Soapy Smith: Skagway's Scourge of the Klondike (Amazing Stories - Heritage List) - Softcover

Sauerwein, Stan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1554390117 ISBN 13: 9781554390113

Publisher: Heritage Amazing Stories, 2005

Synopsis

In 1897, the Klondike Gold Rush brought thousands of hopeful prospectors to the North. With them came many scoundrels and swindlers who were willing to do whatever it took to separate unsuspecting targets from their hard-earned cash. No swindler was more successful at his craft than Jefferson Randolph "Soapy" Smith, who ruled Skagway, Alaska with a quick hand and a scheming mind. This book explores his most outrageous escapades.

About this title

About the Author:

Stan Sauerwein lives in mayhem on a rocky hillside near Kelowna with three teenagers, a Bearded Dragon, two dogs, a nasty crow named Poe (naturally) and one incredibly understanding wife. He's the author of eight "Amazing Stories":"Francis Rattenbury", "Joe Boyle", "Ma Murray", "Moe Norman", "Pierre Trudeau", "Lucy Maud Montgomery", "Soapy Smith" and "Billy Miner".

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

It was 8:15 p.m., a quarter of an hour after the time they had agreed on. The large crowd of curious townspeople buzzed with chatter, oblivious to the consternation of the intense young man in their midst. He was hoping to hear his Uncle David's voice coming over the wire as arranged, but something wasn't right.Alec had carefully planned a musical programme for the evening to demonstrate his new invention to the citizens of Paris, Ontario. The transmitter was set up at the Brantford telegraph office, some 13 kilometres away. There, Alec's uncle and several other willing participants were going to entertain the listeners in Paris.At the moment, they were singing their hearts out in Brantford, not knowing that at the other end of the line, all that could be heard were "explosive sounds like the discharge of distant artillery" coming through the receiver. The din was deafening.Alec's heart sank. What could be wrong? He had already done two other long-distance tests of his apparatus with what he considered "perfect success." Now, in front of all the local notables, he was going to look a perfect fool. Suddenly he had a brain wave. The problem must be the electromagnetic coils. He turned to the telegraph operator standing by and asked him to telegraph a message to Brantford: "Quickly, change the magnet on your transmitter to a higher resistance." He did the same to his receiver. He was almost afraid of what he might hear, but, to his great relief, this time "the vocal sounds came out clearly and strongly."

About this edition

• Publisher: Heritage Amazing Stories
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1554390117
• ISBN 13: 9781554390113
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 144