Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-06-04

cost great deal to get the freight
over the mountains, and Soapy's agents,
who were pretended miners, would or
SaniZc companies with Il view to get
ting cheap freight, and they would
take from each member of the company
an order TO the ship to release his
goods TO the packers. Upon landing
the men would run the miners into
Soapy's gambling saloon. where. with
III the space of an hour. they were sure
TO lose all their m"ner at cards They
then had not enough to pay their
freight bills, and as Il result the outfits
would fall into the hands of the gang.
Captain Baughman told mo that 1t
would take only about forty or fifty
minutes after the ship came to anchor
for the men to land and lose all their
money. and come back weeping and
beg for Il steerage passage home
YOUNG MINER ROBBED
OF $2,100 IN GOLD Dust
As time went on the robbers grew
bolder and matters became worse and
worse. Miners coming out from Daw-
son had their bags of gold stolen
from them, and it finally became I'M
safe for any stranger in Skagway
This impression went to the outside
and il was hurting the town. The
climax was capped by the rohbing IF
II young miner named Stewart who
had just come from Dawson with a
poke containing S2,7O0 in gold dust
The man made Il fuss and prominent
business men went to Soapy and asked
him 10 give back the money. He re-
fused and vigilance committee was
formed. Soapy threatened to shoot
upon sight any man that dared to at
tack him, and when four attempted to
make an arrest he put his cooked rifle
against the stomach of their leader.
the city engineer, whose name was
Frank Reid Reid grabbed the gun
and drew his revolver. but Smith
pulled the trigger and the ball passed
through Reid's body and came out of
his right hip. Al the same time Reid
fired two or three shots in rapid sue
"ession. and one OF his bullets pierced
, Soapy Smiths heart. while another
wounded him in tho leg. Before falling
Smith fred second shot. striking
Reid in the leg. Then both men fell
Soapy Smith stone dead and Frank
Reid mortally wounded. After this
the others of the gang were hunted
down and driven out Of the country.
asked Captain Baughman. who
knew Soapy Smith as to what became
al his money. The captain replied:
He spent il as fast as it came and
when he was killed he had nothing
TO speak of except about $500 of the
gold dust he had taken from Stewart
This was found in Il poke in his trunk
S"apy gave good deal to the men
who were with him. and lie was the
most charitable man that ever came
TO Alaska He paid the expenses of
many who went broke. and helped
! died. Soapy was always ready to spend
/ several hundred dollars on groceries
. I" send to his widow and children
I He was free also In his gifts Of money,
ana his orders for provisions to he
sent 10 the poor were such that hia
/ trade was worth hundreds OF dollars
week 10 several OF the Skagway
/ stores. Il was for this reason that
/ some OF the citizens said nothing
/ against him. Moreover every one
knew that Soapy's enemies had a
strange way Of disappearing and being
ncvcrinorc heard from"
TOWNS CHIEF BUSINESS
TIE SELLING OF CURIos
me SkaGway OF to-day is an orderly
/ community !, has good schools, wa
( r-works and sewers. electric lights
! ana telephones. a daily newspaper and
several churches, 1t has courthouse
+ or It's own. and jail for possible crimI-
hals. The chief business of the town
/ seems TO be the selling of curios TO
! the tourists, There are half dozen
. stores that sell icwclry. CARVINGS. moe
/ casinS, and baskets The jewelrv ia
/ made by the Indians. being pounded
Il out of silver dollars. The carvings are
of wairns tusks cut by the Eskimos
nd
/ manufactured by tho natives about
. Skagway and in other parts of Alaska
None of these things is cheap. The I'm
est baskets. little ones that will not
h"i> more than quart, bring from $50
10 500, while cigarette cases of the