Prostitution thrived in Tombstone Arizona. Read an excerpt from Hell's Belles of Tombstone:
"It did not take the French long to move in on Tombstone's prostitution business. It was apparent that their operation was controlled by a well organized syndicate. The first madam they sent to Tombstone was a beautiful educated young French woman, known as Blonde Marie. She was an outstanding business woman and strictly a madam who did not indulge in the business under any circumstances. Marie's place of business was a large white house on Sixth Street. She ran her business with pride and quiet dignity.
Every woman employed by her was French and exceptionally attractive. There was no bar, no drunks, gambling and no fights as she entertained only the high class gentlemen. Her girls were exchanged frequently so that men of Tombstone had no opportunity to tire of merchandise offered them.
The second madam the French sent to Tombstone was Eleanora Dumont, known thru the mining camps of the west a "Madam Moustache." By this time this female was no beauty - but 20 years before she had been a vision of loveliness. Now dark hair grew above her upper lip and she did not have the elegance of Blonde Marie, but she did know the business. After all, she had been following boomtowns for more than 25 years.
Competition was fierce in Tombstone particularly, between the French madams. Madam Moustache's business was also located on Sixth Street but was smaller than Marie's, but the wily, older woman made it more exclusive. Several times the two French madams clashed - but were wise enough to confine their differences to Sixth Street.
Madam Moustache was a devout believer in advertising. When business was slow she would rent a beautiful carriage and take her girls for a ride all about town. Dressed in colorful costumes, feathers, and jewelry, the lovely French women would smile and wave to all the interested pubic. It was but a simple reminder of what could be had in fleshly delights only a short distance down Allen Street to Madam Moustache's establishment.
But somehow, even with al her wily scheming, the competition proved to be too much or else, the old restlessness came again. At any rate, Madam Moustache packed up and returned to Bodie. Not long after she grew tired of life's struggle and poisoned herself.
The manager of al lthe French madams and their houses was a man, called the 'Count.' Approximately every three months, he appeared in Tombstone, checked on business, brought new girls, and took the old ones to other towns. When he departed he took with him a satchel of money.
By the mid 1890's Blonde Marie had made and saved enough money to live in the style she desired. She retired and returned to Paris, remaining there the rest of her life. A direct contrast to the elegant French madams and prostitutes was Crazy Horse Lil. She was big, she was tough, she was mean, and she knew and used language that would nake a Barbary Coast sailor blush. Her greatest pleasure was to get roaring drunk and start a fight. She had no preference - she would fight man, woman or beast. A great deal of her time was spent in jail for disturbing the peace or cracking up the fixtures in saloons.
The following statement is also attributed to Crazy Horse Lil: "The wages of sin are a damn sight higher than the wages of virtue." Most likely she was quoting someone else - but she did say it in Tombstone.
When Lil left Tombstone she settled in Brewery Gulch in Bisbee. The miners in Bisbee and Lowell loved her Amazon good looks and her rough and tough style. Consequently, she made money hand over fist. It is sad to say, but Lil and her gentleman friend of the moment, Con O' Shea, grew too greedy and masterminded a number of local robberies. When the law drew close they both disappeared from Arizona and were never seen again.
The Bird Cage Theatre did not close for any reason, but ran continuously from its opening night of December 26, 1881, until July 2, 1883, at which time Billy Hutchinson sold it to Hugh McCrum and John Stroufe. The new owners sold it to Joe and Minnie Bignon on January 16, 1886.
What the Hutchinsons had intended, when they built the Bird Cage, was to make this theater the entertainment spot for Tombstone's respectable families. In order to do this they held a "ladies' night" whereby all ladies were admitted free. Unfortunately, the Bird Cage did not appeal to the ladies of Tombstone as not a single one of them appeared. Actually, no proper lady ever entered the Bird Cage during those years.
Eventuality, it became a haven for the red light women, miners, gamblers, and an occasional cowboy. The acts and audience were equally rough and the girls-in-waiting you certainly wouldn't take home to meet mother. A description of the inside of the building was as follows: 'the building has one and a half stories, two main rooms - a saloon and a theater section. Balconies, divided into boxes, run down the length of both sides. Percentage girls distribute drinks to these suspended boxes singing as they serve - hence the name Bird Cage. The women would provide any other service a man wished by simply drawing the drapes over the tent of his box - for a price, of course. This arrangement was the inspiration of the song "Only A Bird In A Gilded Cage."
In 1889, the Prospector carried a story, concerning a Mexican woodcutter, who violently disagreed with Bird Cage Bartender Charley Keene, over the price of Whiskey. Keene asked Big Minnie to get Bob Hatch, the marshal, to put the bad man out. She replied, "you don't need Bob Hatch, I'll put him out myself" and promptly did so.
Big Minnie was a sometime madam sometime prostitute, sometime actress. Husband Joe often billed her as "230 pounds of loveliness in pink tights." Minnie ran husband Joe, the girls, the Bird Cage, and frequently acted as her own bouncer until the lack of business forced them to close the Bird Cage for good in 1892. The Bignons bought the Crystal Palace, but the boom was over. Tombstone was fading rapidly. When gold was discovered in nearby Pearce that finished off business in Tombstone. Minnie and Joe moved to Pearce and opened up Joe Bignon's Palace.
Many people from Tombstone were already at the new gold camp and several entire buildings had been moved from Tombstone to Pearce. Even the first man killed in Pearce was from Tombstone. Both Big Minnie and Joe lie in eternal rest in the cemetery in the ghost town of Pearce.
On some occasions the arguments of the girls in the red light district ended in violence. Such was the story of Little Gertie, also known as Gold Dollar, and Margarita.
Gold Dollar was the trade name of this Sixth Street prostitute. It is quite possible that this name came about because, at the time, the U.S. mint was producing a coin that was smaller than a dime and valued at one dollar. As her name indicated the girl was of diminutive statue and had golden hair. It was also well known that the tiny girl had to be assessed strictly in monetary terms.
The women of Tombstone's heyday were quite sensitive about their men and Gold Dollar was no exception. She had taken a fancy to a local tinhorn gambler, Billy Milgreen, and she fully intended that no other woman get her hands on him. They were living together and Billy was considered Gold Dollar's man by the denizens of the red light district. That is, up until Margarita came to town. She was tea dark, sultry, and willowy, with long black hair and creamy skin - a direct contrast to the tiny Gold Dollar. Margarita was immediately attracted to Gold Dollar's man, Billy. Although she was fury aware of the relationship between Billy and Gold Dollar she began to move in on Billy. Of course, Billy, when upbraided by Gold Dollar, solemnly promised that he would have nothing whatsoever to do with Margarita.
One evening, a few days later, Billy wanted to sit in a high stakes poker game that was in progress in the Bird Cage. After all, it was the way in which he made his living, so after much persuasion and many promises, Gold Dollar reluctantly agreed to let him play, providing he stayed away from Margarita, who worked there.
Billy solemnly promised and rushed over to the game. Apparently, he had been sincere in his promise to Gold Dollar because he took his seat and appeared to be interested only in his cards. Still, Margarita was an extremely attractive woman and she teased and flirted with Billy while he tried to play poker.
Gold Dollar was not absolutely sure that Billy could avoid that man trap, Margarita, even if he tried. At the first opportunity she left her job at the Crystal Palace and rushed up Allen Street to the front door of the Bird Cage. From that vantage point she could see Billy each time a customer opened the doors to leave or enter. At first she saw Margarita strutting around the table teasing Billy. It was obvious that Billly was struggling to keep his mind on his cards. Suddenly, Margarita plopped herself into Billy's lap and began kissing him.
That was it. Gold Dollar burst into the room screaming 'Get away from my man, you Mexican chippy. I warned you before.' Grasping a handful of the girl's long hair, she yanked her away from Billy. The Mexican girl fought back, but she was no match for the infuriated Gold Dollar, who pushed her over a table. She reached under her skirt and pulled a knife from her garter. Raising the wicked blade high, she stabbed Margarita in the side.
Margarita lay across the poker table, blood flowing freely. The bartender summoned a doctor, who was in the back room of the Bird Cage. He examined her then said, 'you don't need me. This girl is dead.'
Margarita took her place in Boothill and in Tombstone history, and though no action was ever taken against her, Gold Dollar soon disappeared from Tombstone. Billy Milgreen, too, left town after a short time - but not with Gold Dollar."
