Schuyler Hodgson: Possible member of the Soap Gang.

Family member Tina Marshall received an interesting email from Steven M. Haney who claims his great-uncle, Schuyler Hodgson, was a member of Soapy's gang. The name does not ring any bells as of yet. Tina forwarded his email to me and now we seek help from anyone who might have heard this name before and/or recognize his photograph? Steven has an interesting story to tell and we are looking for any help with identification. 

The initial email to Tina:

I was reading the part where you were related to Soapy Smith. How interesting. Here is something of interest to you.

We have a connection. Schuyler Hodgson was his sidekick and he was my 2 great uncle. Check out Colorado and Crested Butte cemetery. I had no idea the Schuyler was a Soapy Smith side kick but I read a book about Soapy Smith in about 1975 when I was in High School in Alaska and it talked about the mean guy with the eagle. I was told to remember the guy with the eagle. The people were told if they saw the guy with the eagle to get out of there because that guy would kill them and take their supplies. Just like two years ago I mentioned Soapy Smith to my father (Who lives in Alaska) and he said his mother knew all about soapy smith because her uncle Schuyler was his side kick. I asked my dad about the eagle he said oh how did I know about the EAGLE BELT Buckle? I didn’t I just remember the book saying an eagle. My dad said his mother and aunt told them about Schuyler killing people and stealing stuff from the miners especially my dad’s aunt. And I have learned what she told us is 100% true every word can be proven by paper work backup. My dad’s mother is about 99% reliable. Which I take for fact today. We don’t know how many names he went by. His son who was raised by the grandparents on the mother’s side said in 1995 when he was about 90 confirmed his father had many names and his father did go to the gold rush but we at that time never knew about the Soapy Smith connection. Schuyer’s son was 100% opposite of his father. He was a professional person and was very talented but had no traits of his father. Soapy Smith did live in Leadville, CO and so did my Hodgson family. It is also possible that Soapy and Schuyler went up and down the Cook Inlet near Kenai and Kasalof. ( I think I spelled it wrong) I think my dad said he read a book about Joshua Slocomb (Which that name is in Schuyler’s family) and they mentioned Soapy Smith and a side Kick not knowing that the side kick could be related to their Slocomb family.

Just thought you would find this interesting.

Of course Tina found Steven's email very interesting and immediately contacted me and thus began an interesting exchange. Steven wrote,

I would say that probably Schuyler Hodgson was a member of Soapy Smith Gang. My dad’s mother told him that she had talked to her uncle Schuyler Hodgson when he came to visit them in Gothic, CO on their ranch. He was her mother’s brother. She told my dad that her uncle was good friends with Soapy Smith and was part of his group however I did not ever hear her tell me that but she did mention her uncle Schuyler to me. My dad’s aunt did confirm her uncle Schuyler but she did not like him and so her version was he was not a very nice guy. She mentioned that her uncle killed men and took their mining supplies. I do not remember my dad’s aunt talking much about Schuyler except I did know she did not like him and my grandmother did. Schuyler died in about 1925 and my dad’s aunt was about 22 and my grandmother was about 17. Both of their parents died in 1922. I remember my grandmother talking about her uncle and he had for sure four names but it seems like there was five names and another aunt of my dad’s mom also agreed later. I can only remember three names. I didn’t write all the names down so now it is too late to remember. I only saw my grandmother a few times and I had to listen while I was at the breakfast or dinner table and I was on my way to work.

It is documented that Schuyler Hodgson lived in Leadville, CO in 1880 from the 1880 census. He was in Carbondale and Marble and in the late 1800’s he was also in Paonia, CO. My dad’s mother said that Uncle Schuyler was some kind of and she called him a side kick according to my dad. Maybe that was a name for a gang member. I have no idea. I thought there was an eagle involved and my dad said that Schuyler had some kind of huge eagle belt buckle according to his mother. My dad’s mother and her sister were totally opposite people. My dad’s mother thought there was no one better than her uncle Schuyler. Her sister did not like Schuyler and only listened to the stories and heard about them from their older sister but since she did not like Schuyler she was very upset when her uncle was buried next to their parents. My uncle even mentioned this to me when he decided to make up a memorial for the four people who were buried in that grave plot in about 1988. He said that his aunt Irene asked him to leave out Schuyler’s name because she didn’t like him out but my uncle said no. He wanted to document everything as it was since his grandfather was the only one to have a stone. (Oliver Thomas, Eliza Hodgson Thomas, daughter Estella Thomas age 19, and Eliza’s brother Schuyler Hodgson).

I talked to Schuyler’s son in 1995 before I really knew much about Schuyler and he said that he knew his dad went north during the gold rush days but he said I would never be able to trace his name. He said that his father had many different names but he never mentioned all the names my grandmother mentioned. This guy was about 90 at that time and before I was able to talk to him again he died a few months later. I talked to his son and wrote to his son for about 10 years or more and the son knew nothing about his grandfather and recently I talked to a great grandson of Schuyler and he had no idea who I was talking about and didn’t have any interest.

I know that anything that my dad’s aunt says has always come out correct according to documented records that I have found later. My dad’s mother’s stories were assumed to be kind of true but now I find that when I find documentation my dad says it matches the stories his mom tells but not 100% like her sister but about 90 – 99% correct.

I don’t know how I would find out the names that Schuyler would have used. Cofax was one name Schuyler had as a middle name given to him by his mother at birth. Schuyler’s son said that his father would be gone for a while then come back into their lives then be gone again. Schuyler’s first wife Jennie died very young during child birth and the baby died also and they were buried together. The son also said that Schuyler did remarry but that wife did not put up with Schuyler being gone all the time and she just left with no one knowing where she went and she took their daughter. The son asked me to try to find the daughter but I never did. He gave the birth year.

The guy on the left seated I believe is Schuyler Hodgson. The woman behind I would say is his wife but I don’t know which wife. Maybe the first wife. She died in 1906. He was married to the first wife in December 15, 1899. This picture could have been taken around 1899 it was a tintype.

The guy with the one leg is my great grandfather Oliver Thomas and the woman behind is his wife Eliza Thomas brother to Schuyler. This picture and the 2nd picture look like the same couple that I think are Schuyler Hodgson and maybe wife #1.

The reason I think the 2nd picture is Schuyler is because of the printed card behind the picture in the album. The picture was hard to get out of the album and the card was kind of stuck on the back of the picture.

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I have one picture [see above] that had a card under it that said Schuyler Hodgson. This came from the original picture album from Leadville in the 1880’s. I believe the picture could possibly be a wedding picture since the card was white printed card with Schuyler’s name on it. And the placement of the picture in the album appeared to be in the Hodgson family section. The picture had four people in it my dad’s grandmother (Sister of Schuyler) and my dad’s grandfather these I can identify because my dad’s grandfather had only one leg. Then the other guy who was probably Schuyler and a woman that was possibly a wife. I would guess maybe the first wife because the picture was a tintype. I think they stopped making tintype pictures after 1900’s. Maybe the picture could be matched with some kind of picture you may have.

I know that there is a documented story called the price of Hay from Paonia where Schuyler was involved in killing men over who owned a hay field. So we know that he traveled a bit. Schuyler was also associated with Marble Colorado I think the town marshal and one lady told me that she had heard that Schuyler was noted for shooting first and asking questions later. I know my dad didn’t invent soapy Smith because he told me that he never heard of him except from his mom and was shocked that I knew about Soapy Smith and asked me where in the world did I hear about him? He even asked “When did my mom tell you about that guy”? Once I mentioned soapy smith he immediately said his mom talked about that guy and explained that the guy was some kind of gangster and a friend of her uncle Schuyler. He said they met in Leadville when Schuyler lived there. My father did not say Schuyler went to the gold rush and he did not know that Soapy Smith was famous in Skagway. I don’t know how my dad didn’t know because he has lived in Alaska for over 40 years. I read in an Alaskan mining book that I no longer have about Soapy Smith being up and down the Cook Inlet but it didn’t mention any one with him that I can remember. My dad mentioned that he had heard about soapy Smith being up and down the cook inlet and he thought his mom said Schuyler went with him but he was not 100% sure on that one.

I just thought it was interesting and wanted to see if the story is true and if someone else might have heard about this story or could document any of this information. I feel if it is true then it should be preserved for future generations. I don’t care to be famous or anything like that I am just researching my family history and want to preserve records for others who are researching their families. I have shared my pictures and information with anyone who is interested so that future generations can read about the stories. These stories are probably added to each time they are told so they may not be exactly as they happened but they are interesting. Many of these stories are about ordinary people who lived ordinary lives and their names and stories will never be told or documented and be lost if someone does not document them.

Schuyler’s obituary does not indicate any of this information and I do not know who wrote the obituary since Schuyler’s sister (my dad’s grandmother) died three years before. I would actually doubt that anyone would put this information in an obituary even if they knew. I can give you the dates of Schuyler but I just don’t have any documentation except what my dad said. I do have the price of hay copied from a book and from the actual Paonia paper. I think I have another booklet that mentions Schuyler being in Marble.

If you are interested in a copy of the picture that I believe is Schuyler I would happy to send it to you. Who knows maybe you can match it with a picture you may have. It would be fun to see if this story really was true which I believe it to probably be.

Thank you for all your help.

I responded,

Hi, Steven.

It is a pleasure to meet you. Don't give up! However I have found nothing yet. I also checked the database of names with the Skagway Historical Society which contains nearly 9,000 names of people who came to Skagway during the Klondike gold rush, with no luck in finding a Hodgson. Soapy had many men working for him at different times so your story is not falling on deaf ears as I love meeting descendants of people who were associated with my great-grandfather.

By "the eagle" I presume you mean "Fitzhugh Lee" the bald eagle caught and given to my great-grandfather?

I would love to receive a scan of your photograph and I will publish it on my blog, along with your story and what other information you might have about him. I will then ask my followers and family if they might recognize the name and photograph.
Thank you.

 (Click image to enlarge)

Steven writes,

The only person who knows anything about Schuyler would be my dad. His mother died in 1995 and his aunt died in 1991. The other aunt died in 1964. I wish I was able to talk to those people more but I can’t feel bad because I started genealogy when I was only 5 and I lived most of my life in Alaska. I started with nothing. I found most of my records with the help of others but I had to find them to get the information that I have. I also spent three years in Germany so that put me out of commission for those years and most of the people who would have known died during these three years. I am thinking of questions to grill my father to see if he might know a possible name. Cofax might be a clue. I think it is spelled right. I called the great grandson to see if he might know something but he didn’t even know who is great grandfather was. I have one other lady a Margaret but I haven’t been able to find her either. But some day I am sure it will be figured out. I will send the obituary and picture.

I also found a picture of Schuyler’s 2nd son Frank Hodgson. He is the one seated 2nd from the left. The picture came from a book and is labeled Frank Hodgson. Maybe you can compare the pictures. He died about Nov. 1981.

Ok family members and Soapy Smith fans 

and historians, let's see if anyone has some 

information on this possible member of the Soap Gang!

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The November newsletter is here.

WANT TO CHECK OUT THE NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER

FROM FRIENDS OF BAD MAN SOAPY SMITH?

CLICK HERE

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The Soap game: Fools of Fortune by John Quinn, 1890

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One of the early explanations
of the prize package soap racket.

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Colorado Historical Society book review

My book received a very nice review from the Colorado Book Review that is co-hosted by the Center for Colorado and the West at the Auraria Library and the Colorado Historical Society. 

By Dick Kreck

There may be more biographies of Soapy Smith to come but none will flash the resources, research, or passion of Alias Soapy Smith: The Life and Death of a Scoundrel.

The biography of Jefferson Randolph Smith II, widely known as “Soapy,” who was one of Denver’s and the West’s most notorious con men, consumes a staggering 592 pages. It is the work of Jeff Smith, Soapy’s great-grandson, who spent twenty-five years gathering information about his ancestor.

Young Smith had the advantage of trolling collections of letters, newspaper clippings, and other memorabilia held by a wide-ranging cast of family members, some of whom kept their treasures stashed out of sight for years. This volume is the first time many of the letters, notes, and photographs have seen the light of publication.

The author says in a preface that he undertook such a gargantuan chore, in part, to set the record straight. “Scores of stories about him,” Smith writes, “are either faulty or based on faulty information”(v). Smith does his best to unravel the myths and outright lies about the man many consider nineteenth-century America’s premier con man, card shark, and “sure thing” practitioner in the West. But even he admits that after plowing through ninety thousand pages of documentation, he was sometimes forced to speculate on what actually took place. Soapy was a complex character, at once loyal—one of his henchman said of him, “He never threw down a pal”(592)—and, at the same time, eager to take advantage of any sucker who came his way.

Soapy’s nickname came from his early street con game, a sleight-of-hand bit of trickery that involved appearing to hide a five- or ten-dollar bill inside a wrapped bar of soap, then charging would-be suckers a fee to pick out the winning bar. Very few won.

Smith first appeared in Denver about 1879 and plied his trade off and on with his band of rogues, picking off unsuspecting victims as they exited trains at Denver Union Station at the foot of Seventeenth Street until he finally departed for the Klondike in 1897. Though he was best known for his soap swindle, he was also behind crooked card games, stock frauds, and even outright robbery. His lower downtown hangouts on Larimer and Market streets included saloons and gambling dens with colorful names like The Arcade, Chicken Coop, White House Club, and, the most murderous of them all, Murphy’s Exchange.

It was Smith who, after things got hot for him in Denver, fled to the boom town of Creede, Colorado, where he is alleged to have penned a famous ode to the wide-open town: “It’s day all day in the daytime/And there is no night in Creede” (200).

The author tries to put the best light on Soapy, citing his frequent charitable donations (a trait found among many gamblers and con men) and his numerous lifelong friendships; but, at the same time, he admits, “I do not pretend to believe Soapy was ‘a good guy’ or someone to be admired” (6, preface). He criticizes the Rocky Mountain News for its long-running campaign to chase Smith and his minions and their rackets out of Denver. He portrays Soapy as a devoted family man who loved his wife and kids, but writes that after he parked the family in St. Louis, the affable con man spent his time roaming the country and working his scams in various cities. He even concludes that Soapy had at least one mistress in his final days.

Author Smith doesn’t buy into the generally accepted account of his great-grandfather’s messy death in Skagway in 1898. The popular version tells of a confrontation between a drunken Soapy and vigilante Frank Reid on the Juneau Company Wharf that led into Skagway. The two men wrestled for possession of Smith’s rifle, a struggle that ended with both men firing their guns simultaneously. Reid’s bullet found Soapy’s heart and he died instantly. He was thirty-eight years old.

Smith devotes two chapters to various alternative endings to his ancestor’s demise, including dark theories about powerful behind-the-scenes politicians and businessmen who conspired to have him murdered to save the future prosperity of Skagway.

Smith could have benefited from a cold-eyed editor with less at stake in the telling of the story than he had. Alias Soapy Smith is far lengthier than it needs to be. For example its thirty-one-page chapter on Soapy’s role in Denver’s City Hall War veers far off the thrust of the story. And Smith never met a footnote he didn’t love, sometimes a dozen or more per page, many of them unnecessary (as when he explains backgrounds of some characters who have no central role in the narrative).

Those, however, are small matters. Jeff Smith has pulled together as complete an account of Soapy’s complicated, checkered life and career as is possible.

Dick Kreck, a former columnist for The Denver Post, is the author of five books on Colorado history, including Murder at the Brown Palace and Smaldone.

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Happy birthday Soapy Smith!

WHAT BUTTON WOULD SOAPY MOST LIKELY WEAR ON THIS DAY?

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The Soap Gang at McNeil Island prison.

November 8, 2010

Thanks to the McNeil Island Penitentiary records on microfilm at the National Archives I was able to find some of the members of the Soap Gang sent there after Soapy was killed. There were over 800 mugshots I had to sort through and unfortunately none were of the gang. The written records upon being received into the prison are revealing and well worth the effort. Several mysteries remain, such as what became of the prison records for John L. "Reverend" Bowers, W. E. "Slim Jim" Foster and Van B. "Old Man" Triplett?

(Click image to enlarge)

1898 Part 1

 (Click image to enlarge)

 1898 Part 2

The records above show the following information for

Edward Fay: Although not known as a member of the Soap Gang, his shooting of Deputy U.S. Marshal Rowan in Skagway, Alaska and the subsequent protection he received from Soapy make him an interesting study. his name is believed to have been John Fay and under his name listed in the record is the underlined words "true name" which appears to be pointing at his last name. There also appears to be possibly a question mark there. Hopefully future records found will clear up the name issue.

Number of Commitment: 821

Number: 104488

Conviction when: November term 1898

Where: District of Alaska

Offense: Manslaughter

Sentence: 8 years and $100 fine

Date of Sentence: Jan. 6, 1899

Expires When With "Good Time Counted": Sept. 13, 1905

Born: Boston, Mass.

Single or Married: Single

Reads: Yes

Writes: Yes

Age: 33

Height: 5'-9-1/2"

Weight: 155 ["148-1/2" written underneath]

Hair: D Brown [dark brown]

Complexion: Fair
Eyes: Very light blue
Occupation: Bartender
Religion: [missing]
Where Arrested: Surrendered himself at Sitka, Alaska
When Arrested: Feb. 3, 1898
How Long in Jail Before Trial: Since arrest
First or Second Offense: 1st
Temperate or Intemperate: Temperate [Merriam-Webster: "Absence or avoidance of extravagance, violence or extreme partisanship." Also "Moderate in the use of alcoholic beverages."]
Plea of Guilty or Not Guilty: Not Guilty
Residence: Spokane, Wash
Attorney for Plaintiff: N/A
Attorney for Defense: Leddy & Pratt
Judge: C. S. Johnson
Remarks: Received at Pen Jan. 13, 1899. Dis'd 8:30 a.m. 10/5/05
[additional notes]: Large scar under chin, ___ finger right hand crooked. Beard black, mustache redish [sic]

It is interesting to finally learn that Fay was convicted of manslaughter, and not murder. Although he was sentenced to 8 years he only served 6 years - 9 months.

W. H. "Professor" Jackson: All my records and newspaper archives from 1894 onward show his first and middle initials were W. H. However after his capture in Skagway his first name is listed as Turner. As official court records are not reliable I am not going to make a stand on his name issue, but rather use both names with an explanation just as I have done in my book.

Number of Commitment: 1014

Number: 104589

Conviction when: November term 1898

Where: District of Alaska

Offense: Assault with dangerous weapon

Sentence: 10 years

Date of Sentence: Jan. 6, 1899

Expires When With "Good Time Counted": May 23, 1907

Born: New York

Single or Married: Single

Reads: Yes

Writes: Yes

Age: 45

Height: 5'-9"

Weight: 190

Hair: Black

Complexion: Light
Eyes: Reddish Hazel
Occupation: Cattleman
Religion: [missing]
Where Arrested: Skagway, Alaska
When Arrested: June 10, 1898 [Should read July]
How Long in Jail Before Trial: Since arrest
First or Second Offense: 1st
Temperate or Intemperate: Temperate [Merriam-Webster: "Absence or avoidance of extravagance, violence or extreme partisanship." Also "Moderate in the use of alcoholic beverages."]
Plea of Guilty or Not Guilty: Not Guilty
Residence: Buffalo, New York
Attorney for Plaintiff: Fredricks
Attorney for Defense: Hawes and Cruze [sic: Hume and Crews]
Judge: C. S. Johnson
Remarks: [quote marks indicate that it is a repeat of the information from Fay's comments] "Received at Pen Jan. 13, 1899," with the addition of, "Release out on ____ habeas corpus 9/20/05 - 12 noon."
[additional notes]: Scar under right jaw. Small scar in forehead over left eye. Slightly lame in right leg.

George Wilder: The records I was able to find before publication show that Wilder did not serve time in prison but obviously this is not the case having been sentenced to 7 years.

Number of Commitment: 1013

Number: 104490

Conviction when: November term 1898

Where: District of Alaska

Offense: Assault with dangerous weapon

Sentence: 7 years and $100 fine

Date of Sentence: Jan. 6, 1899

Expires When With "Good Time Counted": Nov. 13, 1904

Born: Ohio

Single or Married: Single

Reads: Yes

Writes: Yes

Age: 52

Height: 5'-9"

Weight: 170 ["168-1/2" written underneath]

Hair: D Brown [dark brown]

Complexion: Fair
Eyes: Very light blue
Occupation: Miner
Religion: [missing]
Where Arrested: Skagway, Alaska
When Arrested: July 11, 1898
How Long in Jail Before Trial: Since arrest
First or Second Offense: 1st
Temperate or Intemperate: Temperate [Merriam-Webster: "Absence or avoidance of extravagance, violence or extreme partisanship." Also "Moderate in the use of alcoholic beverages."]
Plea of Guilty or Not Guilty: Not Guilty
Residence: N/A
Attorney for Plaintiff: Fredricks
Attorney for Defense: W. T. Hume and Cruze [sic: W. T. Hume and W.E. Crews]
Judge: C. S. Johnson
Remarks: [quote marks indicate that it is a repeat of the information from Fay's comments] "Received at Pen Jan. 13, 1899," with the addition of, "Release out on ____ habeas corpus 9/20/05 - 12 noon."

[additional notes]: Right ____ under to __________. Bald from forehead to back of center. Sandy Mustache

Interesting that Wilder was sentence to 7 years when previously he was thought to have escaped conviction. When he "assaulted with a dangerous weapon" was probably the night of Soapy's death, being one of the gang members who pulled a gun along with Jackson.

 Sources
McNeil Island Penitentiary Records of Prisoners Received, 1887-1951; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1619, 4 rolls); Records of the Bureau of Prisons, Record Group 129; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

McNeil Island Penitentiary Prisoner Identification Photographs 1875-ca. 1923 (ARC # 608846); Bureau of Prisons, Record Group Number 129; National Archives Pacific Alaska Region (Seattle).

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The Denver Soap Company

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Inside the bunco brain

Friends member, Rich asked the following question,

Friend Jeff...welcome back! I hope you had an enjoyable and successful trip.

I find it fitting that the previous 'entree'' was the amazing drawing of the 'Bunco Brain'. [love it]

Since you asked...I would like to know more specifics about the thinking and the 'lenghts' that JRS II and his men went to...to acheieve their goals.
The whole psychological aspect of all the well thought out deception is compelling and extremely interesting.
I can't help thinking of the movie.."The Sting".

One example that I read about, that blew me away was: During the stampede through "White Pass", several members of the gang actually left Skaguay, and went on a 'fake stampede' with cotton stuffed backpacks and sleds carrying lightweight fake cargo with axe handles etc. sticking out.

They presented themselves as regular...and 'very benevolent and helpful regular folks seeking the same ultimate goal of gold....when in fact their only interest was fleeceing those along the beginning of the trail with their bunco games and other schemes.

Talk about 'survival of the fittest'! lol

Friend Rich, Thank you for the warm welcome and continued support. There are numerous hints and explanations spread throughout my book, but perhaps my favorite appears on pages 492-494.
    

... So Seattle was addressed. Next came San Francisco. Its papers delighted in stories about Jeff, the more sinister the better, and one of his severest critics was the San Francisco Examiner. The opportunity to alter that criticism came when that paper sent Edward F. Cahill to investigate and report on conditions in Dyea and Skaguay. Learning he was on the way, Jeff prepared a VIP tour. When Cahill went home, charmed by Jeff, he gave Skaguay and its notorious citizen a clean bill of health. His article was titled “What I Saw Of Real Life & Death at Skaguay And Dyea” and began, “When hell freezes over it will be like Skaguay. … That is what I was told. What I found was different. I found a community in which there is order without law….”

Cahill’s accounts of Skaguay’s and Dyea’s trails, merchants, and residents were so positive they glowed. Additionally, Cahill discredited stories of rampant lawlessness and disease. It seems highly probable that Jeff altered Cahill’s view of the “sure thing man” because in depicting him and his helpers on the trail, the newsman repeated Jeff’s long-held business philosophy. Cahill ventured onto the trail, probably with helpful direction at the least, and at the most, he was guided there by Jeff himself. In realistic detail, Cahill described how in the icy climate the con man

is found blowing his nimble fingers and running his little shell game seated on the snow by the slippery trail, while his cappers stand around habited like “farmers” to beguile the unwary Klondiker, sweating like a beast of burden, to drag his heavy sled up the hill. The sure-thing man’s code of morality is the most extraordinary and perhaps unexpected thing about him. He resents with bitter anger and scorn the name of thief or vagrant, and, in fact, he will not rob you except by rule. If you do not cross his lines you are perfectly safe, and he holds that if you are fool enough to go up against his game he has a perfect right to take every advantage that his skill permits. In fact, he insists loudly that he is a law-abiding citizen and when heedless people in Skaguay talked about a vigilance committee the confidence man, exulting in his numbers and his might, stood up in line to keep peace with an ugly gun, and the peace was kept. … I met one of the tribe of an evening at a road-builder’s camp at the head of the White Pass. He shall be nameless here because outside of his calling he seemed a decent sort of fellow and rather shame-faced about his “business,” as he called it, although he made no secret of his methods…. It is not all profit in the shell game, which, old-fashioned as it is, was yet the favorite and most lucrative means of polite swindling. The retinue of cappers and steerers is expensive and they are paid about twice as much as, let us say, a locomotive engineer or other skilled mechanic.

“No, it isn’t all profit by any means,” he explained. “I have to clear $100 before I make a white quarter for myself. I have to pay the men wages, their board, and their whisky. After I clear the $100 it begins to mount up pretty quick.” He admitted that he had taken in something like $250 on that day.

“You are operating among the packers?” was asked.

“No, I don’t do business with packers. They have not much money, and I don’t want their little $15 or so. What I’m after is the men that’s going into Dawson. It makes me sorry sometimes to have to separate them from their little wad, but—well, it’s them or me.”

“You are not doing any work in Skaguay now?” one asked.

“Naw,” in a tone of contempt. “There’s nothin’ in Skaguay—nothin’ but stranglers.”

“Stranglers?”

“Yes, vigilantes.”

Cahill then focused on Jeff Smith.

It is possible that … some injustice has been done to Mr. Smith which should be corrected, if only out of regard for the distinguished family to which he belongs, for the sun never sets on the Smiths. “Soapy” Smith is not a dangerous man, and not a desperado. He will fight to very good purpose if he must, but he is not in the least quarrelsome. Cool in the presence of danger, absolutely fearless, honorable in the discharge of those obligations which he recognizes, generous with his money, and ever ready with a helping hand for a man or woman in distress, he bitterly resents the imputation that he is a thief or vagrant. It is true that if you go up against his game you will certainly lose your money, but it is a process of painless extraction. I may as well acknowledge an imperfect sympathy for those who let themselves be swindled in the persuasion that they have themselves a sure thing. … You may lend “Soapy” Smith $100 or more at any time and be certain to get your money back with interest sooner or later, all without a scratch of the pen. …

Not the least amusing trait of “Soapy” Smith’s character is the eager interest which he takes in the preservation of law and order. The interest is, of course, not purely unselfish, for he realizes that crimes of violence create a sort of public opinion likely to be unhealthy for his own peaceful, if peculiar, industry. He feels that there are times when fine distinctions get confused, and therefore he is always foremost for law and order coupled with life, liberty and the pursuit of a sure thing.

Jeff showed the highly positive article to a limited few. Although it put Jeff and Skaguay in a favorable light, residents might not take kindly to an unbeatable gambler who had a hand in civic matters and who had a military company under his command.

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What in Sam Hill would you like to see?

I'm back from Tombstone, Arizona and well rested. I came back to many interesting emails as usual and find myself overwhelmed, also as usual. So I ask you, what in Sam Hill would you like to see!? Is there some particular interest of Soapy's life you have a question about or just wish to know more about? A certain photograph, book passage, or newspaper article? I'll do my very best...as usual.

email: Jeff Smith

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The bunco brain.

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Soapy in Dodge City?

Soapy traveled all across the United States in his early career following fairs to swindling the unwary. Several city street vendor licenses he saved show that he legally paid for the privilege. We know some of the cities he visited and operated in and I am always watchful for hints and signs of all places he stopped over for a day or two. Considering we know that he worked all holidays, it is a safe bet that he worked nearly all the towns he stepped foot in.

One such place I always wondered about is Dodge City, Kansas. Did Soapy visit and possibly operate there for one or more days? I hoped a new book, Dodge City: The Early Years, 1872-1886 by William B. Shillingberg (1999) might give me the answers, or even a few hints to keep me searching there.

The book is a well done history and I encourage anyone interested in Dodge's history of corruption, gunfights, and not so angelic facts about Wyatt Earp and "Bat" Masterson to find a copy. Unfortunately for me, because of the many exciting gunfights, the author, like many before him, did not seem to find much interest in the secret doings of the bunco gangs. 

When searching locations for possible Soap Gang activity I always take note of the criminal names listed. Many times they are a clue, especially if Soapy is associated with the name in some form. Shillingberg did mention a few names and hints of bunco activity but not nearly enough. On page 183 he wrote,

"Marshal Larry Deger faced troubles of his own with Robert Gilmore—the ubiquitous Bobby Gill, a member of Mayor Kelley's gang and a man described by Bob Wright as 'one of the most notorious characters and...the best all-around sure thing man that ever struck Dodge City.'"

Another hint of bunco activity is on page 276 that reads,

"To the relief of many, Mayor Webster issued a strongly worded proclamation: 'To all whom it may concern: All thieves, thugs, confidence men, and persons without visible means of support, will take notice that the ordinances enacted for their especial benefit will be rigorously enforced on and after to-morrow, April 7, 1881."

Page 389 mentions for the year 1886 that,

"More and more citizens wanted some sort of reform. A rash of robberies and an invasion of confidence men forced the city to hire six extra policemen."

Could Soapy have visited Dodge? I will keep searching for the answer.

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Book signing in Tombstone, Arizona

If you happen to be in Tombstone for their Helldorado Days October 15-17, 2010 please stop by a say hello!

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Soapy Smith Discussion Forum

Family member, Carol Moriarty Rowe talks briefly about her grandmother, Mary Eva (Smith) Moriarty (Soapy's daughter) over at the Soapy Smith Discussion Forum The link for the Forum is listed at the very top of this page. The Discussion Forum is the perfect place for family members and friends to converse. There you can post photographs as well. If you wish to post photographs let me know and I will give you the directions. You can't delete your comments or make corrections once they are posted but I can from my end so just let me know and I can fix any errors.

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One post a day?

My goal with this blog has been to post at least one article a day. Life has a habit of getting in the way of the best laid out plans, and continues to do so. I apologize for the lack of posts. Believe me, it is not for lack of trying or information. Ideas and coming articles are beginning to fill up my desktop. Continued trips down to my old stomping grounds for appointments and chores usually mess my blog plans up for a few days but an upcoming book-signing trip to Tombstone, Arizona next week has me scrambling for needed trip items. I promise to do my best to post what I can before and during my trip. Most important to me is that you, my visitors, know that I am not tiring of this blog. Rather, I am just getting started!

Watch for coming articles, including...

• Many more early photographs.
• Outlaw Harry Tracy's connection to John and Frank Clancy (Soapy's partners).
• New information on Soap Gang members.
• More original documents never before published.
• and much more...

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Was Soapy Smith more well known than Wyatt Earp?

(Click image to enlarge)

1.) Another comparison was made on January 23, 2012.

2.) Cathy Spude doubts the accuracy of this study, please see August 23, 2012.

When speaking on Soapy Smith I often mention that I believe that he was more well-known than Wyatt Earp while the two men were alive. I figured this from the massive amount of newspaper accounts of all his "adventures." Recently on another forum a friend posted a Google newspaper archive bar graph for Wyatt Earp between the years 1880-1970. It gave me the idea of making a bar graph for Soapy in the same time period. I was not surprised  to see that my theory was right (see above bar graph).

The top two graphs cover larger and smaller city newspapers across the United States and my friend suggested that I should also include the Google newspaper archives to produce a bar graph for major newspapers across the U.S. I chose the New York Times for the far east, and the Los Angeles Times for the far west. When comparing bar graphs please take note of the dates.

(Click image to enlarge)




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