Criminal Boss of Denver, Colorado
In 1879 Smith moved to Denver and began to build the first of his empires. Con men normally moved around to keep out of jail, but as Smith's power and gang grew, so did his influence at City Hall, allowing him to remain. By 1887 he was reputedly involved with most of the criminal bunko activities in the city. Newspapers in Denver reported that he controlled the city's criminals, underworld gambling and accused corrupt politicians and the police chief of receiving his graft.
Read more about this topic: Soapy Smith
Famous quotes containing the words criminal, boss and/or colorado:
“The husbands of very beautiful women belong to the criminal classes.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“When the boss isn’t strict, the workers aren’t busy.”
—Chinese proverb.
“I am persuaded that the people of the world have no grievances, one against the other. The hopes and desires of a man who tills the soil are about the same whether he lives on the banks of the Colorado or on the banks of the Danube.”
—Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908–1973)