Toward the end of July 1892, Jeff and John Bowers were arrested. Bowers had made the usual acquaintance of an out-of-towner named John Cully. Posing as a prospector, Bowers said he would like to show Cully some ore specimens. Entering a room above the Tivoli Club, the pair found the usual big hand swindle, staged and waiting. Invited to sit in, Cully flatly refused, and a fight erupted. By the time police arrived, the melee had progressed downstairs and outside. Cully was found cornered between a telegraph pole and a wagon, defending himself with an umbrella. Jeff, according to the Denver Republican, held a cigar cutter and Bowers a cane. Jeff denied connection with the fight, but a bystander told a different story. Jeff grew agitated, accused the bystander of lying, and reaching over the shoulder of one of the officers, struck the witness between the eyes with his fist. Jeff, Bowers, and Cully were arrested, the Tivoli Club was closed for the night, and Jeff was charged with assault. Not known is how the fracas was resolved, but it probably followed a familiar pattern. Jeff’s friend John Kinneavy went to the Denver jail to post bail. At the hearing the defense argued that the trouble was just the result of a misunderstanding. That is, if charges for the arrest ever made it to a hearing. Jeff’s influence among both the police and city officials was well in hand at this time. The city license for the Tivoli Club, under the name of William Deutsch, had come due, and it was renewed without objection. As for Cully, he likely paid a fine, finished his Denver business, and did not set foot on Seventeenth Street again except to go to his train at Union Station. -ALIAS SOAPY SMITH, pp 247-48. _______________________________________________________ THEYRE NOT DOLLS, THEYRE ACTION FIGURES! Some of you might recall that I made a few Soapy Smith action figures. I also started making some of the key members of the Soap Gang as well. I use original photographs as a guide for clothing, etc. One of my goals has been to reenact scenes from Soapys adventures. Eventually, I plan to make a step-by-step collection of the Shootout on Juneau Wharf. Its fun, and it gives a little life to some of the stories.
Posted on: Fri, 05 Dec 2014 00:26:38 +0000