Posts
In the early 1880s, Tombstone, Arizona was a violent, chaotic,
roaring, mining town. Sudden death was
commonplace, and the population of the Boot Hill graveyard soared.
Tombstone’s grisliest murder occurred at the Bird Cage
Theatre (which also served as a saloon and brothel) and involved two “Painted
Ladies”, Margarita, the belle of the Bird Cage, and Little Gertie called “the
Gold Dollar” who worked at a rival brothel.
Tombstone Arizona
The women fell out over a man, one Billy Milgreen, a
two bit gambler. In 1882, Gold Dollar
had had enough of Margarita’s poaching customers. Little Gertie, a petite thing, grabbed a
handful of Margarita’s hair and stabbed her in the chest with a double edged
stiletto. Gold Dollar did a thorough
job, hacking at the other woman’s heart with her blade until her rival was well
and truly dead.
Billy Milgreen
Little Gertie, the Gold Dollar
Gold Dollar fled the scene but was soon arrested by
the town Marshal. No charges stuck. The murder weapon had disappeared, so the
peace keepers reasoned there was no evidence, despite the presence of
eyewitnesses. Gold Dollar continued a
favorite in the town.
The Grave of Margarita
No comments:
Post a Comment