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Belle Cora (1827?[1][2]–February 18/19, 1862), also known as Arabella Ryan,[3] was a madam of the Barbary Coast of San Francisco during the mid-nineteenth century.[4] 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.
Belle Cora | |
|---|---|
 Representation of Cora | |
| Born | 1827 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | 1862 (aged 34–35) |
| Other names | Arabella Ryan |
| Occupation | Madam |
Two portrayals of Belle Cora's childhood exist.[1] The first lists her as the daughter of a minister in Baltimore who became pregnant as a teen.[1] 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.[1] The alternate version, more prominently upheld, depicts Belle to be the daughter of Irish Catholic parents in Baltimore.[1] In this version, Cora and her sister worked at a dress shop next to a brothel.[citation needed] Intrigued by the house, they became involved with the sex trade.[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.[1] His death prompted Cora to move to New Orleans where in 1849 she met Charles Cora.[1][5]
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In December 1849, the couple moved to Sacramento, California and, while there, Belle helped fund Charles's high-stakes gambling.[1] After some time, the couple moved to Marysville, California, and Belle opened her first brothel, called the New World.[6][7] gambling parlor and offered games like poker, roulette, faro, and dice.[citation needed] At 23, they moved yet again and she opened a brothel in Sonora, California.[1]
In 1852, Belle set up a parlor house on Washington street, in San Francisco, opposite the house of fellow madam, Ah Toy.[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.[8] Belle hosted dinner parties with aldermen, judges, the mayor, and even members of the legislature.[1] Even after an expensive legal battle and the lynching of her husband, Belle continued to run her brothel.[9]
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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.[10] The feud was further provoked one evening at the American Theatre.[11] 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.[1][12][13][14][11] However, the manager refused to remove the couple, saying that they were regular customers of the first balcony.[11] William left swearing vengeance upon Charles.[11]
On November 17, 1855, between 6 and 7 o'clock,[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.[15] He died instantaneously from the wound.[16][17][15] Charles Cora was arrested, handed over to the city marshal, and later placed in the county jail.[15]
Protests and lynch mobs erupted after the murder, so Mayor James Van Ness placed Charles under a higher security accommodation for his own safety.[18] Local citizens raised fund for a monument for Richardson in the Lone Mountain Cemetery and $15,000 for his children.[15][19]
Belle funded several attorneys to represent Charles Cora including Edward Dickinson Baker and James A. McDougall.[20] 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.[9] In addition, she even went so far as trying to bribe the star witness Maria Knight to change her testimony.[21] Alleging that Richardson had threatened Charles with a knife, the lawyers framed the case as one of self-defense.[16] On 1856 January 17, Charles's trial ended with hung jury.[22]
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.[citation needed] The following day, 3,000 armed members of the committee took Charles and James P. Casey.[23] On 1856 May 18, in Sacramento, Governor Johnson, in response,[19] appointed William Tecumseh Sherman as the Major-General commanding of the San Francisco division of the California State Militia.[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.[24][25][26][20][27][28]
The 2nd Committee of Vigilance scheduled a new trial for 1856 May 20;[29][30] James King of William died the same day.[31] Samuel Brannan delivered a speech on justice and the enforcement of the law before the trial.[32] Both men were found guilty, and on 1856 May 22, the committee sentenced both to hang the following day at noon.[15][30] Before the execution, Belle and Charles got married by Father Michael Acoltti.[citation needed]
For fear of escape, 3,000 men and two field pieces led Charles to his execution,[15] at the committee's headquarters at 41 Sacramento Street in front of a crowd of 20,000.[citation needed] Charles said nothing as the noose was placed around his head.[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.[33][34][35][30]
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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.[36][37][38][13]
Karen Joy Fowler's alludes to Cora's influence on social norms in novel Sister Noon.[10][39] During a societal shift toward "civilizing" society, Belle had maintained her business, which had been seen as immoral.[1] In the book Arresting Dress, the author Clare Sears opines that Cora inspires female financial agency and the use of sex for empowerment.[11] In addition, Cora advocated against gender stereotypes, as demonstrated by her legal battle with the Vigilance Committee;[how?] ultimately she set the precedent to resist further legislation like that of sodomy laws in the 20th century.[11]
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