Accident Or Murder: The Suspicious Demise of Notorious Deadwood Pimp Al Swearengen
In November 1904, former pimp and saloon operator Al Swearengen was found dead on a Denver street. Though his death was ruled accidental, there is reason to suspect he may have been murdered
On HBO’s critically acclaimed series Deadwood, talented actor Ian McShane plays the role of Al Swearengen, proprietor of The Gem Saloon and antagonist to Seth Bullock, played by Timothy Olyphant. Both characters are based on real people. The show’s creators have stated that they attempted to make the character of Al more nuanced and sympathetic than the real man he was based on.
By most accounts, the real-life Al Swearengen was a vile, reprehensible man. He was a bully as well as a serial abuser of women. He was married and divorced three times, with all three wives claiming he was physically violent and emotionally abusive. This pattern of abuse towards women would continue when he became the owner of The Gem Theater in Deadwood.
Opened in 1877, The Gem was very profitable for Swearengen. It would host entertainment from singers, comedians, circus performers, actors, and more. It was also an open secret that The Gem was a brothel and Swearengen was a violent and abusive pimp.
He would lure young women from as far away as the East Coast with the promise of legitimate work for high pay at his establishment. Once there, Swearengen would beat and coerce the girls (often underage) into prostitution. Swearengen cast a large shadow over Deadwood, and few dared get in his way.
Seth Bullock, who had been elected Sheriff of Deadwood, reportedly reached an understanding with Swearengen that there would be a dividing line along Main Street separating the law-abiding sections of Deadwood from what was referred to as “The Badlands,” which Swearengen controlled.
During its existence, the Gem Theater made Swearengen a lot of money. However, he also made a lot of enemies and was despised by many. In 1899, the Gem Theater burned to the ground. This was the second time The Gem had burned down. However, unlike the first fire, Swearengen did not have the funds to rebuild. He was in debt and would leave Deadwood for good.
Unexplained Death
Five years later, in November 1904, the body of Al Swearengen was discovered on a Denver, Colorado, street with a head wound. The original explanation for the cause of death was that the now destitute Swearengen had tried to hop a freight train and had accidentally fallen and smashed his head.
There is, however, reason to dispute this theory. A historical archaeologist named Jerry Bryant was researching the case in 2007 when he found newspaper articles from the time that stated that Swearengen died from blunt force trauma from a heavy object, which is not consistent with trauma sustained from an accidental fall.
Lending further credence to the idea that Swearengen was murdered and did not die from an accident is the fact that two months prior to his death, Al’s twin brother Lemuel was ambushed and struck on the head with a blunt object, as well as being shot five times. He was not robbed, even though he had been carrying a substantial amount of cash.
Some, including Bryant, speculate that since robbery was not the motive for the attempted murder, there was likely a personal reason for the attack. Since Lemuel did not have any known enemies, it is believed that he was attacked in a case of mistaken identity. Being Al’s twin, it is assumed that he was mistaken for Al by his attackers.
Seeing that Al Swearengen had made many enemies during his life, that his twin brother was attacked in a likely case of mistaken identity, and the inconsistencies with his reported accidental death, as well as the physical evidence of his injuries, there is reason to suspect foul play.
Whatever the truth is, in the end, few people lost sleep over the death of Al Swearengen. It’s likely many felt that if he had been murdered, then it was justice long overdue.
Sources:
Alexander, Kathy. “Al Swearengen & the Notorious Gem Saloon.” Legends of America, Updated November 2021, https://www.legendsofamerica.com/we-gemsaloon/
Alexander, Radu. “Top 10 International Mysteries From A Century Ago.” Listverse, 19 April 2017, https://listverse.com/2017/04/19/top-10-international-murder-mysteries-from-a-century-ago/
Franz, Mary. “Who Were the Real Men of Deadwood?” Historynet, 25 July 2006, https://www.historynet.com/the-real-men-of-deadwood/?f