Saturday, July 9, 2016

Fannie Porter

Fannie Porter was born in England on 12 February 1873 and traveled to America with her family around 1874. By the age of 20, she had started her own brothel, and became extremely popular for her cordial and sincere attitude.

She chose only the most attractive young women as her girls and required that they practice good hygiene and an immaculate personal appearance. Her brothel was located at the corner of Durango and San Saba Streets.

By 1895, her brothel in San Antonio, Texas was one of the most popular of the Old West. It had by that time become known as a frequent stop off for outlaws on the run from the law. Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Kid Curr, and other members of the Wild Bunch gang frequented her business.

One of Fannie's girls, Della Moore, became the girlfriend of Kid Curry, remaining with him until her arrest for passing money from one of his robberies. She was arrested, but acquitted, eventually returning to work for Porter once again. Another, Lillie Davis, became involved with outlaw and Wild Bunch member Will "News" Carver. Lillie later claimed she had married Carver in Fort Worth prior to his death in 1901, but there are no records to verify the alleged marriage. It is possible that the Sundance Kid and his girlfriend Etta Place, whose true identity and eventual disappearance from history has long been a mystery, first met while she worked for Porter, but that has never been confirmed. Wild Bunch gang member Laura Bullion is also believed to have at times worked for Porter between the years of 1898 and 1901.

Fannie was well respected for her discretion, always refusing to turn in a wanted outlaw to the authorities. She also was known for being extremely protective of her girls, insisting that any who mistreated them never return to her brothel. She generally employed anywhere from five to eight girls, all ranging in age from 18 to 25, and all of whom lived and worked inside her brothel. Her business was not only popular with outlaws of the day, but also with lawmen, and she made sure that any lawmen who entered received the best treatment. William Pinkerton, of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, was said to have frequented her brothel.

By the early 20th century, the tide had begun to turn against active, openly operating brothels. Eventually, Fannie retired, and faded from history. It's not known where she went following her retirement, but most agree that she retired semi-wealthy. Some stories indicate that she married a man of wealth, some indicate she retired into seclusion, while others indicate she returned to England. None of those are confirmed. Later rumors indicated that she lived until 1 January 1940, when she was killed in a car accident in El Paso, Texas though that report has not been confirmed.

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