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Jefferson Randolph 'Soapy' Smith

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Outlaw

The Resume

    (November 2, 1860-July 8, 1898)
    Born in Coweta County, Georgia
    Nicknamed 'The Skagway Scallywag'
    Operated confidence schemes throughout the Klondike
    Owned a saloon and ran a fraudulent land/information agency
    Notorious for his 'prize soap racket'
    Killed in the shootout on Juneau Wharf in Skagway (July 8, 1898)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was a crooked entrepreneur and a swindler.
    He came from a family of slave owners.
    He would sell bars of soap with prize money hidden in some of the bars' packaging in order to increase sales (hence the 'Soapy' moniker, if it wasn't already obvious).
    Through sleight-of-hand, he would ensure that only members of his gang purchased 'prize soap.'
    His racket was so successful it financed his organized criminal operations in both Colorado and the District of Alaska.
    He tried to infiltrate a vigilantes meeting which assembled after his gang scored some $2,600 in gold from a Klondike miner in an illegal Three-card Monte game, prompting a shootout.
    His last words were reported to have been him shouting, 'My God, don't shoot!' before getting a bullet to the heart.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was portrayed by Clark Gable and Rod Steiger in films.
    As an 18 year-old, he witnessed Sam Bass being shot by Texas Rangers.
    He grew rich from confidence schemes but was also known to give money away freely to build churches, help the poor, and even to pay for the funerals of prostitutes.
    When the Spanish American War began in 1898, Smith formed his voluntary militia with the approval of the U.S. War Department.
    Spanish forces never threatened Alaskan Territory, and his contribution to the war effort consisted of his leading his troops on horseback during the Fourth of July Parade in Skagway in 1898, but its the thought that counts, right?

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


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Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying