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| Soapy Smith STAR Notebook Page 21 - Original copy 1884 Courtesy of Geri Murphy |
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oapy Smith's early trips in Texas, Arizona, California, and the men he met.
Operating the prize package soap sell racket in 1884.
This is page 21, which appears to be a continuation of pages 19-20, which ends listing cities in Texas, and page 21 continues in Texas. If this is accurate then page 21 dates May-June 1884.
This is the continuation of deciphering Soapy Smith's "star" notebook from the Geri Murphy 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 24 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.
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.
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| Soapy Smith STAR Notebook Page 21 - Enhanced copy 1884 Courtesy of Geri Murphy |
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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.
Although the communication of twenty-four-year-old Jefferson Randolph Smith II is with himself, the writing also communicates with us about him 142 years later (and potentially far beyond today).
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| Soapy Smith STAR Notebook Page 21 - Negative copy 1884 Courtesy of Geri Murphy |
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I am questioning, of course, what the list means. There's few clues that Soapy went to these locations, thus it’s hard to make definitive decisions regarding which towns Soapy actually went to, or not. I cannot find any real reason why Soapy went to some of these, some not having much of a population, money resources or a railroad.
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| Soapy Smith STAR Notebook Page 21 - Deciphered copy 1884 Courtesy of Geri Murphy |
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- Line 1: "Marshall Longview" refers to the Longview–Marshall Combined Statistical Area today, covering four counties in Northeast Texas (see map #1). Longview, one of the largest cities in the early state of Texas, was a train town, which helped it become a regional trading center and a major stop for the Texas and Pacific Railroad.
- Line 2: Palestine, Texas was a railroad town, as was Tyler, Texas (see map #1).
- Line 3: Ft. Worth and Denison, Texas: Ft Worth, a railroad-cow town, was where Soapy is first known to have started with a gang of swindlers. Denison, a railroad town (see map #1).
- Line 4: Sherman and Pilot Point, Texas: 1880 the first train rolled through Pilot Point over the newly constructed line of the Texas and Pacific Railroad (see map #1).
- Line 5: Denton and Wichita Springs Falls, Texas: Denton has a railroad. Wichita Springs Falls has the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad (see map #1).
- Line 6: Henrietta, Texas, has the Fort Worth and Denver Railroad. Abilene, Texas Established by cattlemen as a stock shipping point on the Texas and Pacific Railroad (see map #1).
- Line 7: Colorado City, Texas: Had a train station (see map #1).
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| Railroad map #1 Texas 1891 |
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- Line 8: Although there is a town in Texas named "El Paso," I believe that the "El Paso" in Soapy's notes is the one in New Mexico, as "Lordsburg," being listed, is in New Mexico, both boomed as a commercial centers, being along the route of the Southern Pacific Railroad, the Texas and Pacific, and the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroads as early as 1881.
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| Railroad map #2 Arizona and New Mexico 1884 |
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- Line 9: Dealing with towns in Arizona, “Poenix” is most likely “Phoenix.” There is no railroad to Phoenix at this time. Map #2 from 1884 shows the Southern Pacific Railroad on the path towards Phoenix, but likely stopping in the town of Maricopa, where a stagecoach could be taken the remaining distance to Phoenix. The same lack of rails is also the case for one location in Arizona, as well as one in California. In Arizona, Santan is in Pinal County. At that time, there was no town of any kind. The settlement was named "Santa Ana" by its Akimel O'odham inhabitants in 1857, and pronounced "Santaana." Line 10: has “Cal.” [California], so could “Santaana” be “Santa Ana, California?” "Cal.," appearing in the next line under "Santaana" makes the California location of Santa Ana likely. One can reach there from the east by the Southern Pacific Railroad, and from there by rail to Wilmington, which also appears on line #10.
- Line 10: has “Cal.” [California], so could Line 9 actually read “Santana” as in “Santa Ana?” Also lists Wilmington [California], a neighborhood in the South Bay and Harbor region of Los Angeles, California. The Southern Pacific Railroad goes from Wilmington north to Los Angeles (see map #3).
- Line 11: Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo, California. A branch line of the Southern Pacific Railroad runs to Santa Barbara. From there, no tracks yet connected (per an 1889 Railroad map) with the California Southern Railroad line up to San Luis Obispo (see map #3).
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| Railroad map #3 California 1889 |
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Such features, as seen in this page of the notebook, suggest a hypothesis, that Soapy was laying out a prospective itinerary. Some places like Fort Worth he knew—as he had visited there in the late 1870s, and presumably because he lists debts there. Many other places, though, are small and somewhat out of the way, like Denison, Sherman, and Pilot Point. But they are along rail lines and might have been considered places to stop over and perhaps operate some soap sales. He previously made such stops in little towns as well as big ones in Washington, Oregon, California and elsewhere. Additionally, possibly he had heard of these locations from others in the swindle 'profesh,' as places, that they could be worth his while.
Looking at some maps, I tried laying out the theory to see if there were some coherence. The cities and towns named in the notebook are highlighted on the maps, with drawn arrows from one place to another according to the order in which they appear in the notebook. What's revealed is a continuous progression west until California. There the progression leads steadily north to San Francisco.
The zig zag westerly direction in Texas (see map #1) corresponds to existing train lines. One can imagine Soapy making his list in the notebook while sitting at a table with a map spread upon on it, tracing with a finger from town to town.
The theory has some flaws. The progression of places as listed in the notebook don't always fit with connections along the railroad lines (the lines I draw do not try to follow the railroad tracks), and then there are the missing railroads to Phoenix and from Santa Barbara to the San Luis Obispo line. On the other hand, the places without rails are on the list for some reason, perhaps because of what he has heard or was told, that, for example, there's a passable road. He was likely prepared to take stage coaches or other means of transport to those places.
Soapy also could be considered an explorer for new sales territory. This fits with the hypothesis. The extent and distances he travelled to reach out-of-the-way Nevada City in California is an example. Another was from Seattle up Cook Inlet to Sunrise in 1896, a journey of some 1500 miles.
- Line 12: Santa Clara and Redwood City, California.
- Line 13: San Francisco. Soapy had travelled to San Francisco several times between 1881-1882. He was there on February 22, 1884.
- Line 14: “tinware for" [California] so was Soapy still doing the Cheap John scam? This would have required quite a bit of luggage?
- Line 15: "California."
- Line 16: “List of debt in"
- Line 17: "Fort Worth.”
- Line 18: "C. Dixon" Could this be "Sid Dixon," later associated with the soap gang? The first mention of "C. B. Dixon" is shown in the Fort Worth Daily Gazette, dated February 3, 1883. Dixon contributed funds to a charity. It is not known if this is the same "Dixon" Soapy knew, as information is lacking, including the first name, the last name, and alias'. For an unknown reason Soapy owed Dixon $25.
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| Fort Worth Daily Gazette February 3, 1883 |
Also noted in same newspaper above are the names Jake Johnson, his wife, and John Morris. The latter is believed to be John H. "Fatty Gray" Morris of the Denver soap gang. It is known that Soapy met and worked with Morris in Ft. Worth. However, there is another "John Morris" in Fort Worth, so I can verify that this is "Fatty Gray."
- Line 19: Jake Johnson, of whom Soapy owed $140 to, is mentioned ten times in Fort Worth newspaper between 1883-1887. There is a confidence man named Johnson who worked with Soapy in Denver (page 178 and 180 Alias Soapy Smith), but the name may be an alias. In 1883 Jake was appointed on the board of directors of the Fort Worth Driving Park Association, a nice title for a horse race track. In 1885 Jake becomes the manager of the race establishment. Within a year, Jake won four raffles (January 3, 1883, January 30, 1883, December 23, 1883, and January 15, 1884). Were these rigged or was Mr. Johnson just lucky? In late January 1884 Johnson gave Jim Courtright a gold watch. Timothy Isaiah Courtright (c. 1845 – February 8, 1887), also known as "Longhair Jim" and "Big Jim" Courtright, was a deputy sheriff in Fort Worth, Texas from 1876 to 1879. In 1887, he was killed in a shootout with gambler and gunfighter Luke Short. Before his death, "people feared Courtright's reputation as a gunman, and he reduced Ft. Worth's murder rate by more than half, while reportedly extracting protection money from town business owners.”
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| The White Elephant Fort Worth Daily Gazette December 21, 1884 |
On February 8, 1887 gambler Luke Short shot and killed Jim Courtright. Courtright felt he was being disrespected at the White Elephant by Luke Short, so partner Jake Johnson, a friend to both men, called the two men together to try and iron out their differences, just outside of the White Elephant. Short and Courtright began to argue, and Courtright drew his gun. The initial account was that Short was faster on the draw, killing Courtright, but in examining Courtright's revolver, a policeman testified that the pistol jammed. Jake Johnson was the only eyewitness to the shootout. It is not known what became of Jake Johnson as he is not found in the newspapers of Fort Worth again. Could he have gone to Denver and joined up with Soapy?
I am left to wonder why Soapy owed Jake $140. Soapy was attracted to "the races," and we know Jake managed a race track and horses. Soapy was a gambler who bucked the tiger and played the ponies. He could win big and lose big, and so far as is known, he wasn't one to welch on a gambling debt. The $140 ($4,975.60 today) he marked as owed is evidence of that.
- Line 20: Soapy owed $10 to Gus Jones, but Soapy scratched out the note. Did he pay Gus? Did he know Gus? Gus is mentioned on page 20 of this notebook as well.
- Line 21: monetary amount, scratched out
$175.00. Scratched out because he scratched out the $10 he owed to Gus Jones. - Line 22: monetary amount of $165.00 owed in debts.
Notebook pages
April 24, 2017
Part #1
Part #2
Part #3
Part #4
Part #5
Part #6
Part #7
Part #8
Part #9
Part #10
Part #11
Part #12
Part #13
Part #14
Part #15
Part #16
Part #24 (not published yet)
"He never missed an opportunity to separate the gullible from ready cash. Neither did he ever miss an opportunity to preach and practice the gospel of kindliness and compassion."
——The Reign of Soapy Smith, 1935
