d. 1880-10
Robert Thompson Smith was the first justice of the peace and revenue officer at
Hope. He was an elected member of the Legislative Council of
British Columbia in 1864, representing
Hope,
Yale, and
Lytton, in 1866, representing Cariboo West, and in 1867, representing the
Columbia River and Kootenay area. In 1864, Smith worked for Macdonald's Bank, purchasing gold dust
in the Cariboo gold fields and transporting it to
Victoria.
In 1868, he left
British Columbia for the mines of Utah; in September 1880, Smith engaged in a shootout with Dr. B.
C. Snedaker concerning Smith's fiancee, Agnes Davidson. Both Smith and Snedaker died
from gunshot wounds.
See the British Colonist, 14, 22 September 1880; the British Colonist, 27 October 1974; and Ronald Greene, The Demise of Macdonald's Bank, Canada West Magazine 7, no.4 (Fall 1983): 17-27. BCDES 6.6.