Reportedly a widow when she first appeared in Deadwood shortly after the gold rush, Mollie was first mentioned in public documents in February, 1878 when she married Lew Spencer, an African American comedian who was performing at the Bella Union Theater. Though married, Mollie continued to work in her chosen profession, both as prostitute and madam. Spencer eventually left Deadwood and was later arrested in Denver, Colorado for shooting his other wife. Evidently he had been married to both a woman in Denver and Johnson. There are no indications that Mollie and Lew ever saw one another afterward.
She was known in Deadwood, South Dakota as the "Queen of the Blondes". Her nickname came from the fact that she had three blonde protégés who worked for her and also maintained their own boarding houses. Mollie and her girls Ida Clark, Ida Cheplan and Jennie Duchesneau, were often embroiled in personal and physical altercations among each other. Other than that, the competition for brothel owners in Deadwood was light, as there were plenty of men and very few girls to go around. For most of her time in Deadwood, Madam Dora DuFran was her main competition, but there is no indication the two madams did not get along.
Mollie was described as being a pretty woman and a very good businesswoman. She was also a known supporter of the Irish Famine Relief. She was also noted to be of a kind hearted, caring for the dead body of one of her girls before trying to save her possessions in the "Big Deadwood Fire" of 26 September 1879. She immediately opened another brothel, and suffered two more fires over the course of the years.
She reportedly left Deadwood in January 1883 as business dropped off. Where she went or what happened to her following her departure is unknown.
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