The Legend of Mattie Silks

Mattie Silks was probably the most enchanting of the gun toting women of the frontier.  She was always dressed as an exact replica of the Ruben portrait of Marie de Medici in a long cloak with a velvet train over a tight bodice and a high turned up color.  In this attire, she was known as the Queen of Denver and the ranking Madame.  Mattie had two special pockets built into her cloak, one for gold coins (she never acknowledged paper money), and the other held her pearl handled six-shooter. 

Ms Silks ran a brothel of notorious size and her escort, one Mr Cort Thompson, spent her money for her.  One such legend says that one day Mattie found out that Cort had begged her for money in which to visit one of her rivals brothels belonging to Ms. Jennie Rogers.  Belle decided to pistol whip him in front of a good sized crowd of men,  none of whom tried to stop her.

Note: In the 1880's pocket revolvers sold for $3 by Western GunWorks of Chicago.  Their motto was "Everyone should go armed".

Next - more of Mattie and her female rivals...