1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: Welcome to Stuff you Missed in History Class from housetop 2 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:14,200 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. My 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:16,479 Speaker 1: name is Holly Fry. I'm an editor here at houstupp 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: Works dot com. And across from me is the fabulous 5 00:00:19,360 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: noun Kid. Oh, I'm Tracy P. Wilson. And and we're 6 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:26,000 Speaker 1: going to resume what we were talking about previously, Yes, 7 00:00:26,840 --> 00:00:31,600 Speaker 1: which is the real Elsewhere Engine. And we recorded the 8 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:33,320 Speaker 1: first part of the podcast in which we kind of 9 00:00:33,320 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 1: talked about the parts of his biography that kind of 10 00:00:36,560 --> 00:00:39,240 Speaker 1: get glossed over in most accounts of his life. Yes, 11 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: his time, you know, as a pioneer child, and his 12 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,239 Speaker 1: time riding the rails and learning the trade of a 13 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:48,400 Speaker 1: bar keep and even serving in the Civil War. And 14 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: when we left off, he was in the Dakota Territories 15 00:00:51,880 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: in Custer City, and as Custer City was emptying out 16 00:00:57,480 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: and everyone was heading to Deadwood where there had been 17 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:07,080 Speaker 1: a gold strike, he followed suit. And that's why he 18 00:01:07,160 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: bought a lot in Deadwood. Yes, and that was early 19 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy six, so it was almost immediately after he 20 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 1: got there. Um, and at night he ran a saloon 21 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:19,880 Speaker 1: out of a tent on a lot, which just sounds 22 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 1: completely legitimate business. Well it did. Then everything was running 23 00:01:24,080 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: out of a tent, well, and he did eventually make 24 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:29,880 Speaker 1: this into an actual permanent structure. Yeah, you kind of 25 00:01:29,920 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: have to admire his work ethic because basically he was 26 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: working at night running the saloon, and then during the 27 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,280 Speaker 1: day he was supervising and working on the building of 28 00:01:38,319 --> 00:01:41,520 Speaker 1: the permanent structure. So he was basically just working around 29 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,319 Speaker 1: the clock to build his business. Yes, even if it 30 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: was maybe not the most noble of enterprises in some ways, 31 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,560 Speaker 1: I have to admire his work ethics right. Well, And 32 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: as we talked about last time, he had at this 33 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: point a pretty extensive law breaking history. Yeah, he had 34 00:01:57,680 --> 00:02:00,640 Speaker 1: some trouble with entering into business contract that he really 35 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: had no intention of fulfilling his part of. Right, So 36 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: while he was trying to get this new business off 37 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: the ground, he had to do an unfortunate stent in 38 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:15,800 Speaker 1: prison when it finally caught up. Yeah. We mentioned it 39 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,519 Speaker 1: in the previous episode in part one that he had 40 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: been charged for selling alcohol in what was then referred 41 00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: to his Indian country. Uh, he was selling Spiritus liquors, 42 00:02:28,160 --> 00:02:31,120 Speaker 1: and so he had run from that to Deadwood but 43 00:02:31,160 --> 00:02:33,040 Speaker 1: of course he didn't go that far, so caught up 44 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:34,760 Speaker 1: to him pretty quickly, and he did a little a 45 00:02:34,760 --> 00:02:37,600 Speaker 1: little bit of time in Yankton in prison, and that 46 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 1: caused him to to miss out on a pretty important 47 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 1: event in what would become his business, yes, which is 48 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:49,360 Speaker 1: the arrival of the first prostitutes. He was not there 49 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,360 Speaker 1: that day because he was in jail. But although it 50 00:02:53,480 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: was right before he got out, I kind of wonder 51 00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:58,359 Speaker 1: if he was in jail to being like, hi, I'm 52 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,560 Speaker 1: missing all the fun um. The July of eighteen seventy six, 53 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: the first prostitutes arrived. People were extremely happy about this. 54 00:03:06,560 --> 00:03:09,519 Speaker 1: There was cheering in the streets, yes, because remember these 55 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:18,359 Speaker 1: are prospector towns were almost entirely men the most profitable. Yeah, 56 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: not a luxury set up at all, so pretty much 57 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: any entertainment was welcomed. Uh. And along with the first 58 00:03:25,480 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: prostitutes in town, there was also a theater troupe that 59 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:32,680 Speaker 1: arrived that was also welcomed because people needed all kinds 60 00:03:32,680 --> 00:03:38,000 Speaker 1: of entertainment and they wanted diversion. So that was he 61 00:03:38,120 --> 00:03:41,880 Speaker 1: missed out on the first entertainment really getting there. And 62 00:03:41,920 --> 00:03:45,080 Speaker 1: since he was kind of setting out in the entertainment industry. 63 00:03:45,760 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: It's a little, uh, a little bad luck on his 64 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:51,120 Speaker 1: part that he was in prison at the time. Maybe 65 00:03:51,160 --> 00:03:52,800 Speaker 1: he felt like he had to make up for lost 66 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:56,480 Speaker 1: time and that contributed to the things that happened later. 67 00:03:56,760 --> 00:03:59,240 Speaker 1: But he was released at the end of July, so 68 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:01,400 Speaker 1: all of that was bepending within one month. And then 69 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: the following month. Uh, that August of eighteen seventy six, 70 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:08,640 Speaker 1: there was a lot of things. There were many, many 71 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:12,680 Speaker 1: things going on in Deadwood. On the first seth Bullock 72 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:16,080 Speaker 1: and Saul Star arrived in Deadwood. Um Bullock went on 73 00:04:16,120 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: to become sheriff uh because almost immediately after they got there, 74 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: while Bill Hickok was murdered in Deadwood and it made 75 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 1: it apparent that they needed a lawman. Uh. And those 76 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:30,039 Speaker 1: are also figures that you know, most people that have 77 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:35,560 Speaker 1: studied any of the Black Hills history would immediately recognize. 78 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:37,280 Speaker 1: And it's just sort of interesting. This is such a 79 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:42,160 Speaker 1: historical nexus point like that summer really kind of was 80 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:45,239 Speaker 1: an explosion of events that kind of created a domino 81 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:47,800 Speaker 1: effect in many many ways. UH. And we won't go 82 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 1: into it here since we're focusing primarily just on uh 83 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:55,960 Speaker 1: swarringin but he and Bullock always had sort of an 84 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:01,560 Speaker 1: antagonist kind of dramatic and argumentative relationship where at one 85 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: point there have been stories that they actually drew a 86 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:06,640 Speaker 1: line down Main Street and one side was for one 87 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 1: of them and one side was for the other. I mean, 88 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: which is like, you know, seventies sitcom, but it really is, uh, 89 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: you know, something that that allegedly happened at the time. 90 00:05:17,040 --> 00:05:20,480 Speaker 1: So there's a lot of other interesting people at this 91 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:22,960 Speaker 1: point in history that I think it's such a rich 92 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:25,600 Speaker 1: sort of area to mine. We may have to revisit 93 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,320 Speaker 1: it at some point in the future. So a week 94 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:33,160 Speaker 1: and a half after wild Bill died, is wind swearing 95 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: and opened the Cricket Saloon, sadly also on the same 96 00:05:36,760 --> 00:05:40,040 Speaker 1: day as a small box outbreak hit. I'm telling you, 97 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: August was very busy. August was a tough month. So 98 00:05:42,960 --> 00:05:45,960 Speaker 1: this was a kind of weirdly proportioned place to me. 99 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:50,000 Speaker 1: It was reportedly eight ft wide sixty ft long, so 100 00:05:50,040 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: a very long, narrow place. Yes, presumably to fit the 101 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:57,799 Speaker 1: lot he had purchased, but it doesn't stay that size 102 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: because this is a man of ambition, and he almost 103 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 1: immediately after the structure was completed he started to expand 104 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:10,680 Speaker 1: the building. He wanted to provide a larger entertainment hall. Uh. 105 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:12,880 Speaker 1: And one of the things that he did, as kind 106 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: of a teaser of what sorts of entertainments were to come, 107 00:06:17,040 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: was that he would host in that small space bare 108 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:28,080 Speaker 1: knuckle boxing matches, like really rough, hardcore fights that got 109 00:06:28,120 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: really extremely violent. And if you can imagine it crammed 110 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:33,600 Speaker 1: into that tiny space with a bunch of people betting 111 00:06:33,640 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: and arguing and yelling and probably pretty intoxicated, that's an 112 00:06:38,560 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: intense scene. So yeah, Um, once he had expanded it, 113 00:06:44,320 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: he changed the name to the Gem Variety Theater, which 114 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:51,159 Speaker 1: is how it became known pretty much throughout history just 115 00:06:51,200 --> 00:06:54,279 Speaker 1: as the Gem right right, that's the name that everybody 116 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,280 Speaker 1: still remembers and associates with him. Yeah, And it was 117 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:00,680 Speaker 1: so it stood on the corner of Wall in Main Street. Um. 118 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,080 Speaker 1: And remember Deadwood was really barely coming together at this point, 119 00:07:04,120 --> 00:07:06,960 Speaker 1: so it was really one of the formative buildings of 120 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:10,440 Speaker 1: the main square of town at that point. Yea. Um. 121 00:07:10,600 --> 00:07:13,240 Speaker 1: But here's what I find really interesting, because we do 122 00:07:13,440 --> 00:07:16,040 Speaker 1: talk a lot, not just we, you and I, but 123 00:07:17,080 --> 00:07:19,520 Speaker 1: peep anybody that's interested in history. A lot of what 124 00:07:19,600 --> 00:07:22,840 Speaker 1: gets talked about is swearing gin seedy enterprises, of which 125 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: there were many. But he also sort of envisioned himself 126 00:07:27,560 --> 00:07:32,560 Speaker 1: as really like this purveyor of fabulous entertainment, Like he 127 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:36,840 Speaker 1: really hired some pretty impressive acts to appear in his 128 00:07:36,920 --> 00:07:39,040 Speaker 1: theater once it was complete, Like I think he really 129 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:43,520 Speaker 1: thought he was setting up like the Western equivalent of Broadway. Um. 130 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:48,360 Speaker 1: He booked African American comedians Oscar Willison, Tom Jefferson. He 131 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:50,760 Speaker 1: booked an act called the McDonald's, which was a father 132 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:53,680 Speaker 1: daughter roller skating act, which don't you wish you could 133 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: time travel and see that? Uh. He booked trapeze artists, 134 00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:01,400 Speaker 1: and he even hired some of the Lakota to perform 135 00:08:01,440 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: their war salp, scalp and squaw dances, which I can 136 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: only imagine what that entailed. Um. And of course that 137 00:08:09,400 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: was kind of like a shock theater experience, I imagine 138 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: for a lot of the people that were in Deadwood 139 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:16,120 Speaker 1: at the time. Well, and and so a lot of 140 00:08:16,120 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: the people who were on the stage there were people 141 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,119 Speaker 1: who might not have otherwise had a lot of opportunities 142 00:08:21,880 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: to be on stage because of local prejudices and that 143 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 1: sort of thing. So in that sense, the fact that 144 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,200 Speaker 1: he was giving opportunities to people who might not have 145 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,000 Speaker 1: been able to get a lot of performing gigs otherwise 146 00:08:34,840 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 1: one of the kind of good things. Although I have 147 00:08:37,320 --> 00:08:40,200 Speaker 1: a sneaking suspicion that really it was about exploiting people 148 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: that were desperate. He was trying to be positive because 149 00:08:44,040 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: I know, I know what's coming later. Well, we already 150 00:08:46,679 --> 00:08:48,840 Speaker 1: called that as good work ethics, so that's okay. Yeah. 151 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:51,640 Speaker 1: He also hired a full band to play the hall, 152 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:55,360 Speaker 1: and after any of the variety acts performed, the chairs 153 00:08:55,400 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 1: should be cleared and they would have dances just kind 154 00:08:58,280 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: of I I don't it seems kind of quaint in 155 00:09:02,000 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 1: its own way that they would do that. Um. And 156 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,520 Speaker 1: he even had a couple of masquerade balls over the 157 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:10,960 Speaker 1: course of the Gem's life, which is that we're apparently 158 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: these huge, really extravagant, fabulous events just sort of a 159 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:20,439 Speaker 1: little bit difficult to piece together, I know for me, Like, okay, 160 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:24,360 Speaker 1: so there were these wild acts, there was bare knuckleboxing, 161 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:31,160 Speaker 1: there were prostitutes around, and then an extravagant basketball doesn't 162 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:33,959 Speaker 1: really all go together, but for him it fits all 163 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: perfectly naturally. It was also pretty lucrative and he made 164 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:40,480 Speaker 1: a big success of it, so successful that he was 165 00:09:40,520 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 1: able to open a sister saloon in bear Butte, but 166 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,920 Speaker 1: that one was was it was it that that one 167 00:09:46,960 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 1: was not successful or was it just too much because 168 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:50,760 Speaker 1: that one only stayed open for a couple of years. 169 00:09:51,200 --> 00:09:55,200 Speaker 1: Most accounts that I have read suggests that without him 170 00:09:55,280 --> 00:09:57,160 Speaker 1: to really manage it, I mean, he was really the 171 00:09:57,240 --> 00:10:00,320 Speaker 1: visionary and without him being able to be there every 172 00:10:00,360 --> 00:10:02,880 Speaker 1: day like he was at the gym, it just couldn't 173 00:10:02,920 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: hold together. It just it needed the leadership that he provided. 174 00:10:07,280 --> 00:10:09,880 Speaker 1: The Gem, on the other hand, reportedly handled more money 175 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,600 Speaker 1: in a day than the bank did. Yeah. Yeah, it 176 00:10:12,679 --> 00:10:17,280 Speaker 1: was extremely popular, uh you know it. There have been 177 00:10:17,320 --> 00:10:20,680 Speaker 1: rumors that it was even known in other countries, like 178 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: people in Australia had heard tales of this Gem saloon 179 00:10:23,559 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 1: and and people across the US at the time had 180 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,840 Speaker 1: heard of it. And it's kind of fascinating to think 181 00:10:29,840 --> 00:10:32,360 Speaker 1: about because that was not an age where we had 182 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: the big advertising that we have now. We didn't have 183 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 1: access to all of the information we have now. Yet 184 00:10:37,240 --> 00:10:40,720 Speaker 1: the legend just spread on its own um as people 185 00:10:40,720 --> 00:10:43,000 Speaker 1: went and traveled the world. So he was recognized for 186 00:10:43,080 --> 00:10:47,000 Speaker 1: having a pretty shrewd business acumen, but periodically these weird 187 00:10:47,040 --> 00:10:49,760 Speaker 1: little stories of him being oddly kind will pop up. 188 00:10:50,600 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 1: There is one tale that he um one of the 189 00:10:54,480 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: acts that he had hired had a daughter, and the 190 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:02,080 Speaker 1: daughter was horribly burnt in an accident, and that al 191 00:11:02,160 --> 00:11:05,640 Speaker 1: actually closed down the gem for several days so that 192 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:07,800 Speaker 1: the girl could be there and convalesce and have someone 193 00:11:07,880 --> 00:11:11,040 Speaker 1: constantly watching over her, which, when you consider the amount 194 00:11:11,040 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: of money he was making each day, that's a pretty 195 00:11:12,840 --> 00:11:16,559 Speaker 1: significant sacrifice to make. And uh, you know, we don't 196 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: know why he chose to do that or why he would, 197 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,240 Speaker 1: you know, extend this odd courtesy to someone, but it 198 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: does kind of switch out for a moment, sort of 199 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:32,000 Speaker 1: the coloring of him as kind of a heartless, you know, 200 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:36,200 Speaker 1: entrepreneurial focused, like he only thought about the money. Well, 201 00:11:36,240 --> 00:11:38,560 Speaker 1: and it kind of reminds me to you bring it 202 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:41,360 Speaker 1: around to something fictional, it kind of reminds me of 203 00:11:41,440 --> 00:11:45,560 Speaker 1: Tony Soprano. And now occasionally he would do something really 204 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:48,319 Speaker 1: nice for one of the dancers that at the at 205 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,120 Speaker 1: Bottom Bang and you know, then he would cover up 206 00:11:51,160 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 1: somebody getting beaten to death in the parking lot. Yeah, 207 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:57,920 Speaker 1: like this that's sort of is what al swearing in 208 00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 1: reminds me a little like occasionally something might happen that 209 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:03,800 Speaker 1: makes you kind of go, oh, that was good. Well, 210 00:12:03,840 --> 00:12:07,760 Speaker 1: And I mean you can't presume, even somebody that leads 211 00:12:07,760 --> 00:12:10,559 Speaker 1: a pretty seedy life that they're not all mustache twirling, 212 00:12:11,040 --> 00:12:13,880 Speaker 1: caricature grade villains a lot of time. I mean, they're humans, 213 00:12:13,920 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 1: and they're likely to have moments where they are touched 214 00:12:16,520 --> 00:12:19,720 Speaker 1: by an event or feel sympathy or empathy for other people. 215 00:12:20,320 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: It's gonna happen anys human. Yes. On the other hand, 216 00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:25,640 Speaker 1: the gym was so rowdy that people would go there 217 00:12:25,679 --> 00:12:28,080 Speaker 1: just to watch the fights. Yeah. Not the fights like 218 00:12:28,120 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 1: the boxing that we were talking about earlier, the fights 219 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:36,319 Speaker 1: among patrons who were angry at each other and drunk. Yeah, patrons, employees, um, 220 00:12:36,360 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 1: you know, sometimes between the patrons and the staff, sometimes 221 00:12:39,120 --> 00:12:44,000 Speaker 1: staff on staff. Um. There is even a tale of 222 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: two women that worked at the bar that got in 223 00:12:46,559 --> 00:12:50,000 Speaker 1: a huge fight that culminated in shots being fired. But 224 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:54,040 Speaker 1: that and I love this part. The steel boning in 225 00:12:54,120 --> 00:12:57,520 Speaker 1: the intended targets corset actually deflected the bullets, which is 226 00:12:57,559 --> 00:13:02,160 Speaker 1: sort of just wonderful and hilarious. Uh. But yeah, Allegedly 227 00:13:02,200 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: I think they were fighting over a mom. But it's 228 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:09,040 Speaker 1: I mean, that's a pretty uh that puts the wild 229 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:12,360 Speaker 1: in the wild West for sure. I mean just fights 230 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 1: that breakout among employees that lead to gunfire, and also 231 00:13:16,640 --> 00:13:21,679 Speaker 1: fights that broke out between swearing Jon and his employees 232 00:13:22,040 --> 00:13:25,080 Speaker 1: and non employees. There was a story about one patron, 233 00:13:25,120 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: Thomas Clark, who had been thrown out for being abusive. 234 00:13:28,280 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: He came back with a gun and swearing Jon. Swearing 235 00:13:31,320 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 1: Jeon disarmed him and then beat him up and then 236 00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:38,280 Speaker 1: was charged with a salton battery and found not guilty. Um. 237 00:13:39,400 --> 00:13:44,000 Speaker 1: Similar physical confrontations also happened with women that worked for him. 238 00:13:44,040 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: So he's not he did not you know, he did 239 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,760 Speaker 1: not say okay, I'm only going to be like he 240 00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:57,400 Speaker 1: wasn't about who he would throw a punch at for sure. Uh. Yeah. 241 00:13:57,480 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: He kind of developed a reputation actually for being abusive 242 00:14:00,080 --> 00:14:03,440 Speaker 1: of women, um, and it would come up in the press. 243 00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: The local paper would often comment that he had been 244 00:14:07,160 --> 00:14:10,520 Speaker 1: seeing you know, hitting a woman or engaged in an 245 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:12,800 Speaker 1: argument with a woman, and and they kind of berated 246 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,800 Speaker 1: him publicly for his behavior. But it didn't seem to really, 247 00:14:16,040 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: um stop any of it. It just made him hate 248 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 1: the paper so so uh. And there are also tales 249 00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: of all kinds of you know, specific instances of fights 250 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:30,560 Speaker 1: and deaths that happened at the gem. Um. There was 251 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: a jealous lover murder, suicide. There was one instance that 252 00:14:34,880 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: just kind of grosses me out where two women got 253 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:40,800 Speaker 1: in a fight and one woman carved up the face 254 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: of another woman and allegedly even you know little eyeball scooping. Um, yeah, 255 00:14:47,120 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: it's pretty gross. And this one is really weird. There 256 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: was a logger who keeled over dead after going to 257 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: the bar and drinking like a shot of liquor. And 258 00:14:57,160 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: initially it was questioned as to whether or not swimming 259 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,960 Speaker 1: Gin was involved in something illicit, but it was determined 260 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,800 Speaker 1: that the logger had actually come in from working um 261 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:10,840 Speaker 1: out in the heat and had really quickly chugged ice 262 00:15:10,880 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: water and then gone to get the alcohol, and that 263 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,800 Speaker 1: it was actually the ice water that killed him. Um, 264 00:15:15,840 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 1: but what an odd story to have attached to your business. Um. 265 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: So he so all of that had happened like right 266 00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:26,640 Speaker 1: before he walked into the gym and ordered his drink. Um. 267 00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:30,280 Speaker 1: And then, of course, Calamity Jane was a figure that 268 00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:33,200 Speaker 1: sometimes appeared at the gym, and there's one story of 269 00:15:33,240 --> 00:15:35,520 Speaker 1: a night where she and Ike Brown came to the 270 00:15:35,560 --> 00:15:37,840 Speaker 1: saloon and they were carrying the head of a sue 271 00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:42,320 Speaker 1: that Brown had killed. This is really gory, so if 272 00:15:42,400 --> 00:15:46,400 Speaker 1: you are touchy of stomach, just be aware. They allegedly 273 00:15:46,440 --> 00:15:49,160 Speaker 1: were cutting off pieces of the head and selling them 274 00:15:49,240 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: for a dollar apiece, which is just as gruesome as 275 00:15:52,920 --> 00:15:57,000 Speaker 1: it gets. Um. And that there was even one story 276 00:15:57,040 --> 00:15:59,640 Speaker 1: that I read where Ike Brown had said that he 277 00:15:59,680 --> 00:16:02,520 Speaker 1: was to eat the remainder of the head, like he 278 00:16:02,640 --> 00:16:06,880 Speaker 1: was really really horrifying. Um. And apparently Seth Bullock was 279 00:16:06,960 --> 00:16:10,080 Speaker 1: so horrified by the whole thing that he snuck in 280 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,560 Speaker 1: stole the head from Brown, who was presumably drunk, and 281 00:16:12,600 --> 00:16:14,720 Speaker 1: he actually buried it behind the gym because he just 282 00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 1: had had enough and thought it was way too gruesome. 283 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:23,120 Speaker 1: Gives me the shivers a little. So through all of 284 00:16:23,200 --> 00:16:27,400 Speaker 1: the all then it seems pretty insane to me, the 285 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 1: amount of abuse and fighting and deaths and horror that 286 00:16:32,040 --> 00:16:36,400 Speaker 1: was going on in this place of business. There were 287 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:40,000 Speaker 1: still variety shows going on, like there was still entertainment 288 00:16:40,720 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: coming in to perform there, Like I'm not quite sure 289 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:46,520 Speaker 1: how and this may you may be right that he 290 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: was not so much that he was giving opportunities to 291 00:16:48,760 --> 00:16:51,680 Speaker 1: people that did not have them. Otherwise, it does seem 292 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:55,320 Speaker 1: kind of like people would maybe think twice about getting 293 00:16:55,360 --> 00:16:58,320 Speaker 1: on the stage when it was likely that you know, 294 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:02,720 Speaker 1: the audience made get their firearms out halfway through, yeah, 295 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:07,120 Speaker 1: and began shooting one another during the performance. But then 296 00:17:07,400 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 1: he hired a pretty accomplished theater man, this bestpian named 297 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 1: Harry Montague, who was extremely accomplished, recognized like he had, 298 00:17:16,280 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: you know, his name was a brand in theater, and 299 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:24,239 Speaker 1: he really staged these huge and elaborate productions, including they 300 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:28,399 Speaker 1: did a version of the Makado there um that really 301 00:17:28,480 --> 00:17:36,359 Speaker 1: kind of garnered some praise critically um. But when he left, 302 00:17:36,560 --> 00:17:39,640 Speaker 1: things kind of started to fall apart a little bit. 303 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:42,800 Speaker 1: It was almost like the theatricality had kind of rescued 304 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:45,760 Speaker 1: the gem's reputation a little bit, or at least, you know, 305 00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:50,000 Speaker 1: grown big enough that it hid some of the other 306 00:17:50,040 --> 00:17:52,760 Speaker 1: things that had surpassed the all of the crazy fights 307 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:56,399 Speaker 1: and bis are selling of people's parts and uh. But 308 00:17:56,480 --> 00:17:59,520 Speaker 1: Montacue departed. He had left at one point but then 309 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,880 Speaker 1: come back. But when he finally departed, the gem really 310 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,640 Speaker 1: started to flounder. Uh, And they didn't have the huge 311 00:18:05,640 --> 00:18:09,399 Speaker 1: stage shows to draw crowds, and so the profits dropped 312 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:11,159 Speaker 1: off because those people would stick around out of the 313 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:13,840 Speaker 1: show and drink, and without them there anymore, they just 314 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,840 Speaker 1: weren't making the same amount of money that they had been. UM. 315 00:18:18,119 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 1: Larndon actually sold it for a little while and brought 316 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:23,880 Speaker 1: it back. Yeah, and somewhere in there he also tried 317 00:18:23,920 --> 00:18:25,879 Speaker 1: to make it into like an eatery, like a diner 318 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,480 Speaker 1: kind of thing. I mean, he was willing to do anything. Again, 319 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: I gotta admire his work ethic, even though I think 320 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:36,359 Speaker 1: his other ethics were not so delightful. Uh. He really 321 00:18:36,359 --> 00:18:39,280 Speaker 1: did want to make a stab at kind of keeping 322 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: it afloat and finding new ways to to profit from it. UM. 323 00:18:43,880 --> 00:18:47,480 Speaker 1: But that was not even the first of the many 324 00:18:47,560 --> 00:18:50,439 Speaker 1: problems that the gym kind of floated through. And he 325 00:18:50,480 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: didn't buy back the theater after he sold it. UM. 326 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:55,679 Speaker 1: But for like twenty two years it was really a 327 00:18:55,680 --> 00:19:01,280 Speaker 1: pretty successful establishment UM and was it was an institution 328 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:06,400 Speaker 1: in Deadwood, but disasters, even outside of interpersonal dramas, kept 329 00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:09,400 Speaker 1: sort of hitting it in one way or another. UM 330 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:12,080 Speaker 1: three months after it opened it was burned when a 331 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: lamp in a sign that swear Engine had ordered he 332 00:19:15,800 --> 00:19:20,000 Speaker 1: had had it custom made, in the lamp ignited and Uh. 333 00:19:20,080 --> 00:19:22,720 Speaker 1: Swear Engine consequently refused to pay for the sign, But 334 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:27,720 Speaker 1: that comes back on him later. Um. And then he 335 00:19:28,240 --> 00:19:31,040 Speaker 1: in the Great Fire of seventy nine which started in 336 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:33,919 Speaker 1: a bakery that was nearby, and that fire burned a 337 00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:37,280 Speaker 1: hundred businesses and seventy homes in Deadwood. The gem was 338 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:41,960 Speaker 1: really badly damaged, and swear Engine swore that he would rebuild, 339 00:19:42,400 --> 00:19:43,879 Speaker 1: And in just a couple of weeks he had put 340 00:19:43,960 --> 00:19:46,440 Speaker 1: up an entire new building. It was only lacking a 341 00:19:46,520 --> 00:19:49,480 Speaker 1: roof at that point, uh, and he covered that by 342 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:52,639 Speaker 1: with a canvas while he waited on the materials and permit, 343 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 1: uh the materials for his permanent roof. So he took 344 00:19:56,480 --> 00:19:59,040 Speaker 1: advantage of those setbacks, and in that one in particular, 345 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:03,120 Speaker 1: he expanded a square footage to include both a dance 346 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:05,359 Speaker 1: hall and a theater, whereas it had been the theater 347 00:20:05,440 --> 00:20:07,840 Speaker 1: before and then they would clear chairs for dances. Now 348 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,240 Speaker 1: it was like all of these things he kind of 349 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:12,720 Speaker 1: kept turning lemons into lemonade in a way. Yeah, he 350 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:15,720 Speaker 1: didn't have to redo the whole room to be able 351 00:20:15,760 --> 00:20:18,880 Speaker 1: to have something different in there anymore. After it was reopened, 352 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 1: though it was set upon by arsonists again. Uh, it's 353 00:20:22,880 --> 00:20:27,399 Speaker 1: not a long walks. Presume that swear Engine had his 354 00:20:27,480 --> 00:20:32,280 Speaker 1: fair share of enemies. Yes, he definitely did. Um. There 355 00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:38,960 Speaker 1: was the arsonists, came some Chinese immigrant workers. UM put 356 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:42,359 Speaker 1: the fire out. In May of eighteen eighty three, or 357 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:46,600 Speaker 1: rainstorm and melting snow flooded all of Main Street, including 358 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:51,440 Speaker 1: the gym. Some buildings actually got washed away. UM. I 359 00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:55,639 Speaker 1: think it was in rebuilding from that, making repairs from that. 360 00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,680 Speaker 1: He put a drain plug in the performers so that 361 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:04,520 Speaker 1: that might not be quite a problem anymore. Um. And 362 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:08,720 Speaker 1: then another fire. Yeah. I mean he had just a 363 00:21:08,920 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 1: series of smaller floods and fires um that hit the building. 364 00:21:14,119 --> 00:21:18,280 Speaker 1: But then there was a really bad one. Uh, when 365 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,440 Speaker 1: an employee of his tried to dry clean a suit 366 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:26,199 Speaker 1: using gasoline. Um. That was a thing that people used 367 00:21:26,240 --> 00:21:29,080 Speaker 1: to do. I know, and I think I'm not sure, 368 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: I'll have to look it up. We might have an 369 00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,040 Speaker 1: article on people doing something like that. I know there's 370 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:37,760 Speaker 1: a riff tracks about people doing that. Um. But yeah, 371 00:21:37,840 --> 00:21:41,880 Speaker 1: that incident actually destroyed the top floor of the gym 372 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,320 Speaker 1: for good because it was not a single floor structure, 373 00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:46,840 Speaker 1: so the top floor was gone forever after that point. 374 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,000 Speaker 1: But in the midst of all of this there had 375 00:21:49,040 --> 00:21:51,440 Speaker 1: been you know, we talked about the fighting and the 376 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:55,000 Speaker 1: the bare knuckle boxing and the theater shows and the 377 00:21:55,160 --> 00:21:58,800 Speaker 1: dances and the drinking, but there was a whole other 378 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:03,440 Speaker 1: lucrative business going on, which was Al's prostitution business. Yes, 379 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:06,480 Speaker 1: and this is really where I mean he was not 380 00:22:06,600 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: a good guy in a lot of ways. And with 381 00:22:09,760 --> 00:22:13,320 Speaker 1: apart from all the illegal activities and the beating people 382 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:15,200 Speaker 1: and all that, I feel like some of the some 383 00:22:15,359 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 1: of his worst dealings had to do with the prostitution business. Yeah, 384 00:22:19,760 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: Because what he would do is that he would advertise 385 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 1: that he needed like female wait staff. Uh girls and 386 00:22:27,800 --> 00:22:30,639 Speaker 1: young women would come to Deadwood to work as his 387 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:32,919 Speaker 1: white staff. A lot of them thought they were going 388 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,560 Speaker 1: to work in a swank hotel. Yeah, they were not 389 00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:40,160 Speaker 1: wink wait staff jobs that he was recruiting for at all. 390 00:22:40,800 --> 00:22:46,199 Speaker 1: And so uh girls and young women would arrive, they 391 00:22:46,240 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 1: would learn that that that was false. There was there 392 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:52,359 Speaker 1: was no hotel staff job for them. They would not 393 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,800 Speaker 1: have the money or the resources to return home, so 394 00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,720 Speaker 1: they would be stranded in in Deadwood, and their choice 395 00:22:58,800 --> 00:23:03,359 Speaker 1: was either to work as a pro institute or or starved. Right, 396 00:23:03,560 --> 00:23:06,480 Speaker 1: those real choices at that point, right, and he even 397 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 1: I mean he did also hire experienced ladies of the night, 398 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:12,479 Speaker 1: but he also would often hire some of these stage 399 00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:15,119 Speaker 1: troops with the intent of trying to turn the female 400 00:23:15,240 --> 00:23:22,480 Speaker 1: performers into his other employees as part of his prostitution dealings. 401 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: Um just so squirrely uh. And the Black Hills Daily Times, 402 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: who we mentioned before he was not on good terms with, 403 00:23:31,520 --> 00:23:34,080 Speaker 1: ran an article at one point entitled a den of 404 00:23:34,200 --> 00:23:36,960 Speaker 1: prostitution under the guise of a dance hall stocked with 405 00:23:37,080 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 1: unsuspecting and innocent girls engaged through misrepresentations by its beastial proprietor. 406 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:45,000 Speaker 1: There's a headline for you in Nicean's The Saint uh, 407 00:23:45,119 --> 00:23:47,919 Speaker 1: and it basically kind of recounted the tale of one 408 00:23:47,960 --> 00:23:50,480 Speaker 1: particular group of girls that were lured to Deadwood from 409 00:23:50,560 --> 00:23:53,320 Speaker 1: Chicago again thinking they were going to work in a hotel, 410 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:58,040 Speaker 1: and then swearing and locked them in their rooms and basically, um, 411 00:24:00,680 --> 00:24:04,680 Speaker 1: allegedly townspeople heard about this, and they liberated the girls 412 00:24:04,880 --> 00:24:08,919 Speaker 1: and eventually sent them back home. Um. But the story, 413 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,480 Speaker 1: even though it was a total smear on swearing swear 414 00:24:12,520 --> 00:24:14,840 Speaker 1: Engine's name, I mean it was intended as a smear piece, 415 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:18,040 Speaker 1: it really had almost no impact on his business. His 416 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:24,040 Speaker 1: prostitution dealings continued to thrive um and of course, like 417 00:24:24,240 --> 00:24:28,080 Speaker 1: his other employee dealings, those women were often beaten. He 418 00:24:28,200 --> 00:24:32,480 Speaker 1: didn't he didn't discriminate on who he would hit at all, uh, 419 00:24:32,760 --> 00:24:34,920 Speaker 1: And he would threaten them that if they ever tried 420 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,320 Speaker 1: to leave, he would bring threat or theft charges against him, 421 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:39,919 Speaker 1: that he would claim that they have been stealing from 422 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,359 Speaker 1: the business. And so a lot of women felt like 423 00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:46,960 Speaker 1: they didn't have the recourse to fight a charge like that. 424 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: You know, they were all poor, they would all have 425 00:24:49,480 --> 00:24:56,439 Speaker 1: like reasonable um um intent, so they felt like most 426 00:24:56,440 --> 00:24:57,879 Speaker 1: of them would lose, and they just kind of got 427 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:03,080 Speaker 1: stuck in life, which instinks, Well, it's sort of further 428 00:25:03,160 --> 00:25:05,920 Speaker 1: evidence of the kind of character that he had because 429 00:25:05,960 --> 00:25:08,800 Speaker 1: while that was going on, he was continuing to dodge debts. 430 00:25:09,080 --> 00:25:12,480 Speaker 1: He talked in the previous episode about how he often 431 00:25:12,600 --> 00:25:15,359 Speaker 1: borrowed money that then his business would fail and he 432 00:25:15,400 --> 00:25:17,760 Speaker 1: would not pay back, And it became clear in some 433 00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:21,400 Speaker 1: cases that he had never intended to pay that money back. 434 00:25:22,200 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: That continued on. Um. His original debt from back in 435 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:29,600 Speaker 1: Iowa was finally tracked down to him in eighty one 436 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:31,280 Speaker 1: and he was forced to either pay up or go 437 00:25:31,359 --> 00:25:35,960 Speaker 1: to jail. I'm guessing he paid up. Yeah. That became 438 00:25:36,119 --> 00:25:39,200 Speaker 1: his like sort of Dobriger way of handling business is 439 00:25:39,280 --> 00:25:42,440 Speaker 1: that he would enter these business contracts never pay them. 440 00:25:42,920 --> 00:25:45,200 Speaker 1: They pretty much had to take him to court and 441 00:25:45,320 --> 00:25:46,879 Speaker 1: have it come to a point where if he did 442 00:25:46,960 --> 00:25:48,800 Speaker 1: not pay, he was going to jail, and then he 443 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:52,200 Speaker 1: would like grudgingly pay them. And that was sort of 444 00:25:52,400 --> 00:25:56,159 Speaker 1: his business model, right, which is a little bit um. 445 00:25:56,680 --> 00:25:58,840 Speaker 1: It's hard to think about that because you know, no 446 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:00,639 Speaker 1: business could get away with that today. But it was 447 00:26:00,680 --> 00:26:02,960 Speaker 1: a different time. Of course. There was a man named 448 00:26:03,080 --> 00:26:08,080 Speaker 1: Joseph Broghammer who in eighteen ninete, knowing that his m 449 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: O was that he would say I don't have the 450 00:26:10,280 --> 00:26:12,960 Speaker 1: money to pay that back, he instead decided that he 451 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 1: would go after his property. Um. He had done some 452 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:20,280 Speaker 1: work at the gem that had he had never been 453 00:26:20,320 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 1: paid for, and what he was awarded was several horses 454 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:26,560 Speaker 1: and buggies. Since he knew he was probably not ever 455 00:26:26,600 --> 00:26:28,920 Speaker 1: going to get the money, Yeah, which is kind of 456 00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:34,320 Speaker 1: a fascinating awardment. But yeah, here's some horses. Now. We 457 00:26:34,400 --> 00:26:38,040 Speaker 1: did mention in the first part of this story in 458 00:26:38,119 --> 00:26:41,000 Speaker 1: the previous podcast that swearing Jin had taken a wife 459 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:43,600 Speaker 1: when he was in Helena, and she kind of vanishes 460 00:26:43,680 --> 00:26:45,280 Speaker 1: from the record a little bit. There's not much that 461 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: we hear about her, but in her name does come 462 00:26:50,119 --> 00:26:53,680 Speaker 1: up again because in the Black Hills Daily Times there 463 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,560 Speaker 1: was an announcement that swar engin place that read, my 464 00:26:56,680 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 1: wife has left my room and board without provocation. All 465 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:03,479 Speaker 1: that's in by her will not be paid by me. Uh. Basically, 466 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:05,000 Speaker 1: they had had a fight and he was like, fine, 467 00:27:05,040 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: go you're on your own, because she apparently left that 468 00:27:07,720 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 1: same day. However, she came back to him a few 469 00:27:10,640 --> 00:27:13,440 Speaker 1: weeks later and she stayed for two more years before 470 00:27:13,520 --> 00:27:19,239 Speaker 1: she finally divorced him. Um. And then remember again at 471 00:27:19,240 --> 00:27:23,800 Speaker 1: the Times were was not his friend. Uh. There was 472 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,240 Speaker 1: a follow up article after he after she finally left, 473 00:27:27,960 --> 00:27:35,120 Speaker 1: where they printed two letters that were um written under 474 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:39,359 Speaker 1: a pseudonym, but everyone sort of believed it to be 475 00:27:39,640 --> 00:27:43,520 Speaker 1: Nettie's letters about al that she had written to her 476 00:27:43,560 --> 00:27:48,439 Speaker 1: parents UM or to her mother specifically, and they were 477 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:50,920 Speaker 1: printed under the name of Emmy instead of Nettie, and 478 00:27:51,119 --> 00:27:55,440 Speaker 1: they basically just detailed the cruelties and indignation she suffered 479 00:27:55,640 --> 00:27:59,240 Speaker 1: while living with him. Uh. And there are some accounts 480 00:27:59,280 --> 00:28:01,840 Speaker 1: that I've read that rumored that she in fact had 481 00:28:01,920 --> 00:28:03,879 Speaker 1: friends on the Times, and so she kind of placed 482 00:28:03,920 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 1: those as a final parting shot to him, uh, so 483 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:10,480 Speaker 1: that people would publicly have a record of all the 484 00:28:10,520 --> 00:28:13,359 Speaker 1: horrible things that he did. But she was not his 485 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 1: only wife now Now, on July three nine, he married 486 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,880 Speaker 1: a twenty one year old woman named O'delia turgent Um, 487 00:28:22,080 --> 00:28:24,960 Speaker 1: when within six months there were reports again that that 488 00:28:25,119 --> 00:28:29,280 Speaker 1: there was domestic abuse going on and that, uh there 489 00:28:29,359 --> 00:28:32,440 Speaker 1: were people who witnessed altercations between them in the street 490 00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:36,920 Speaker 1: and in one of which he choked and beat her Um. 491 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:42,040 Speaker 1: Several months after that, she needed a doctor's care because 492 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:48,440 Speaker 1: of a serious hemorrhage, and she survived, but not long 493 00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: after that he divorced her, claiming she had been unfaithful. Yeah, 494 00:28:51,360 --> 00:28:54,360 Speaker 1: and it's weird. The accounts never say what type of 495 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:57,440 Speaker 1: hemorrhage it is. It's just listed as a severe hemorrhage. 496 00:28:58,040 --> 00:29:02,520 Speaker 1: So the suggestion there is that he once again beat 497 00:29:02,600 --> 00:29:06,480 Speaker 1: her and you know, brought her apparently near death because 498 00:29:07,520 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 1: many reports of it make it sound like she really 499 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:12,240 Speaker 1: was at death's door, and you know, it was sort 500 00:29:12,280 --> 00:29:16,040 Speaker 1: of miraculous that she rallied and survived. And then he 501 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:20,720 Speaker 1: had another really weird relationship, uh, with a woman named 502 00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:26,320 Speaker 1: Hattie Lewis, and he this relationship allegedly began when he 503 00:29:26,480 --> 00:29:29,280 Speaker 1: stormed into her resort and am using the air quotes 504 00:29:30,040 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: where he had spent the previous night, claiming that he 505 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:35,240 Speaker 1: had been robbed of a thousand dollars. And he started 506 00:29:35,320 --> 00:29:39,080 Speaker 1: to destroy furniture and attempted to burn the building down, 507 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:42,840 Speaker 1: and he was stopped by an employee. But somehow, in 508 00:29:42,920 --> 00:29:45,600 Speaker 1: the midst of all of this Swearingeon and Hattie like 509 00:29:45,680 --> 00:29:50,680 Speaker 1: took up together. I guess, you know, too extreme personalities 510 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:53,880 Speaker 1: sometimes they're drawn together and usually we know how those 511 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,160 Speaker 1: relationships go, and it's not so good. And this was 512 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 1: not good at all. Uh, Their their relationship was not 513 00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 1: very happy for very long. They it turned sour pretty quickly, 514 00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:07,760 Speaker 1: and Hattie Lewis committed suicide with morphine overdose. Yeah, so 515 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:12,120 Speaker 1: he was not um, not really good news for women. 516 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 1: He wasn't good news. For anybody. Women were really rough. Now, 517 00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 1: so we're we're getting to the point of how much 518 00:30:21,640 --> 00:30:23,760 Speaker 1: more bad stuff could this guy do? You and and 519 00:30:23,840 --> 00:30:26,640 Speaker 1: we're sort of also near the end of his story. Yeah, 520 00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:31,880 Speaker 1: in December of another fire tour through the gym, and 521 00:30:32,280 --> 00:30:35,960 Speaker 1: this time he did not rebuild it. I actually there's 522 00:30:35,960 --> 00:30:39,120 Speaker 1: a part of me that just takes this sort of schadenfreud, 523 00:30:39,160 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 1: a gleefulness about this particular fire. Um, because it's a 524 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:47,440 Speaker 1: fire that started in multiple places simultaneously. Yeah, witnesses saw 525 00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,400 Speaker 1: the fire blaze up in some report say five, some 526 00:30:50,560 --> 00:30:54,240 Speaker 1: say six different spots at the same time. Firefighters came 527 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:57,920 Speaker 1: and they miraculously could not find the wrenches to use 528 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:02,280 Speaker 1: to connect their hoses to the to the water water. Um. 529 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 1: And so another fire department was called in, who also 530 00:31:06,880 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 1: could not find a problem. Yeah, so how in the 531 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:14,640 Speaker 1: world could that have happened? Um? My first in reading 532 00:31:14,680 --> 00:31:16,840 Speaker 1: about that, my first response was like, did he do 533 00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: it for the insurance money? But that was not quite 534 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: a thing. Then. It's much more likely than one of 535 00:31:22,160 --> 00:31:25,760 Speaker 1: his many enemies took it upon themselves to do a 536 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,720 Speaker 1: very thorough job of burning down the gym. Yeah, he 537 00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:32,560 Speaker 1: really had plenty by that point, so he finally decided 538 00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:34,600 Speaker 1: it was not worth trying to rebuild again. That was it. 539 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:38,480 Speaker 1: So he left Edwood and went to Leadville, Colorado, to 540 00:31:38,560 --> 00:31:41,200 Speaker 1: meet up with his younger brother, Theodore, who also had 541 00:31:41,240 --> 00:31:44,160 Speaker 1: a saloon, and he worked with Theodore for four years. 542 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:50,960 Speaker 1: Uh So then his end is a little bit anti climactic, 543 00:31:51,320 --> 00:31:54,440 Speaker 1: kind of yeah, because we don't really know for sure 544 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:57,680 Speaker 1: what happened. But his body was found in November of 545 00:31:57,800 --> 00:32:02,719 Speaker 1: nineteen o four, uh adjacent to some street car tracks 546 00:32:02,880 --> 00:32:08,880 Speaker 1: that were near Denver and um The initial observation observation 547 00:32:09,080 --> 00:32:11,040 Speaker 1: of the body suggested that he had died from a 548 00:32:11,120 --> 00:32:14,400 Speaker 1: massive head wound from a blunt, heavy object, but in 549 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:17,760 Speaker 1: the Oscaloosa Harold it was reported that he had likely 550 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:20,080 Speaker 1: fallen while he was trying to board the motor car, 551 00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:22,960 Speaker 1: possibly having been hit on the head by some part 552 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:26,800 Speaker 1: of the train. However, he also reportedly had scratches on 553 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: the side of his face, which I guess could happen, 554 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: you know, if he fell and slid against the ground. 555 00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,080 Speaker 1: But it kind of almost doesn't add up. I'm sure 556 00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:37,560 Speaker 1: I'm not the only person who thinks he must have 557 00:32:37,600 --> 00:32:40,360 Speaker 1: been attacked. Yeah, it's a little weird. It's sort of 558 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:42,600 Speaker 1: a strange way to go to just you know, be 559 00:32:42,720 --> 00:32:45,040 Speaker 1: found and for him to have been trying to board 560 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:48,080 Speaker 1: a street car and fall and died, but no one 561 00:32:48,160 --> 00:32:50,680 Speaker 1: knew about that. They just found the body later. It 562 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:54,320 Speaker 1: could have happened, happened that they're just coincidentally, were not 563 00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,719 Speaker 1: any witnesses speaking up to what had happened. Maybe they 564 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:02,720 Speaker 1: had those wrenches that were lost from maybe Uh. And 565 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:04,800 Speaker 1: then there was the murder weapon. And then his body 566 00:33:04,920 --> 00:33:08,040 Speaker 1: was eventually transported back to Oscaloosa for burial, which is 567 00:33:08,080 --> 00:33:10,520 Speaker 1: where if you listen to the first part, he grew 568 00:33:10,600 --> 00:33:12,760 Speaker 1: up as a pioneer child, even though I believe his 569 00:33:12,840 --> 00:33:16,239 Speaker 1: parents had divorced, but they were still both buried there together. Uh. 570 00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:17,920 Speaker 1: And then he was buried there with the rest of 571 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:20,920 Speaker 1: the family. Just it is sort of at such an 572 00:33:20,960 --> 00:33:24,920 Speaker 1: anti climactic end for so much drama in his life. Uh. 573 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 1: But we don't really know. It could have been a 574 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: very climactic night of craziness. All we know is that 575 00:33:31,360 --> 00:33:34,800 Speaker 1: he was found by the street car tracks. So that's 576 00:33:34,840 --> 00:33:38,120 Speaker 1: the story of Elsewhere and Jim and his wild and 577 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:41,400 Speaker 1: only life. I mean, I can't even imagine. Yes, well, 578 00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:44,640 Speaker 1: and then to have his actual life be even stranger 579 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:48,000 Speaker 1: and more dramatic and more full of crime and craziness 580 00:33:48,240 --> 00:33:50,720 Speaker 1: than it's ever portrayed in fiction than it's ever portrayed 581 00:33:50,760 --> 00:33:55,920 Speaker 1: in in a very expletive filled Yeah, if you are 582 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:58,320 Speaker 1: interested in watching Deadwood, I really love it and highly 583 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:01,120 Speaker 1: recommend it, but be ready if you are not comfortable 584 00:34:01,280 --> 00:34:03,160 Speaker 1: with a lot of swearing, it is probably not the 585 00:34:03,200 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 1: show for you because they really floor it. I hold 586 00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:10,160 Speaker 1: back nothing. Yeah, well, and it's uh it rather than 587 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:13,640 Speaker 1: using swears that were in use at the time, which 588 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:16,239 Speaker 1: sounds weird to people now. Yeah, they don't read the 589 00:34:16,320 --> 00:34:19,440 Speaker 1: same new they use modern they last, you have no 590 00:34:19,640 --> 00:34:22,319 Speaker 1: questions of the intent of the language, absolutely not. Although 591 00:34:22,320 --> 00:34:24,080 Speaker 1: you know that show is written in i ambic pentameter, 592 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:27,080 Speaker 1: did not know that it's bizarre. You don't think of it, 593 00:34:27,160 --> 00:34:29,120 Speaker 1: and then when you know it, you can't stop hearing. Well, 594 00:34:29,160 --> 00:34:31,359 Speaker 1: now I'm it's going to be stuff there in my head. 595 00:34:32,760 --> 00:34:38,480 Speaker 1: And now I have some listener mail. Yes, I have 596 00:34:38,560 --> 00:34:42,600 Speaker 1: two pieces, and they are both about our pope, Pope 597 00:34:42,640 --> 00:34:47,040 Speaker 1: Benedict the Ninth Podcast, which is about his renunciation of 598 00:34:47,320 --> 00:34:51,080 Speaker 1: the papacy, and both are corrections. So I appreciate it. 599 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,200 Speaker 1: We have such awesome listeners. The first one is I 600 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:55,600 Speaker 1: found your episode on the other Pope Benedict very interesting. 601 00:34:55,680 --> 00:34:57,400 Speaker 1: One thing I noticed is that you always mentioned the 602 00:34:57,440 --> 00:35:00,320 Speaker 1: Pope is being a strictly spiritual leader. I think we 603 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:03,880 Speaker 1: mentioned briefly I'm jumping out of the letter um that 604 00:35:04,040 --> 00:35:06,000 Speaker 1: it wasn't it had more to do with power at 605 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:09,160 Speaker 1: that time, but we did not address this listener's specific correction. 606 00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:11,680 Speaker 1: So I'm very glad they were it. In uh. It says, however, 607 00:35:11,800 --> 00:35:14,480 Speaker 1: for most of its history, including Benedict the ninths period, 608 00:35:14,760 --> 00:35:17,279 Speaker 1: the Holy See owned the Papal States. The Pope was 609 00:35:17,360 --> 00:35:19,640 Speaker 1: a secular and a spiritual leader, since he needed to 610 00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:21,640 Speaker 1: manage the Papal States as well as hold the role 611 00:35:21,719 --> 00:35:24,640 Speaker 1: we now know for we know him for uh. It 612 00:35:24,800 --> 00:35:26,880 Speaker 1: is only in eighteen seventy that the Papal States were 613 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: fully incorporated into the then newly born Italian State in 614 00:35:30,320 --> 00:35:33,000 Speaker 1: the nine that the Vatican renounced any claim on the 615 00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:36,120 Speaker 1: people states. In Benedict the ninth Day, being pope was 616 00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:38,800 Speaker 1: more than leading souls. It was being a major landowner 617 00:35:38,880 --> 00:35:41,439 Speaker 1: and managing or reaping the benefits of very lucrative lands 618 00:35:41,480 --> 00:35:44,240 Speaker 1: on top of the wealth deriving from tithing and numerous 619 00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:48,040 Speaker 1: donations to the church. Keep up the good work, Zarah. Yeah, 620 00:35:48,120 --> 00:35:50,840 Speaker 1: I um, I completely blipped right over that. I mean, 621 00:35:50,920 --> 00:35:53,200 Speaker 1: we did kind of talk about Benedict the nine not 622 00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:56,680 Speaker 1: really being the most spectacular spiritual leader, so but I 623 00:35:56,760 --> 00:35:59,680 Speaker 1: did not talk about the politics of uh, that being 624 00:36:00,400 --> 00:36:03,640 Speaker 1: not just a religious seat at the time. So thank 625 00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:06,040 Speaker 1: you for that correction. And the other one is from 626 00:36:06,200 --> 00:36:09,640 Speaker 1: our listener brook from Florida, and Brooks says, I was 627 00:36:09,680 --> 00:36:12,440 Speaker 1: listening to your podcast on Pope Benedict the Ninth, and 628 00:36:12,520 --> 00:36:14,120 Speaker 1: I just wanted to let you know the proper term 629 00:36:14,200 --> 00:36:17,040 Speaker 1: isn't resigning, because that would indicate a higher power, and 630 00:36:17,120 --> 00:36:19,520 Speaker 1: there's no higher power within the Church on earth. The 631 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:21,439 Speaker 1: proper way to say what happened is that the Pope 632 00:36:21,480 --> 00:36:24,160 Speaker 1: announced the office of the papacy. Anyway, I just wanted 633 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:26,279 Speaker 1: to correct that great podcast. Keep it up. Yes, that 634 00:36:26,480 --> 00:36:29,360 Speaker 1: is absolutely also accurate. I tend to not attribute it 635 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:34,960 Speaker 1: to Benedict the ninth though, because, ah, his behavior was 636 00:36:35,080 --> 00:36:39,160 Speaker 1: not really what I would categorize as high bar It 637 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,000 Speaker 1: was a little, uh, it's a little dicey. So I 638 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:43,959 Speaker 1: think that's just sort of one of those mental jumps 639 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:45,680 Speaker 1: that I'm like, it doesn't apply to him, but it 640 00:36:45,800 --> 00:36:49,120 Speaker 1: is absolutely the correct terminology to call it our renunciation. 641 00:36:49,440 --> 00:36:52,759 Speaker 1: Although I have noticed in the coverage of he's no 642 00:36:52,840 --> 00:36:55,680 Speaker 1: longer the current Pope Benedict, but Pope Benedict the sixteenth 643 00:36:55,760 --> 00:36:59,319 Speaker 1: that just stepped down. The press uses resigned a lot, 644 00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:01,480 Speaker 1: and I I don't know if that's just a desire 645 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:06,640 Speaker 1: to be um um neutral and not sort of engage 646 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:10,440 Speaker 1: the the language that is most accepted by the Catholic 647 00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,439 Speaker 1: Church or not. I don't I would have to ask 648 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:15,360 Speaker 1: the editors of all other press outlets. I kind of 649 00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:17,480 Speaker 1: want to ask the editor of the A P Style Guide. 650 00:37:17,640 --> 00:37:19,840 Speaker 1: They might have a thing, they might we should do that. 651 00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:22,920 Speaker 1: So thanks to you both, Brooke and Zara for those 652 00:37:22,960 --> 00:37:27,440 Speaker 1: awesome corrections, because those are important and maybe not always 653 00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,600 Speaker 1: recognize differences from you know what we did? Uh. If 654 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:32,440 Speaker 1: you like to write s, you can do so at 655 00:37:32,560 --> 00:37:36,240 Speaker 1: History Podcast at Discovery dot com. You can also follow 656 00:37:36,320 --> 00:37:39,279 Speaker 1: us on Twitter at missed in History, and we are 657 00:37:39,360 --> 00:37:42,880 Speaker 1: also on Facebook at Facebook dot com slash history class stuff. 658 00:37:43,239 --> 00:37:44,680 Speaker 1: If you want to learn a little bit more about 659 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:47,160 Speaker 1: something we talked about today. It's not the most upbeat topic. 660 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:50,360 Speaker 1: You can go to our website and type in human 661 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:53,160 Speaker 1: trafficking in the search bar, and the article how human 662 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:55,800 Speaker 1: Trafficking Works will come up, which is drained to the 663 00:37:55,840 --> 00:37:58,360 Speaker 1: alsware engine story since he did some kind of creepy 664 00:37:58,400 --> 00:38:01,760 Speaker 1: things with people. Uh. You can also research almost anything 665 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:04,440 Speaker 1: else your heart desires, hopefully more upbeat than that, at 666 00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: our website, which is how stuff Works dot com. For 667 00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:11,640 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics, does it 668 00:38:11,719 --> 00:38:28,880 Speaker 1: how stuff works dot com m