card monte and the soap sell) he gave up the cheap John con. Was he still doing it in 1883? I thought that perhaps this might be an older dated page (1878-1881).
The cheap John swindle is the forerunner of today's Jam auction. Below is the definition of "cheap John" from my book, Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel.
A cheap John operation is the predecessor of the jam auction, which Jeff would later operate in Denver. An operator sells, usually under high pressure, practically worthless merchandise at a fraction of its value in order to excite and confuse the audience. Sometimes the items are said to be valuable manufacturers’ promotional items. First, small, practically worthless items are given away to everyone, then unexpectedly slightly more valuable items are sold to bidders for almost nothing. The procedure is conducted in a way that confuses buyers about whether they are putting up money "as a good faith gesture" that they will get back or whether they are tendering payment. When buyers are thoroughly confused, the cheap John adds the final wrinkle: the sale of almost worthless (but apparently valuable) merchandise for what seem like outrageous "bargain" prices. 
A modern day Jam Auction
Courtesy of The Real Hustle
(Click image to enlarge)

The cheap John may also be an option for Soapy. It would be natural to continue listing that kind of selling as an option. But sales of that kind surely couldn't match what Soapy found he could earn in a day or an afternoon or an hour auctioning off money-wrapped soap. Additionally, it's hard to imagine Soapy lugging around suitcases of tin ware and crockery all across the West, as opposed to an easily portable box of little cuts of soap, a small commodity for which he could build up demand in minutes. Known is that Soapy continued to sell cheap John goods, but probably not when he was on the road. Later when operating solely in a city, an auction house would be a fitting location for sales of that kind, handled for Soapy by operators, and perhaps Soapy himself on occasion.

  • Lines 4-5, show a plan to operate in New London, Ohio.

  • Lines 6, are under the heading of "Occurrences," which are more plans to visit and operate.
  • Lines 7-8, at the Knights [Triennial] Conclave in San Francisco, Cal., August 20–25, 1883. It was the first Triennial Conclave held west of St. Louis.

Grand parade of the Knights Templar
Triennial Conclave
San Francisco, Cal.
August 20, 1883
(Click image to enlarge)

  • Lines 9-10, Soapy plans to operate at The Cotton Exposition, formally called The Southern Exposition, in Louisville, Kentucky. The Southern Exposition was a series of world's fairs held in Louisville, Kentucky from August 1, 1883 to 1887. The exposition showcased the South's products, including cotton, and featured a working farm and horticultural garden.

The Southern Exposition
Also known as The Cotton Exposition
Louisville, Kentucky
(Click image to enlarge)

  • Lines 11-12, horse races in Mitchell, South Dakota, July 3-4.
  • Line 13, "Over" [continues on page 18]








 









Part #18 (not published yet)
Part #19 (not published yet)
Part #20 (not published yet)
Part #21 (not published yet)
Part #22 (not published yet)
Part #23 (not published yet)
Part #24 (not published yet)












"Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong."
—Thomas Jefferson










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