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Della Moore
Della Moore
Della Moore
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Della Moore (1880–1926?), also known as Annie Rogers or Maude Williams,[1][2] was a woman working as a prostitute during the closing years of the Old West,[3] best known for being the girlfriend of outlaw Harvey Logan (Kid Curry),[4] who rode with Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch gang.

Key Information

Early life and life with Curry

[edit]

Little is known about Moore's early years. She is believed to have been born around 1880 in Texas[5] near El Paso. She was pretty, with a petite build, and began working in brothels in Mena, Arkansas, Fort Worth and San Antonio around the age of 15.[6] By 1899, she was working in the famous brothel of Madame Fannie Porter,[3] having met and becoming involved with Curry some time around mid-1898.[7] She would help hide Curry after his robberies, and often helped him resupply before he would leave again.

By 1900, Moore had left prostitution and began traveling with Curry,[8] who was between robberies. The two traveled to Tennessee where they met with other members of the gang to include Ben Kilpatrick and Laura Bullion.[6] On October 14, 1901, Moore was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee[3] for passing notes associated with an earlier robbery Curry had committed.[5][9] She and Curry never saw one another again. She was jailed, but was later acquitted[5] on June 18, 1902.

There is no evidence to suggest that Moore and Curry reunited after her release from jail.[5] Both Kilpatrick and Bullion were arrested in St. Louis, Missouri while she was incarcerated, and Curry killed two Knoxville policemen to avoid capture only one day after their capture. He was later captured, but escaped again. She traveled to Arkansas, where she returned to prostitution, and by the time that Curry was killed in Colorado by a posse in 1904, Moore had returned to Texas, and for a time, she worked again for Fannie Porter in her brothel.[6] It is believed that she later became a teacher, dying around 1926, but that is unconfirmed.[citation needed] She often changed her name, and it is not known what path her life took after her involvement with Curry. It is unknown if they ever married.

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Della Moore

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Della Moore (c. 1875 – after 1902), better known under her aliases Annie Rogers and Maude Williams, was an American prostitute and associate of outlaws active in during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in , she left home around 1893 and worked in brothels in ; ; and , Texas, including the renowned establishment of madam . Moore became romantically involved with , the outlaw known as Kid Curry, a prominent member of gang, whom she met at Porter's brothel in sometime in the late 1890s. She accompanied Logan on travels between his criminal activities and was implicated in efforts to launder proceeds from the gang's July 3, 1901, robbery of a Great Northern Railway train near Wagner, , during which approximately $40,000 in banknotes was stolen. On October 14, 1901, Moore was arrested in , after attempting to exchange $550 in small-denomination bills—identified by serial numbers as part of the stolen Montana National Bank of Helena notes—at the Fourth National Bank; she was charged with passing forged or stolen currency and held on $10,000 (later reduced to $2,500) while pursued by Pinkerton detectives. Although suspected of direct ties to the and harboring fugitives, she was acquitted on June 19, 1902, following a trial in federal court. Following her release, Moore returned to , severing ties with Logan, who died by suicide in 1904 after escaping prison, and there are no verified records of her subsequent activities.

Early life

Background and family

Della Moore was born c. 1875 in ; documentation is scarce due to her later adoption of aliases like Annie Rogers and Maude Williams. She was raised in a working-class or rural household during an era of widespread poverty in the post-Civil War South, where economic recovery was slow and families often struggled with , disrupted agriculture, and limited opportunities. No confirmed details exist about her parents or siblings, reflecting the broader challenges of record-keeping among impoverished communities in . Formal education was minimal or absent for girls in Moore's socioeconomic position, as rural areas lacked sufficient schools, transportation, and resources, leaving many working-class children to contribute to family labor instead. This vulnerability, compounded by regional hardships, positioned young women like Moore for early exploitation. In 1893, Moore departed from home amid the economic pressures afflicting many Texas families in the late .

Entry into prostitution

In 1893, following her departure from home, Della Moore began working as a prostitute in Mena, Arkansas, a burgeoning railroad town in the late 19th-century Southwest, where she entered the sex trade amid scarce economic opportunities for young women outside domestic or factory labor. In Mena, as in many frontier communities, prostitution offered relatively quick earnings but exposed workers to exploitation and instability, with brothels often operating near rail lines to serve transient laborers and travelers. She later married a farmer named Lewis Walker but soon left him, finding the life too tame, and continued in the sex trade. By the mid-1890s, Moore had moved to , where she worked in the notorious Hell's Half Acre district, a hub filled with saloons, dens, and brothels that attracted cowboys, soldiers, and railway workers. To avoid detection by family or authorities, she adopted aliases such as Maude Williams during this period. The Fort Worth scene exemplified the era's red-light districts, where lower-end "cribs"—small, rudimentary shacks—housed prostitutes charging modest fees of $0.25 to $3 per encounter, while daily routines involved entertaining clients amid constant threats of violence from rowdy patrons or abusive madams, as well as rampant venereal diseases that claimed many lives without effective medical intervention. in these areas was lax, focusing on fines rather than eradication, allowing the trade to flourish despite periodic reformist outcries. In 1897, Moore shifted to , initially laboring in lower-class establishments within the city's Sporting District, a segregated zone west of the that by the decade's end boasted over 100 brothels catering to military personnel from nearby forts and diverse civilian clients. She progressed to more prominent houses, reflecting the tiered system where "Class C" cribs for lower-end workers evolved into "Class A" parlors with better furnishings and higher fees up to $5, though madams typically took a significant cut. As a "soiled dove," her lifestyle centered on evening work in these venues—dressing for allure, serving drinks to encourage spending, and navigating health inspections mandated by a 1891 city ordinance that required weekly exams for venereal diseases—while earnings provided a measure of but were offset by $500 annual licensing fees and risks of , with often going unpunished in the lawless Old West context. Interactions with police were routine and regulatory rather than punitive until the late , when moral campaigns began challenging the tolerated vice districts.

Association with Kid Curry

Meeting at Fannie Porter's brothel

Around 1898, Della Moore, using the alias Annie Rogers, arrived at Fannie Porter's upscale in , , after prior experience in prostitution in , and Fort Worth. Porter's establishment, located in the city's , was renowned for its high standards and served as a key hideout for outlaws associated with , attracting figures seeking respite from their fugitive lives. It was during one of Harvey Logan's visits to the circa 1898-1899 that he first met Moore, then a young woman in her late teens working as a prostitute there. Logan, known as Kid Curry and already evading lawmen after earlier crimes, was drawn to the establishment's and lively atmosphere, where he and Moore quickly developed an initial attraction leading to romantic involvement. Their time together in involved shared moments amid Logan's intermittent stays as a , fostering an early bond in the brothel's indulgent setting. Moore's role in the relationship evolved into that of a devoted girlfriend and companion, offering emotional support to Logan during his tense visits and occasionally providing informal cover by blending into the brothel's routine to deflect suspicion. There is no evidence of her participation in any criminal activities during this initial phase, which remained confined to the context. The brothel environment itself played a crucial part in such outlaw-prostitute connections, with Porter enforcing rules that ensured privacy and loyalty, as seen in visits by other members like , who also sought refuge there.

Travels and shared activities

Following their meeting at Fannie Porter's brothel in , Della Moore and , known as Kid Curry, reportedly married in , in 1900 before embarking on a nomadic life together starting in late 1900, traversing primarily by train to evade posses. Their itinerary included stops in , such as where they posed for a formal in December 1900, and extended to Idaho's Shoshone area in December 1900, alongside companions Will Carver and Lillie Davis. From there, they ventured into , staying in mining towns like Helena and , before returning to . These movements were characterized by cautious travel, often under assumed names to avoid detection, reflecting the constant pressure of Logan's fugitive status. As a couple on the run, Moore and Logan adopted a transient lifestyle that blended anonymity with fleeting moments of comfort in mining towns and secluded spots. Moore played a key role in handling practicalities, such as securing lodging in upscale hotels like Denver's Victor Hotel or Shoshone's McFall House, and coordinating disguises through her use of aliases including Annie Rogers and Maude Williams—names likely influenced by Logan's own frequent changes to evade capture. Their routine involved stays in bustling yet discreet Western outposts, where they maintained a low profile amid the rough-and-tumble environment of prospectors and travelers. Logan's associations occasionally necessitated short separations, as he joined members for undisclosed operations, though no records indicate Moore's direct involvement in the gang's activities during this period. Non-criminal pursuits offered brief respites from their evasion, including at card tables in saloons, hunting excursions near , and indulgent outings like fine dining and shopping for clothing and accessories in and . These activities underscored periods of relative stability, where the pair enjoyed champagne toasts and leisurely train rides, spending liberally on small luxuries despite the underlying strains of Logan's commitments. The relationship, marked by Moore's adaptability to their peripatetic existence, endured these tensions but highlighted the challenges of life shadowed by pursuit.

Criminal involvement and arrest

Connection to the Wagner train robbery

The Wagner train robbery occurred on July 3, 1901, near Wagner, , when members of gang, including Harvey "Kid Curry" Logan, targeted a Great Northern Railway express car. The outlaws dynamited the safe, escaping with approximately $40,000 in unsigned banknotes, marking one of the larger hauls in the gang's history of heists. By this time, Della Moore had become Curry's close companion, having abandoned her work as a prostitute to travel with him between his outlaw activities across the American West, including through Montana. While no records place her at the robbery site itself or indicate direct participation in the planning or execution, her ongoing association positioned her in proximity to the events leading up to the heist. In the days following the robbery, Moore received a portion of the stolen banknotes from Curry, which she held for safekeeping or used during their joint travels to evade detection. This handling of the proceeds tied her indirectly to the crime, underscoring her supportive yet non-combatant role in Curry's operations. The immediate aftermath saw the Wild Bunch members scatter in different directions to avoid pursuing lawmen, with himself becoming a primary target in a widespread manhunt across the region. Moore's peripheral involvement left her reliant on Curry's movements, as the couple navigated the heightened risks together while the gang's cohesion frayed under pressure.

Nashville arrest and trial

In October 1901, Della Moore, using the alias Annie Rogers, was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee, while attempting to exchange approximately $550 in stolen $10 bank notes from the National Bank of Montana at the Fourth National Bank. These notes were part of the $40,000 haul of unsigned bills taken during the July 3, 1901, Great Northern train robbery near Wagner, Montana, a crime linked to Kid Curry and other Wild Bunch members. The bank's teller, recognizing the notes from Pinkerton Detective Agency circulars describing their serial numbers, alerted authorities, leading to her immediate detention by Lieutenant Marshall and detectives Dwyer and Dickens. During interrogation, Moore initially denied any knowledge of the notes' origins and claimed to have received them innocently from an acquaintance. However, investigators connected her to (Kid Curry) through witness accounts of their shared travels and romantic involvement, as well as records of their movements following ; Pinkerton reports further corroborated her association with the outlaw, though she maintained she was unaware of the money's illicit nature. She spent several months in pre-trial detention at the Davidson County Jail, where contemporary accounts described her as composed and articulate, with "eyes that fairly danced as she speaks." Moore's trial commenced in June 1902 in a federal court in Nashville, where she faced charges of attempting to pass stolen securities. Her defense argued a lack of intent to defraud, emphasizing insufficient of her involvement in the itself and portraying her actions as unwitting participation influenced by her relationship with Logan. On June 19, 1902, the jury acquitted her after brief deliberations, resulting in her release without serving additional prison time beyond her detention period. Contemporary media coverage often depicted Moore as a tragic "" ensnared by the allure of outlaws like , highlighting her background in and framing her as a sympathetic outcome rather than a vindication of innocence. This portrayal underscored the era's gendered views on female criminality, focusing on moral redemption over legal accountability.

Later life and death

Return to San Antonio

Following her acquittal in Nashville in June 1902, Della Moore returned to and ended her relationship with (Kid Curry), who remained at large as a until his in 1904. She possibly resumed work at Fannie Porter's brothel in , where she continued in the sex trade under aliases including Maude Williams. Porter's establishment, located in the city's Sporting District, was one of the most prominent and luxurious brothels in at the turn of the century, catering to affluent clients and outlaws alike. In the early 1900s, San Antonio's vice district, including its brothels, operated under a system of tolerated regulation that generated revenue through fines and licenses, though moral reform campaigns and federal pressures began to intensify scrutiny on . The district persisted as an economic fixture, drawing visitors and supporting madams like Porter until its formal closure in 1917 amid efforts to curb vice near military bases.

Disappearance and presumed death

Following her and release from custody in June 1902, Della Moore returned to , , where she possibly resumed employment at Fannie Porter's brothel. While she had severed direct ties with Logan, she reportedly followed his activities through newspapers and occasional correspondence, though no evidence indicates further direct contact with him. The brothel closed in the years following 1901 amid rising moral reform movements and declining patronage from outlaw circles, after which Moore gradually faded from verifiable historical records during the and into the . Moore's disappearance from documentation is attributed to several factors, including her habitual use of aliases such as Annie Rogers and Maude Williams, which complicated efforts to track her, as well as the era's sparse and inconsistent record-keeping for women involved in and other marginalized professions. These challenges were exacerbated by the transient lifestyles common among former sex workers and outlaws' associates, often leading to intentional obscurity to evade or . Relocation to another region, marriage under a new identity, or adoption of a different occupation to escape her notorious past have been proposed by historians as likely explanations for her absence from . Her death date and circumstances remain unknown, with no official records such as death certificates or obituaries to verify them, underscoring the broader difficulties in reconstructing the biographies of women like Moore, whose lives were often overlooked in favor of their male counterparts in frontier narratives.
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