Pearl Starr

Pearl Starr , actually Rose Lee Reed (* 1868 in Rich Hill ( Missouri ), † 1925 in Arizona ) was a well-known prostitute , brothel owner in the times of the Wild West and the daughter of the "gangster queen" Belle Starr , from whom she was nicknamed "Pearl " got.

Pearl Starr was born to Belle Starr's eldest child and her first husband, Jim Reed, a noted murderer and thief. She moved around a lot with her parents until they settled in the so-called Indian territory . When she was six, her father died in a shootout. When Pearl Starr was 21, her mother was also killed. Pearl Starr then left Indian territory and settled as a prostitute in Van Buren in the state of Arkansas . Because of her mother's fame as Belle Starr, she changed her name to Pearl Starr.

After Pearl Starr had amassed sufficient capital, she went to Fort Smith and began running her own brothel there. The brothel was marked by a bright red star, surrounded by pearls, and was known for its good pianist, the whiskey and, according to self-promotion, the "most beautiful girls west of the Mississippi River ".

The operation was successful and Pearl Starr was able to operate other brothels, invest in saloons and other property. Unlike her parents, Pearl Starr only came into conflict with the law once in connection with a robbery in which parts of the loot were found in her private home. However, the first instance sentence of one year in Arkansas State Prison was overturned by the Arkansas Supreme Court, the highest court in the state.

As of 1911, prostitution in Fort Smith became illegal and Pearl Starr's activities were monitored, and she was likely arrested. She left the place in 1921 for Arizona, where she settled in Douglas . There she died.

Web links

• Starr on the Fort Smith Historical Site (English)

literature

• Phillip W. Steele: Starr Tracks: Belle and Pearl Starr . Pelican Publishing Company 1989, ISBN 0882897233 .