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| Soapy Smith's Gun The Vancouver Sun Post January 1, 1922 |
almer afterwards took the gun and up
to the time of his death kept it as a souvenir of his thrilling Alaskan
experience."
NOTE: The Joseph Palmer in this post is not the Colorado Soap Gangster of the same name.
Below is the contents of the above newspaper clipping.
SOAPY’S COLT .45 NOW BELONGS TO SOUTH SIDE CHIEF
SOUTH VANCOUVER, Feb, 1. – The revolver once belonged to Soapy Smith, the notorious bad man of the Yukon, is now in the possession of Chief of Police Baker of South Vancouver.
It came into his keeping upon the death of the late Joseph Palmer, a well-known resident of the municipality, who died last week.
Palmer was acting upon a vigilance committee at Skagway at the time when Soapy Smith was shot and killed. Palmer afterwards took the gun and up to the time of his death kept it as a souvenir of his thrilling Alaskan experience. It was presented to the chief after Mr. Palmer’s death by his daughter, Mrs. J. A. Urquhart.
The gun is an old-fashioned Colt .45.
Don Blair contacted me about a relative of his: Joseph Palmer. He sent along three newspaper clipping, of which I share here. Don writes
Hello Jeff, I was wondering if you have ever come across this information before as I came across it while doing some research on my own family tree. This Joseph Palmer came from England and was a trained shoemaker in England and he ended up in Skagway and ran Pioneer Shoemaker in Skagway at Main and Trail. Joseph from what I have read had the shoemaking business as well as other interests and some claims as well. Joseph later returned to Vancouver, British Columbia and lived until late January of 1922, and he is buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver. The article stated his daughter Margaret in early February of 1922 gave the pistol as a gift to Chief Baker of the South Vancouver detachment as a gift. Like I say I don’t know if this is known information, or not but thought I would pass it along in case its new. Don Blair.
I wrote Don back, writing
Hello, Don.
Thank you very much for sending this! I had not heard of this pistol. For a time, I thought maybe Skagway's Joseph Palmer was a Soap Gang member of the same name. This was resolved when gang member Palmer was recorded numerous times in Colorado newspapers. Gang member Palmer went insane and placed in a hospital where he hallucinated that people, including Soapy, were trying to kill him.
There are numerous guns claimed to have been Soapy's. I have a page devoted to some of them (Soapy's Weapons). The rifle used in the shootout on Juneau Wharf (Soapy's death) was given to the widow. A "Colt pistol" was listed in the estate, and sold at auction. The widow would have received it but it took her over a week to get to Skagway, living in St. Louis. Is the pistol Palmer has actually Soapy's? So hard to say.
Thank you again!
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| Ad for Jos. Palmer Daily Alaskan July 2, 1898 |
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| Klondiker Dead The Vancouver Sun Post January 16, 1922 |
Below is the contents of the above newspaper clipping.
KLONDIKER DEAD
SOUTH VANCOUVER, Jan 16. – Joseph Palmer, shoemaker and veteran of the Klondike, was found dead in the rear of his boot repair shop at 5096 Inverness Street this morning. Mr. Palmer was a native of England coming to San Francisco in 1883 where he was in the shoe-repairing business later staking a claim in the Klondike which he worked for several years. He has no relatives living in this country.
I tried searching for Baker, the Chief of
Police of South Vancouver, and found no information.
"You must lose a fly to catch a trout…now pick which shell hold the pea."
—Author Unknown
