Soapy Smith
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Soapy Smith
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| Born |
Jefferson Randolph Smith II November 2, 1860 Coweta County, Georgia |
| Died | July 8, 1898 (aged 37) Skagway, Alaska |
| Occupation | confidence man, gangster, gambler, and saloon proprietor |
| Spouse(s) | Mary Eva Noonan |
| Children | Jefferson Randolph Smith III, Mary Eva Smith, James Luther Smith |
| Parent(s) | Jefferson Randolph Smith I Emily Dawson Edmondson |
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Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith II (November 2, 1860 – July 8, 1898) was a con artist, saloon and gambling house proprietor, gangster, and crime boss of the 19th-century Old West. His most famous scam, the prize package soap sell racket, presented him with the sobriquet of "Soapy", which remained with him to his death.
Although he traveled and operated his confidence swindles all across the western United States, he is most famous for having a major hand in the organized criminal operations of Denver and Creede, Colorado, and Skagway, Alaska, from 1879 to 1898. In Denver, he ran several saloons, gambling halls, cigar stores, and auction houses that specialized in cheating their clientele. In Denver, Soapy began to make a name for himself across the country as a bad man. Denver is also where he entered into the arena of political fixing, where, for favors, he could sway the outcome of city, county, and state elections.
He used the same methods of operation when he settled in the towns of Creede and Skagway, opening businesses with the primary goal of gently robbing his customers, while making a name for himself. He died in spectacular fashion in the shootout on Juneau Wharf in Skagway.
Jefferson Smith was born in Coweta County, Georgia, to a family of education and wealth. His grandfather was a plantation owner and a popular Georgia senator and legislator. His father was an attorney. The family met with financial ruin at the close of the American Civil War. In 1876, they moved to Round Rock, Texas, to start anew. In Round Rock, Jefferson began his career as a confidence man.
Smith left his home shortly after the death of his mother in 1877, but not before witnessing the shooting of the outlaw Sam Bass. In Fort Worth, Smith formed a close-knit, disciplined gang of shills and thieves to work for him. Soon, he became a well-known crime boss, the "king of the frontier con men".
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Wikipedia