The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-02-10
A FRONTIER BELLE.
Some of the Accomplishments Of Kitty
Leroy, the Belle Of Deadwood City.
Washington Capiial.l .t.

Leroy, the Belle vi DsAdW00u tlty.
Washington Captall
In the Black Hills the life Ia 80 wild,
dissolute and desperate that people say
bowie. knives grow on trees and re-
volvers come up like. garden plants
presence Of the white man. Draw.pOker
and "vantoon" are the favorite games
always played with pistols on the table
and an undertaken standing by wait
ing for job. !,
ural death. Hanging is regarded as q
misfortune rather than Disgrace, and all
tho friends Of the unlucly ono attend
the execution as u compliment to him,
one being selected by ballot to put the
rope around his neck. and the man who
gets the next highest vote Ia appointed
to drive the wagon from under him when
tho signal Is given. At the last hanging
the hangman was overcome with grief
and exclaimed In choking voice,
Goodbye, old fellow. take eare Of
yourself" and the other replied, Don't
never steal another horse II you must
have fun shoot somebody, but not your
pard. for II 'aint good luck no way:
Drive on, Jim. and have 1t over quick"
In fact the devil holds high carnival
in the Black Hills, especially In Dead
wood, which ID tho principal city. Gam
bling bells have oil the features that
the name signifies without the secrecy
which deeency imposes. Vice flaunts
It's deformities In the eye Of day. and
night brings darkness, ominous and
fearful, even whore the glare from
torches and misshapen lamps shed
lurid. d'abolical light on orgies and
from any other place would blush for
hta upadneea in Dead wood
There are dance houses and theatres
where the gay society congregntes, and
II Ia ut such resorts, as well as ut the
gambling houses. that the fair sex may
be seen. The women. though not as
bad as the men, are oil strong minded,
which, from q hen pecked point OF view,
is the worst thing you can say Of fe-
male. Some keep bars, taverns, board
ng.houses and variety, shows, while o
Mint" which was kept by poor Kitty Lie.
roy. recently killed by one Of her hus-
bands for saying that she couldn't live
her hot tempered lord. "then die with
me-" and shot her, AMI then shot him
self. It Is hardly necessary to say that
his remark was considered pungent
repartee by the elite Of the Hills.
This was the tragic end OF Q brilliant
like attire. whic.of fashion would fail to
appreciate as intensely picturesque,
Kitty Leroy was what q real man would
call starry beauty. Her brow was
low, and her brown hair thick and curl
ing she had Ave husbands. seven re-
volvers, dozen bowie knives, and
always went armed to the teeth, which
latter were like pearls set In coral. She
was a terrific gambler, and wore Ii her
ears immense diamonds, which shone
almost like her own glorious eyes. and
inferiority. Kitty was torn down
coquette from her cradle, and where
that had rocked heaven only knows,
unless her own story was true-that. Il
baby, she drifted on the ocean beach
tied to fragment or tho wreck OF q
nameless ship, u Malay pirate, sunk In
combat. The booming Of the ordnance.
the clash Of steel, the shouts Of fierce
defiance, the mad, engulilDg sea, had
mind as to mould her character, and
make veritable child OF storm and
battle.
The magnetism about her marvellous
beauty was such as to drive her lovers
ecrazy; more men had been killed about
her than all the other women In the
Hills put together, and It was only q
question whether her lovers or herself
had killed the most. She was Of all
humors soft and pleading, cold and
imperious, gentle and fierce by turns;
from laughter ito tears, from love to
hate, jealous, Indifferent. passionate,
cool, like the oolors that pass across the
sunset sky, oil beset with glowing
clouds that burn like gold, then change
to rose color, to gorgeous purple, then
to the cold gray twilight, and anon
sink into night. She could throw
bowie knife straighter than any pistol
bullet except her own, aud married her
first husband because he was the only
man of all her lovers who had the
nerve to let her shoot an apple Off his
head as she rode by him at full speed
On one occasion she disguised herself
in male attire to fight man who had
declined the combat with woman; he
fell, and she then cried over him and
married him in time to be his widow
Kitty Leroy was sometimes rich,
sometimes poor. but always lavish as a
prince when she had money. She dealt
''vantoon" or faro" and played all
games at cards with dexterity that
amounted to genius. Her daring cour-
age made her the envy and admiration
OF the boldest scouts, and danger seemed
to inspire rather than daunt her.
Whether to fear or love such crea-
ture was the double thought of every
man who ever behed her; but besides
her desperate games Of cards, hearts or
lives, there was something that made
the wild desperadoes and equally wild
women of that wild land accord her a
certain sort Of love purer than that
which she or they generally dealt In.
It was Just that one touch Of pathos
which illmined dark, wild character
like the ray Of sunshine on q stormy
sea, which Is smile as old as the Black
Hills, but is the reason why they call
her there still Poor Kitty Leroy"
Mamnn,s Edncntinn a Century Ac9,