Showing posts with label Tucson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tucson. Show all posts

August 11, 2023

Soapy Smith's "STAR" notebook, 1882: Part #6 - page 6

Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 6 - original
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

(Click image to enlarge)


THIS POST UPDATED
August 21, 2023







OAPY SMITH'S "STAR" NOTEBOOK
Part #6 - page 6




      This is part #6 - page 6, 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.
     The notebook(s) are in Soapy's handwriting, and often times 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. I will include the original copy of each page, an enhanced copy of each page, a copy in negative, and 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.
     This page has been successfully deciphered, and positively dated 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 6 - enhanced
1883
Courtesy of Geri Murphy

Click image to enlarge


 
Soapy Smith's "star" notebook
page 6 - negative
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 two words I have not been able to decipher positively. All comments, suggestions and ideas are welcome! I will update the new information to this post.




Rear of page 5 (top).
  • Line 1: "Left San Francisco" [California]
  • Line 2: "Dec 8th paid for 1883"
  • Line 3: "fare to El Paso Tex 60.00"
  • Line 4: "Left Los Angeles Dec 14th"

Interpretation: An accounting of his travels in California and Texas in December 1883.


Page 6 (bottom).
  • Line 1: "Sales in Tombstone" [Arizona]
  • Line 2: "A.T. [Arizona Territory] 1883"
  • Line 3: "Dec 17th Mon. [Monday] .....$65.00"
  • Line 4: "Dec 18th T [Tuesday] ...........$58.00"
  • Line 5: "Dec 19th W [Wednesday] .....$53.00"
  • Line 6: "Dec 20th T [Thursday] ..........$57.00"
  • Line 7: "Dec 21st F [Friday] ...............$23.00"
  • Line 8: "Dec 22nd Sat [Saturday] .......$58.50"
  • Line 9: "...........................[total]..........$314.50"
  • Line 10: "Sent b[?] Dixon"
  • Line 11: "$20.00 Dec 22nd 1883"
  • Line 12: "Po [Post office] order Tombstone"
  • Line 13: "Sales in Tucson" [Arizona]
  • Line 14: "Monday Dec 24 1883"
  • Line 15: "1 sale ...................................$90.00"

Interpretation: Soapy worked the prize package soap sell racket in Tombstone, Arizona, between December 17-22, 1883 raking in $314.50 for six days work, which is equivalent to $10,148.26 in 2023. That a nice sum, especially considering that each day of work likely amounted to just several hours, and the fact that the pay of the average soldier in 1883 was $13 a-month! Also interesting is that Soapy was only 23 years old at this time. Making this kind of money, one might understand why Soapy chose to remain in the bunco field. 
     Line #10-#12 Soapy sends "b Dixon" $20.00. Was this a loan to someone named Dixon? Was Soapy paying Dixon based on a loan from Dixon? Could "Dixon" be a town, such as Dixon, California, or Wyoming?
     Soapy operates in Tucson, Arizona on December 24, 1883 (Christmas eve) for a profit of $90.00.
Part #24 (not published yet)









"Nobody ever went bowlegged carrying away the money they won from me."
—"Poker Alice" Tubbs







Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

February 28, 2023

Soapy Smith in Tucson, Arizona 1882

The soap fiend
Arizona Citizen
(Tucson, Arizona)
December 17, 1882

(Click image to enlarge)
 



 
OAPY SMITH IN TUCSON, ARIZONA

Arizona Citizen
December 17, 1882
Tucson, Arizona

The soap fiend with his little trick is again in town, taking in the four bits and the dollars of the unsuspecting verdants. The game is to roll up little bits of soap in paper with an occasional bank note enclosed, and then mixing all together sells the privilege of choice for the figure named. In nineteen cases out of twenty the buyer gets his nubbin of soap and the blue paper, but the bank notes, like hen’s teeth, are too scarce for him to find. If the business be neither honorable nor respectable, it is, at least, one out of which considerable can be made.

Note: I believe that the “blue paper” is the wrapper around Sapolio Soap brand. Rather than unwrapping the soap package and wrapping it back up again, which took time and could be messy and sticky, all that was needed was to slip the currency under the blue band.
 
Cake of Sopolio soap
with blue paper band


In 1882 Soapy was traveling around Arizona, operating in Tucson, Tombstone, Phoenix, and likely Prescott.







 









Dec 26, 2015
Mar 04, 2021
 






"Look high, look low, and we see that gamblers actually form the majority of the world's inhabitants."
—James Runciman, Side Lights, 1893










Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

March 4, 2021

Soapy Smith at the Palace Hotel in Tucson, Arizona, 1882

Soapy Smith at the Palace Hotel
"Jeff R. Smith, Ft Worth"

(Click image to enlarge)





 
 
oapy Smith at the Palace Hotel in Tucson, Arizona, January 1882
 
The date of the newspaper is January 25, 1882, but likely he actually registered at the Palace Hotel on the previous day as I doubt he could sign the register and have it published on the very same day. The following day of Soapy being published as registering at the Palace Hotel, he is listed in the Daily Epitaph as being registered at the Cosmopolitan in Tombstone, Arizona some 80 miles away. Most likely, Soapy would have boarded a train in Tucson, for a 50 mile trip to Benson, and then take a stagecoach for the remaining 30 mile trip into Tombstone.
     Historian Kenneth Vail had this to say about Soapy's travel from Tucson.
About 47 miles by rail to Benson, then 25 miles up the grade to Tombstone. Drews Station at about 13 miles was the only change of horses, but two miles further up there was a quick stop at Contention City if any passengers were getting off. From there is was 10 miles more to complete th coach ride to Tombstone. However, construction of the new railroad spur going up from Benson to Contention was nearly completed. On February 8 Louisa Earp was able to take the very first train down from Contention to Benson, switching to the SPRR westbound and on to California. That's what was available to Soapy when he departed Tombstone after Louisa did.

The Palace Hotel
Tucson, Arizona
Circa 1880

(Click image to enlarge)
 
 
Though it is likely that he did, it is not known for certain if Soapy operated any swindles in Tucson the short time that he was there.


The Palace Hotel
Tucson, Arizona
Arizona Daily Star
February 17, 1882

(Click image to enlarge)

Note that the proprietor is Charles A. Shibell. Shibell was the Pima County, Arizona County Sheriff who promised a job as deputy sheriff to Wyatt Earp, but when Earp announced his support for Bob Paul as the next sheriff, Shibell appointed Earp's antagonist Johnny Behan to the position instead.
 
 
SPECIAL THANKS TO HISTORIAN KENNETH VAIL
for making me aware of this article.











Tucson, Arizona
March 4, 2021 






"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect."
—Ralph Waldo Emerson.







Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,

The Soap Man: Soapy Smith in Tucson, Arizona, 1883


(Click image to enlarge)



 
 
 
 
ou are invited to try your luck for fifty cents"

The following clipping from Tucson, Arizona was published just three-days after purchasing a street vendors license in Phoenix, Arizona. This article is also one of the very few in which the reporter did not publish that the prize package soap sell was a outright swindle. Did this reporter not realize it was a scam, or care that fellow citizens were being conned? From what I can tell, Soapy was not arrested during this trip to Arizona. However, the article does make mention that this is not Soapy's first trip to the city.  

Transcription of the clipping: 
Arizona Weekly Citizen
(Tucson, Arizona)
December 29, 1883

The Soap Man.

      This morning a soap man, who has been here before, held forth on Congress Street. Like all of his profession, he is a glib talker, but this time he has a new racket, which he is working for all it is worth.
      Little pieces of soap about an inch long are wrapped up in pieces of paper. He says one-half of them contain greenbacks denominations from $1 to $20. Some of them certainly do contain some currency. You are invited to try your luck for fifty cents; you get soap, if nothing else, and you stand a chance of making $20. To keep the excitement of the crowd at fever heat every once in a while the manipulator of lye-and-grease would unroll the packages, exhibit the greenbacks, and then, picking up several packages, offer to give any man $10 who would pay $10 for them. This offer would excite the laughter of the crowd, and some individual would accept the offer. His astonishment would be great to see that he sold back to the soap man $50 or $60 in clear currency. The trick works well.
 

Tucson, Arizona
Congress Street facing west
Circa 1888
Courtesy of Arizona Historical Society

(Click image to enlarge)
 
 
 
 

"I am now eased in my finances and replenished in my wardrobe."
—Andrew Jackson after winning a horse race.








Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)