The Nome nugget., 1924-04-12
tReprint.,d from Alaska Weekly)

"Soapy" Smith. more properly Jef- erson R. Smith. the bad man, who, for time. dominated wild ole ment that gathered at SKagway and Dyea, the gateway to .he Yukon i7 the Klondike rush days, was kno~n to every person who participated n the historic stampede 10 the gold fields of the interior. says a recent number of the Dawson News. and TO publishes an accoun. of the tragic ending of Smith and Flank II. Red, both of whom were killed in bat''" to the death at Skagway. which ap- peared in the Skagway News of July
 s. 1898, as follows:
 "soapy" Smith is dead! sh 4 through the heart. his cold body lies on slab at Peoples undertakine
 Larlors and the confidence men ard hunco steerers which have had the'r
 hea dquarters here fer some tirae .ave suddenly taken 'neir departure the tragic death of their leader hay ing completely unnerv"d them. It was at 9:30 last n'eht that tAe checkered career of .'Sotpy Snith
 was brought to sui len end by .oS calibre bullet from :evolv+r Tn
 the unerrine hand of City Surveyor Frini H. Reid, while the latter lies d, the hospital dange iou.'y wodnd',l I b. 6 bulle, from Smith ,is;r The cause which ,eG ID to ,Ae trouble which ended Smith hs fife had r. it's origin in the morning shortly be-
 fore 10 o'clock, when J. D. Stewart,
 young man just out from Dawsor,
 was robbed of sack containing from 1" to fifteen pounds of gold. There are conflicting stories as to how the
 robbery was committed. the accepted version being that Stewart desired to sell his gold. and that one Bowers, a
 well known member of Smiths gang represented to Stewart that he was here for the purpose of buying gold fer some big assaying company be-
 low.
 The unsuspecting stranger accom- panied Bowers to point in the rear 1 of Smiths place on Holly Avenue, near the Mondamin hotel, where, it lis alleged, two of Bowers pals were l in waiting. when the three men over powered Stewart, wrestling the gold, containing s2.67O. from his hands. and disappeared around the adjoin- ling buildings, leaving the returned iKlondiker as poor as when he started fcr the land of gold and hardships nearly year before.
 As soon as the news of the bold and daring broad daylight robbery became circulated about the city, there was a fire of indignation. Peo-
 pie were inexpressibly surprised and shocked that such a fragrant outrage tshould have been committed in the; city. Business men quietly discussed the situation, and feeling assured that it was Smiths men who did the jcb, many of the best and most infu-
 eEtial of our citizens went quietly to the leader and informed him that the gold must be returned. and that
 he and his gang must shake the dust "t 'SkaeWay from the'r feet.
 During the earlier part of the ex- citement. Smith partially promised several men, including the writer, that, in case there was no roar. made in the papers, the gold would he returned by o'clock last evening. and that his influence would be used to prevent his men from in any way Interfering with returning Klondik- CTS in the future.
 The promise was not kept, how ever, nor was the gold returned. On the contrary, Smith began to drink heavily and talk in rash, defiant manner. When told by News rep
 
 returned there would be trouble last night, Smith replied: By -, trouble is what am looking for" He got it in way he least expected.
 The gold not being returned public indignation continued to increase un- til at o'clock it had reached fever heat. Cool heads prevailed, how ever, and no outward demonstration was made, although there was an ominous look worn by several hund- red men, including the best of Skag- ways citizens, which plainly said: men must go." At g o'clock last night a meeting was started in Sylvester's Hall, but the space being inadequate to handle the k~1