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Ghostly Soiled Doves Of The Old West

© Janice Oberding

Up until the beginning of last century there was very little a single woman could do to earn her living. She could teach, she could sew, she could scrub, starve, or find work in one of the infamous bawdy houses that sprung up in the west with the discovery of gold and silver.

There were many euphemisms for these poor unfortunates who chose to work in the bawdy houses when they found themselves alone in the world without a husband's protection. Soiled Dove is one of the more pleasant terms. Their stories were tragic, their lives short, and their ghosts tenacious.

Early in her life if someone had told Kate Miller that she would end her life as a soiled dove she would have been incensed. After all she was the happily married mother of two small children. But fate was unkind to Kate. For reasons that are lost to history a young woman met and fell for Mr. Miller. When she realized she could never have him she cruelly poisoned his two children. The deaths of her children so unhinged Kate's mind that she wandered aimlessly from their home in Colorado and eventually ended up in Eureka Nevada.

In Eureka Kate started drinking heavily and became a soiled dove who was known by the unflattering name of "Bulldog Kate". Unfortunately Kate was vicious and mean spirited when she drank. It would spell her doom. One night in 1876 she got into an argument with Mary Irwin in Cramer's saloon. Mary got angry pulled a knife and stabbed Kate to death.

That was the end of Kate. Or was it? When her ghost began making noisy return trips to the place of her demise the local newspaper, The Pioche Daily Report dutifully reported that the "disembodied spirit" of Kate was still on the premises. Mary Irwin left town without checking on the validity of the story.

Tombstone Arizona was a wild town in its heyday. Perhaps it still is. The ghosts of soiled doves and patrons alike are believed to haunt several old saloons and buildings in Tombstone, particularly the Bird Cage Theater. Rowdy laughter and noises with no earthly explanation have been reported several times over the years.

Eleanor Dumont, or Madame Moustache as she was known, got her start in Tombstone. A soiled dove who was so lucky at cards that she traveled the west winning large sums. Her luck ran out in Bodie California. After a losing streak that took every dollar and piece of jewelry she owned, Madame Moustache found herself unable to beg, borrow, or steal another dime. Distraught, she left Bodie on foot vowing to end it all. She stopped, swilled a bottle of poison and died in agony there on the road. But she's returned. Her ghost still hovers near the sites of some of the saloons she enjoyed in life. No doubt looking for a card game.