MADAM
Ron Stahl
Depending who we’re talking to, Mary has the right to deny everything.
The dictionary describes Madam as ‘My Lady’ (in French) or when addressing a female with authority, like the head of the household. There is yet another interpretation I’ll try to describe, I hope, without offending anyone’s morals. The other interpretation pertains to that particular Madam who runs an establishment of young ladies who, to put it delicately, ‘entertain’ gentlemen who have the wherewithal to purchase their time.
My wife, Mary, is the nicest, most decent person that I have ever met. She does have one quirk that occasionally comes to the surface. I’ll give an example: she believes that in a former life she ran one of the above-mentioned establishments.
Some years back, while driving through Colorado, we visited one of that state’s many points of historical interest. When we approached the town of Leadville, Mary sat up taking particular interest of the surrounding area and with an unfamiliar tone in her voice said, “Ron, turn right at the next corner.” She then directed me through several other turns. I did as she bid, and while driving slowly up one street she blurted out, “There it is…just as I remember. Oh, please stop!”
Across the street was a wooden two-story house, with gingerbread trim at the windows and at the eaves. A hundred years ago it may have been the grandest house for the times.
“I want to go in. It looks so familiar. I have to find out if this is just a dream or an apparition.” She had inferred several times of being from a life of long ago. I passed it off as her escape into fantasy land.
As we approached the span of steps leading to the porch, we noticed a large plaque placed to the left of the front door with heavy glass panel, denoting that this was a place of historical note.
“The Von Crofton House”
Open to the Public.
And in smaller print below
“The most successful and longest operating brothel in Colorado.”
We tried to open the elaborate brass door latch; it wouldn’t open so I turned the bell key. We could see through the glass that someone was coming. Soon the door was opened by an elegant attired lady, dressed in the fashion of the period. “Welcome to von Crofton’s. Will you please sign the register; there is no fee but a donation is always welcome.” She led us from the entry to a large carpeted parlor with stuffed high-back chairs.
A portrait of an imposing gent with a Van Dyke mustache hung on one wall. Beneath the portrait was large side table with ornate Crystal vases filled with freshly cut flowers. A beautiful white grand piano with its lid open sat off alone in an alcove.
Our hostess handed each of us a pamphlet. “We hope that you are not offended by the Plaque at the front door but the statement is an integral part of the history of the house. This house was one of the first of the grand houses built in Leadville during the 1880’s. It was constructed for a successful mining Engineer, Mister Eric von Crofton and his wife. The house has been fully restored and all of the furniture is of the time period. Many of the artifacts are original or were contributed by prominent families of our community. As you enter each room you will see a plaque with their names at the side of the entrance.”
Mary asked if there was a large anteroom towards the back of the house.
“Yes…why do you ask? Have you been here before? We use the room as our office, lounge, and study. It is odd…I have never been asked about that room before…come, let’s see if there is something you might remember of it.”
I said, “Please lady, don’t encourage her trip into fantasy land, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
The lady smiled and led the way down the wide hall, past an elegant carved wood staircase. We entered a large room with the appearance and trappings of the present times; television, sofas and coffee tables, chair and desk, a refrigerator off to one
side, counter-top stove and coffee maker.
Mary looked around, “May I ask…does that door lead to the back porch…and if it does, is there a water-closet off to one side and a stairway leading down to the backyard?”
“Goodness…you have been here before…that water-closet is now a store room. They built two new restrooms; one on this level and one upstairs, many years ago.”
Mary smiled, “As I recall, there was a nice two-story house at the backside of this house. Prospective ‘customers’ would view and select their choices from this parlor and then retreat to the house in the rear. That house, as I recollect, had an amusing little sign stating, ‘Men Took In And Done For’ hanging in the window.”
The woman, flustered, said, “Surely, at one time, you must have read the unpublished journals on the history of this house. One of my responsibilities as Curator of this privately owned and maintained, museum is to protect its integrity and factual history. I keep those entries under lock and key and, frankly, am puzzled as to how you got your information. I also must say that I will deny any and all assertions on your part that are contrary to what is in those journals.”
“Ma’am…please, ma’am…I’m not trying to cause any problems. I have these recollections and for the first time I’m sharing them with someone other than my husband.” Not getting a response or a nod, my wife continued with her description of the surroundings as she recalled them, “There was a trellised arbor pathway leading to a two-story house in the rear and as I recall, that was the actual bordello, this house was never the brothel. After Eric von Crofton suddenly
passed his wife, who found that her husband hadn’t been as prosperous as believed, took in ladies as boarders. Unknown in Colorado at the time was the notorious ‘Loretta Simms’ who had been chased out of the gold fields up in Alaska. When she heard that the miners in Colorado were loose and free with their money, she worked her way to Leadville. She secured a room at von Croften’s and after a short stint of trying to repaint her persona as a respectable lady and enjoying the confines and socializing with the upper crust of the community, she rented and set up camp in the house in the rear but still continued to meet and socialize with her ‘well to do’ clients here in this house. Over a few months she had infiltrated some of her best ‘girls’ in the rooms here also. Fortunate for her, Mrs. Von Croften was a most trusting, innocent, and naïve woman and was completely taken in by Loretta’s forceful personality.” After a few moments of silent thought, my wife continued, “Loretta wasn’t alone in her activities; she took up with a ruthless individual who became her pimp, lover, financier and protector. He took over and managed the house in back.
“I was a member of a traveling musical and opera circuit. When Tabor opened his Opera House, they needed permanent musicians.
I was engaged by the Tabor Opera House to be their resident piano player. I was offered a suite at von Crofton’s with the use of that white Grand Piano in the other room. I also gave piano lessons to many of Leadville’s leading ladies. It was about that time that Loretta’s pimp was killed by a politician who the two of them were trying to blackmail. With the fear that she was in danger of arrest and imprisonment, Loretta vanished for parts unknown.
“You might ask, what part or why was I so involved in this house? When word got out that many of the lady boarders were involved with the house in back, von Crofton’s lost its respectability causing turmoil among those of us who remained. The owner saw the value of ‘von Croftons’ going down like a sinking ship. She pled with me to try to put things back in order, even offering me a percentage if I could bring the place back into good standing. I lost five of my twelve lady clients…the husbands of those five had been frequent visitors of the house in back…I needed money. Show dates at the Opera House became sporadic due to the weather or distances the troupes had to travel. The success of any production depended on transportation of the traveling group; if it took a week to travel to a production for a one week stand and a week to return home, very little profit was realized. Also, weather played an important role for audiences especially in the mountainous regions. I took the owner’s offer. One year later ‘von Crofton’ was back on its feet. The Opera circuit was in full swing. I was invited to play the piano for the opening ceremonies, after which I was introduced to the audience as the Madam and savior of the von Crofton house…with a tumultuous uproar of laughter and cheers at the use of ‘Madam’ and its double-entendre.”
Footnote:
At the turn of the century it’s rumored that one of the most prosperous businesses operating in the red-light district on the Barbary Coast in San Francisco was owned and operated by a woman known as ‘Madam Diva’. It is said that they came from far and near to hear her rendition of “A Bird in A Gilded Cage”, which she sang while accompanying herself on a beautiful white Grand piano.