Show CRIME CEM AT TOUGH f OF CRIMINALS WIPED OUT henry Byda Ryd atrom tons tells of cf the timing of soapy So py smith A chicago chleada man iff islow how W taft bid 14 of a desperado E ENRY N R Y R Y 1 D DS STROM formerly a chicago man but now a citizen of Sk aguay alaska I 1 was an eyewitness ness I 1 of the fight in which the notorious soapy smith was 1111 killed in th that at place by city surveyor I 1 0 reed he stood in fact where the desperado almost fell against him when reed shot him mr has been in since last january and has seen the rapid growth of the place from simply a group of tents constantly being put up and constantly taken away as the migrating herds of humanity came and wont went from the start soapy smiths reign has been supreme he had a gang of twenty nine toughs all as desperate as himself and all completely und under er his control like the able leader in villainy he be was he had his crew well distributed among the municipal offices and in all places where they could be used to best further his Ec schemes hernes and to best afford prote protection action to himself and the gang boss tweed never in his paim pal test day had such a perfectly and systematically organized band of robbers there were always three of them in the city council c il his first lieutenant was the deputy ity city marshal and his second officer was waa the editor of the one dally daily paper in aba town the others were disposed to afa tile lest advantage possible smith was a genius and a genera I 1 la in his line his place was among the high officials where he acted as adviser and director in all ohp affairs of the city he could easily have been the mayor had he chosen n but that would not suit his purpose half so well as being in the position lie he occupied his hand was never actually seen in any of the villainies villa inies intes perpetrated and it was known how useless a task it w would have been to try and fasten any of the crimes upon him but everyone knew he was the leader of the gang just the I 1 I 1 I 1 7 17 1 I I 1 51 5 1 J 4 1 I 1 11 I 1 1 I 1 1 f T I 1 0 I 1 I 1 t 11 A R E w rz 11 t 11 I 1 i aw I 1 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 11 N ya k 1 I 1 1 h I 1 t I 1 am FOURTH OF JULY IN I 1 same soapy however ho weer was an admirable strategist and often laid plans for bold robberies that completely deceived the good and honest citizens and invariably proved successful one of these theae schemes which was carried through with masterly generalship will serve to illustrate the ability of the man as a leader and a campaign planner there was a canadian minister in town who was anxious to raise enough money to build a church for his congregation it was soapy smith who put him in the right way to accomplish his purpose he advised the minister to make a personal canvass of the town and solicit subscriptions from the prominent business men to show his genuine interest in the matter he at once put down his name and really gave up in cash toward the project this liberal donation had a marked effect upon the other good citizens they all subscribed liberally and the mi minister nister was gratified to find that in a very short abort time he had raised several thousand dollars but that money never was used to build a church the minister had no sooner completed his work and had the money in his possession than he was waylaid and robbed of the whole sum it is a certainty that soapy had his duly returned to him and with a liberal interest added while the rest of the gang to the same certainty profited individually according to their rank in Soa Sea pys army of robb robbers but such was waa this mans power that no one dared openly denounce hinl him it was bad enough to know that he be systematically plundered from the strangers who chanced to land in with gold dust dist but it was worse when his seb scheming eming brain devised plans to rob his fellow citizens and set his band to earry carry them out and yet his reign continued tin u ed though had grown to be a city of business men he was at the height of his power just previous to his being killed on the fourth of july had resolved to be patrIo patriotic Uc and a geak gedral 1 l celebration was waa inaugurated one of the features was waa a grand parade and in this soapy smith was the leader but even nau then matters were shing shaping themselves to brine about his destruction about the I 1 first arst of july a miner had I 1 1 1 4 I 1 come into town from tle the north norm witt with some in gold one of the 99 succeeded in getting him in town and took him to one of the dens where tha robberies were committed it wa was S smiths policy never to use extreme eitrem 8 measures when it could be avoided although a murder or two cut no fleure with these villains the ordinary plan was to get the victim drunk and draw him into a shell game and thus relieve him of his money in a legitimate manner in this way the minor was robbed of hla his he however made a vigorous kick and an effort waa aa made to induce soapy to gle give up the spoils but this soapy would not do and the refusal led to his tragic end for the first time since his reign began he was publicly denounced there were open and private meetings held and measures were in the way ot of adoption to depose the boss on july 8 a large number of the citizens had congregated on the wharf and the city gurve surveyor was just calling upon the people to take some decisive action and drive smith and his gang out of town when the desperado himself appeared upon the scene winchester tn hand he deliberately shot reed who ho fell to the ground but wounded wounded and I 1 I 1 dying as he was he pulled his pistol and shot smith in the th P head killing kill ing him instantly |