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Jefferson
Randolph "Soapy" Smith (1860 to 1898) stands out as the greatest and
most infamous con artist of the Old West.
Born in Georgia, he rose to become
known as the "King of the Frontier Con Men." He operated across
Texas, Colorado and Alaska during the Klondike Gold Rush. His signature scam
was the "prize soap racket": he'd wrap bars of soap, claim some
contained $100 bills, and auction them off. Shills in the crowd would
"win" big prizes to hype it up, while most buyers got plain soap.
This simple sleight-of-hand built his reputation and fortune.
Smith didn't just run small street
hustles. He organized large gangs (the "Soap Gang") that ran shell
games, three-card monte, crooked gambling, and other cons. He bribed officials,
controlled parts of towns, and posed as a civic leader donating to causes while
ruling the underworld. His reign ended on July 8, 1898, when he was shot dead
in a gunfight.
Gold, Murder and Monsters in the Superstition Mountains
Arizona Legends and Lore
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