Lottie Deno: Gambling Queen of Hearts

Santa Fe, New Mesico: Clear Light Publishers, 1993. First Edition First Printing Stated . Trade Paperback. Fine. 5 1/2" x 8 1/2. Warhaftig, Irving Book Design. 116 Pages. Five inked-lines of inscription by the author on the half-title page. No other marks or stamps to this otherwise as new book. Santa Fe writer Cynthia Rose presents the true story of the beautiful woman gambler known on the Texas frontier as Lottie Deno who has always been a figure of mystery. Controversy and conflicting stories about her origins and her unconventional life followed her wherever she went--and in fact persist to this day. Although Lottie has been immortalized in frontier novels and more recently in television and film as Miss Kitty in Gunsmoke and Laura Denbo in Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, the true story is more fascinating than any work of fiction. Separating legend from fact, the author presents oral and written accounts by people who knew her well and includes period photographs documenting her life and times. She pieces together a portrait of a vital, courageous woman who retained her standards of propriety, her elegant, independent lifestyle, and her generous spirit amidst the pervasive violence and lawlessness of the Texas frontier. Lottie was cultured, redheaded, and off brand in her habits as well as in her profession. Bafflingly crooked at cards and disappointingly straight in more personal matters, she left everybody guessing. After a gunfight two corpses lay sprawled on the bar- room floor. Everyone else had left, except Lottie, who was coolly counting her chips. When the sheriff asked why she had remained on the scene, she merely murmured, You have never been a desperate woman. Departing Fort Griffin, Lottie left behind all her possessions and elegant furnishings, with a note that read, Sell this outfit and give the money to someone in need of assistance. Illustrated with black and white photographs on most pages.