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Soapy's Weapons
"Soapy
Smith, an expert gunman though not
a killer, probably never saw so many guns
as the owners have claimed were once
his."
Alaska Sportsman magazine, September, 1957
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Pictured here are some of the guns alleged to have once belonged to Soapy Smith. Some are indisputable
while others are questionable. There are many weapons that owners claim were Soapy's but most have no evidence
and we decided not to show them here. Below is an authenticity rating that is listed with each gun shown. Although
grading the authenticity is not fool-proof, neither is it strictly guess work. It is governed by the available information
and facts pertaining to each item. Disagreements are sure to occur.
Authenticity
Rating Guide
1. Indisputable: Proof of ownership
by Soapy exists.
2. Possible: Little to no proof
but there is reliable circumstantial evidence.
3. Slight: No proof and little if any reliable circumstantial evidence.
4. None: No proof or circumstantial
evidence.
Si Tanner, one of the guards
on Juneau wharf the night Soapy was killed, was appointed the new U.S. deputy marshal. It is written in Soapy's estate
property reports that Si personally handed the rifle to Soapy's son, Jefferson R. Smith, III when he and his mother arrived
in Skagway in August, 1898. They had come to collect what was left of the estate. In later years it was reported that Si gave
away guns to people, claiming they once belonged to Soapy. How many guns and what models are not known.
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| The rifle Soapy died with |
The photograph above shows the actual rifle Soapy used against Frank Reid on
July 8, 1898. This rifle, a Winchester rifle, model 1892, 44-40 was given to the son of Soapy a few weeks after the gunfight,
by acting deputy marshal J. M. Tanner. The rifle still remains in the Smith family in New York. Authenticity
rating: Indisputable.
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| Winchester model 1892 rifle, 44-40 |
This is not Soapy’s rifle but rather the same make and model.
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| The Havorsen Rifle |
An 1866 Winchester rifle, said to have been owned by Soapy that
was sold or given away by a merchant in Skagway.
On
October 14, 2006 Douglas Halvorsen approached Jeff Smith wishing to sell this rifle to him. Several email and phone conversations
between October 14 and November 5, 2006, discussed at length the possibilities of ownership by Soapy Smith. Halvorsen insisted
to Jeff that his rifle was the one that Soapy used to kill Frank Reid and would not accept Jeff's explanation that the
real rifle had been given to Soapy's son in August of 1898 by the acting Deputy Marshal Tanner and remains in family possession.
Halvorsen stated that he had inherited the rifle along with documents dated August 20, 1901 that state that his rifle was
given or sold to another man. However the paperwork does not specifically identify the rifle by model or other means of knowing
that the rifle in question was actually the one given away in 1901. It is important to note that this is not the first or
only time a gun was given away in Skagway by residents claiming that their gun was once owned by Soapy.
John Culligan, our Historical Weapons Analyst states that the Model 66 Winchester was a .44 rimfire, a relatively weak .44 caliber compared to the .44-40 caliber.
The next Winchester model manufactured was the Model 1873, but the 1873 model was still nearly identical to the Model 66 in
size, weight and the action....a fairly heavy arm, even in carbine length. The next model that used the .44-40 and other
pistol cartridges, was the 1892 model rifle which was much lighter, shorter, and had a new action that was stronger and required
a lot less movement to lever in and fire another round. I would speculate Soapy would have favored it over a Model 66 and
even a Model 1873.
The offer from Halvorsen to purchase the rifle was thoughtfully declined by Jeff Smith. Another
issue Jeff has with the rifle is the model and age. Photographs taken of Klondike gold rush stampeders and merchants clearly
show that newer models were in great abundance. For a man as powerful and egotistical as Soapy was, this rifle was too old
of a model for his image to have bothered with.
Auction description:
Lot
1349: A Winchester Model 1866 lever action rifle attributed to outlaw Soapy Smith. Serial no. 121364 for 1873, .44 caliber.
24 inch octagonal barrel with full magazine. Plain varnished walnut stock and fore-end. Sling swivels. Together with documentation
attributing the gun to Jefferson "Soapy" Smith comprising: 1) Letter on pictorial letterhead of Keelar The Money
King of Alaska, reading "Dear Upson/A Portland man from Dawson named Slavin will leave here tonight with the Gun that
Soapy Smith killed Reid with he promised me to deliver same to you with my compliments/Yours Keelar." With pictorial
envelope postmarked Skagway 1901. Condition: Gun: Good to very good. Barrel and tube with mottled brown patina showing some
minor pitting. Action with dents and scratches. Wood showing wear and scattered marks, left side of fore-end with large chip
to left side and smaller chips to right. Paperwork showing folds and minor tears. Footnote: Details of the gunfight have
never been made clear but it is known that Smith carried a rifle with which he shot Reid. According to many sources it
was a Model 1892 Winchester, whereabouts evidently unknown. The last remark in the footnote is the culmination of what Jeff Smith suspected. The
statement, "According to many sources it was a Model 1892 Winchester, whereabouts evidently unknown." is
an outright lie, instigated either by Halvorsen or Bohams/Butterfield Auction house. The conversation of the Soapy Smith
rifle and family possession of it are clearly noted in the email dated October 14, 2006 and in others dated later, as well
as was discussed thoroughly in several phone conversations. The rifle sold at
Bohams auctions in San Francisco on May 15, 2007 for $7,000 plus Premium and tax. Authenticity
rating (the rifle that Soapy used against Frank Reid): None Authenticity rating
(once owned by Soapy Smith): Slight to None
| Soapy's revolver rests beside his corpse |
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| Soapy Smith in the morgue |
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| Close-up of Soapy's double-action revolver |
This is
a close-up of Soapy's double action revolver that was placed on his corpse in the morgue. Looking at the trigger clearly
indicates that it is a double action. Which make and model is harder to verify. It is most probably Soapy's but it is
possible that someone placed the revolver there to make the photograph more dramatic.
Authenticity
rating: Possible to Indisputable.
| Colt 1889 New Army or Navy |
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| Probable model of revolver Soapy owned |
This is not Soapy's revolver. In examining the only known photograph of Soapy's pistol
as it lay upon his corpse in the morgue, it can only be positively identified as a double-action. There are several different
brands of this style revolver that look very similar, therefore the actual model
cannot be positively determined. The Colt's model 1889 New Army (.41 caliber) and Navy (.38 caliber) double-action
look very similar and was very popular in 1898 during the Spanish-American War.
Teddy Roosevelt carried one in battle that had been salvaged from the USS Maine. The New Army
was first introduced in 1889, sometimes called the “.41 frame” for the original caliber made. It was the basis
for their very successful line of .38 and .41 caliber, New Army (.41) and Navy (.38) ancestor of the Colt line of full size
service revolvers.
| The Selmer Revolver |
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| Revolver said to be Soapy's |
This revolver is said to have originally belonged to Josias M. "Si" Tanner, who claimed that it once belonged
to Soapy. The gun was later acquired by Harriet Pullen and showcased in the famed Harriet Pullen Collection. Engraved
on the butt of the gun are J. M. Tanner Deputy U.S. Marshal. On the gun butt, near the hammer, it is engraved Soapy
Smith and H.S. Pullen 1898. The gun used to reside in a retail shop in Skagway on display in a glass case along
with other Soapy mementos and the Colt manufacturing paperwork. It is owned by Maxine Selmer. The fact that the gun may have
belonged to Tanner does cast some doubt on whether it was actually once owned by Soapy. Tanner has been accused of giving
away several guns to people, claiming that they were once owned by the legendary bad man. The authenticity of this revolver
remains a mystery. Authenticity rating:
Slight to Possible.
This revolver is said
to have belonged to Soapy and obtained by partner John Clancy in Skagway, Alaska and passed down to John's son Frank J.
Clancy. The serial number indicates a manufacture year of 1891 but the grips are replacements made after 1895.
The write-up published with this photograph in the
September, 1957 issue of Alaska Sportsman magazine runs parallel to the general assumption held by the Soapy Smith
Preservation Trust, "Soapy Smith, an expert gunman though not a killer, probably never saw so many guns as the
owners have claimed were once his."
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| Another angle of the Clancy revolver |
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| Clancy revolver and brass knuckles said to be Soapy's |
Another angle of the Clancy revolver along with the holster and
two brass knuckles that supposedly belonged to Soapy Smith, published in the March, 1958 issue of Alaska Sportsman
magazine. The where-abouts of these items are unknown. Authenticity Rating: Possible
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| The Rev. Sinclair Derringer |
This is a photograph of a Colt Model 3 Derringer .41 rim-fire that appears in Mission:
Klondike, the story of Reverend John A. Sinclair's adventures in Alaska and the Klondike during the gold rush, written
by the Reverend's son in 1978. The derringer is said to have been the derringer carried by Soapy. There are two stories
in the same book as to how he obtained the gun. In one chapter it is explained that in lieu of payment for his services in
the burial of Soapy, he asked for some personal memento of Soapy's. A vigilante gave him this gun and said it was Soapy's.
However, the caption with the photograph states that the gun was given to Reverend Sinclair by the widow Smith.
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| Examples of the same model |
It is unlikely that this gun was Soapy's. The main reasoning behind this is that it
is a rim-fire derringer made in the early 1870's. In 1898, the main cartridge used were center-fire. The mere fact that
Soapy might have owned such an outdated gun is foolish. Obtaining ammo for a rim-fire derringer in Alaska and the Klondike
would have to be next to impossible. It is believed that the Reverend was duped into accepting a worthless relic as payment
for his labor. Authenticity Rating: Slight to None.
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Thanks go out to John “Grub” Culligan, Historical
Weapons Analyst
for his grand assistance with identifying some of the guns above.
No images may be used without prior written consent.
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