As one might guess, madams of the West ended their careers a variety of ways. When Virginia City, Nev., harlot Julia Bulette was robbed and murdered in 1867, the whole town turned out to see her killer hang. Others committed suicide — in 1879, after losing the last of her money, gambler and brothel queen Eleanor Dumont was found dead with a suicide note outside of Bodie, Calif., says the Vintage News. Salt Lake City madam Helen Blazes became despondent in her old age, especially after a thief broke into her home and tied her up. The Salt Lake Telegram reported in 1932 that Blazes' maid found her lifeless body on the bathroom floor, and a note explained the woman was "through with life."
Other madams grew into sweet little old ladies, often with nobody the wiser as to who they had once been. In 1922, Albuquerque madam Lizzie McGrath died from a stroke in her home. When Diamond Lil Davenport grew too old to take care of herself, says Legends of America, her friends took her to a Washington nursing home. Davenport's famous diamonds were "sold off one by one to pay for her care," and when the money was gone, she was taken to a nursing home where she died at age 93 in 1975. Just a month later, Dolly Arthur of Ketchikan, Alaska, also died in a nursing home, says Diary of a Mad House Crisis.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
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