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Outlaw Women of the Midwest
Anyone who knew Anne Cook thought she was cruel, unfeeling, and motivated by money. The brothel she operated in North Platte, Nebraska, in the late 1920s was a profitable enterprise, but she wanted to amass a fortune and one house of ill repute would not be enough. No legitimate business alone could make her rich either. Anne hoped to fulfill her dream with a combination of both. According to those who knew the Cook family well, Anne’s teenage daughter brought in a substantial amount of income working for her at the brothel. Clients requested the thirteen-year-old on a regular basis.
By the time Clara was in her 30s she had fully adopted her mother’s quest for wealth and was equally ambitious. In addition to entertaining callers, Clara had become a bookkeeper for Anne’s various illegal enterprises. Among Anne’s nefarious business ventures was bootlegging, gambling, and extortion. Clara used what she knew about her mother’s criminal behavior to extort money from Anne and grow her own bank account. The pair often fought over the misappropriation of funds. Clara misjudged how far Anne would go to maintain the property, money, and power she had acquired.
On May 29, 1934, Clara challenged her mother for the last time. Family members at the sprawling farm where they lived in Lincoln County, Nebraska, told authorities that the pair had been arguing most of the day. No one was certain of the nature of the quarrel only that Anne had settled the heated discussion by killing her daughter.
For more information about Anne Cook read the
Bedside Book of Bad Girls: Outlaw Women of the Old West
