Английская Википедия:Belle Cora

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Use mdy dates Шаблон:Infobox person Belle Cora (1827?Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn–February 18/19, 1862), also known as Arabella Ryan,Шаблон:Sfn was a madam of the Barbary Coast of San Francisco during the mid-nineteenth century. She rose to public attention in 1855 when her lover, Charles Cora, killed U.S. Marshal William H. Richardson after they had a conflict at the theater. She died in 1862.

Early life

Two portrayals of Belle Cora's childhood exist.Шаблон:Sfn The first lists her as the daughter of a minister in Baltimore who became pregnant as a teen.Шаблон:Sfn Upon discovering this, Cora's father threw her out of the house, prompting Cora to move to New Orleans. There, her baby died and she met Charles Cora.Шаблон:Sfn The alternate version, more prominently upheld, depicts Belle to be the daughter of Irish Catholic parents in Baltimore.Шаблон:Sfn In this version, Cora and her sister worked at a dress shop next to a brothel.Шаблон:Citation needed Intrigued by the house, they became involved with the sex trade.Шаблон:Citation needed At some point, Cora ventured to Charleston, South Carolina. During her time there, she became the mistress of a man who was later killed.Шаблон:Sfn His death prompted Cora to move to New Orleans where in 1849 she met Charles Cora.Шаблон:Sfn

Career

Файл:Cora House 1853.jpg

Photograph of the Cora House in 1853

In December 1849, the couple moved to Sacramento, California and, while there, Belle helped fund Charles's high-stakes gambling.Шаблон:Sfn After some time, the couple moved to Marysville, California, and Belle opened her first brothel, called the New World.Шаблон:Sfn gambling parlor and offered games like poker, roulette, faro, and dice.Шаблон:Citation needed At 23, they moved yet again and she opened a brothel in Sonora, California.Шаблон:Sfn

In 1852, Belle set up a parlor house on Washington street, in San Francisco, opposite the house of fellow madam, Ah Toy.Шаблон:Citation needed Reverend William Taylor recounts the parlor house as being furnished with redwood, velvet, silk, demask, beautiful paintings and playing pianoforte, harp and melodeon. Belle hosted dinner parties with aldermen, judges, the mayor, and even members of the legislature.Шаблон:Sfn Even after an expensive legal battle and the lynching of her husband, Belle continued to run her brothel.Шаблон:Sfn

Murder of Richardson and the aftermath

Belle Cora held a competing party (which had more guests) the same night as the wife of U.S. Marshal William H. Richardson, which is said to have begun a rivalry between the women. The feud was further provoked one evening at the American Theatre.Шаблон:Sfn Richardson's wife complained to the manager that the Coras were seated in the same balcony as she was, as she felt that area should be reserved for more respectable guests.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn However, the manager refused to remove the couple, saying that they were regular customers of the first balcony.Шаблон:Sfn William left swearing vengeance upon Charles.Шаблон:Sfn

On November 17, 1855, between 6 and 7 o'clock,Шаблон:Citation needed Charles Cora shot Marshal Richardson in the breast in front of Fox and O'Connor's store on Clay street between Leidesdorff and Montgomery Street. He died instantaneously from the wound.Шаблон:Sfn Charles Cora was arrested, handed over to the city marshal, and later placed in the county jail.

Protests and lynch mobs erupted after the murder, so Mayor James Van Ness placed Charles under a higher security accommodation for his own safety.Шаблон:Sfn Local citizens raised fund for a monument for Richardson in the Lone Mountain Cemetery and $15,000 for his children.

Belle funded several attorneys to represent Charles Cora including Edward Dickinson Baker and James A. McDougall. Belle paid Edward Dickinson Baker $15,000 of his $30,000 retainer in gold and sent meals to Charles Cora while he was in jail.Шаблон:Sfn In addition, she even went so far as trying to bribe the star witness Maria Knight to change her testimony.Шаблон:Sfn Alleging that Richardson had threatened Charles with a knife, the lawyers framed the case as one of self-defense.Шаблон:Sfn On 1856 January 17, Charles's trial ended with hung jury.

On May 15, 1856, the 2nd Committee of Vigilance was formed, and by May 17, the committee had gained 2500 members. The collected guns and began to conduct "army" drills.Шаблон:Citation needed The following day, 3,000 armed members of the committee took Charles and James P. Casey. On 1856 May 18, in Sacramento, Governor Johnson, in response, appointed William Tecumseh Sherman as the Major-General commanding of the San Francisco division of the California State Militia.Шаблон:Citation needed The related case of James Casey (who had shot newspaper editor James King of William in an assassination attempt) prompted the committee to aim a cannon at the jail and demand the release of Charles and Casey.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Файл:Hanging-James P Casey and Charles Cora.jpg

The Hanging of Charles Cora

The 2nd Committee of Vigilance scheduled a new trial for 1856 May 20; James King of William died the same day.Шаблон:Sfn Samuel Brannan delivered a speech on justice and the enforcement of the law before the trial.Шаблон:Sfn Both men were found guilty, and on 1856 May 22, the committee sentenced both to hang the following day at noon. Before the execution, Belle and Charles got married by Father Michael Acoltti.Шаблон:Citation needed

For fear of escape, 3,000 men and two field pieces led Charles to his execution, at the committee's headquarters at 41 Sacramento Street in front of a crowd of 20,000.Шаблон:Citation needed Charles said nothing as the noose was placed around his head.Шаблон:Citation needed The cord was cut at twenty minutes past one o'clock, leaving Charles to drop six feet and hang for fifty five minutes before being turned over to the coroner.

Death and legacy

Belle Cora died at 35, in 1862, of pneumonia. She was buried in the Calvary Cemetery next to her husband. In 1916, the San Francisco Bulletin published a serial on Cora by Pauline Jacobson and, as a result, Belle was disinterred and reburied with Charles beneath a common headstone at the Mission Dolores Cemetery.Шаблон:SfnШаблон:Sfn

Karen Joy Fowler's alludes to Cora's influence on social norms in novel Sister Noon.Шаблон:Sfn During a societal shift toward "civilizing" society, Belle had maintained her business, which had been seen as immoral.Шаблон:Sfn In the book Arresting Dress, the author Clare Sears opines that Cora inspires female financial agency and the use of sex for empowerment.Шаблон:Sfn In addition, Cora advocated against gender stereotypes, as demonstrated by her legal battle with the Vigilance Committee;Шаблон:How ultimately she set the precedent to resist further legislation like that of sodomy laws in the 20th century.Шаблон:Sfn

See also

• List of people from San Francisco

Footnotes

Works cited

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General references

• Шаблон:Cite book