9. The petrified man and other scams
Creede was about 250 miles south of Denver, and the niceties of civilization had not yet been established extensively when Soapy decided to make it his new base of operations. He opened a new gambling establishment along the lines of the Tivoli Club, and called it the Orleans Club. In order to persuade the miners and other locals to visit the club, he advertised the presence of a petrified man, which could be viewed for a reasonable price of ten cents. Once the locals entered to see the odd attraction, they were steered to the crooked games of chance which were waiting for them. As with most of Soapy’s activities, the petrified man was a fraud.
It may have been mummified remains of an Indian, though Smith had given it a name, McGinty. It may have been a skeleton covered in cement. Smith had competition in Creede, a saloon and brothel called Ford’s Exchange. It was run by Bob Ford, who had gained national fame as the man who killed Jesse James. When Ford was killed, some suspected that Soapy was connected with the drifter who did the killing. No evidence ever surfaced beyond the fact the Smith quickly obtained control of all of Creede’s gambling establishments but one, run by Bat Masterson, a former employee of his.