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True Stories of Notorious Women of the Old West
Myra Maybelle Shirley also known as Belle Starr
“Shed not for her the bitter tear, nor give the heart in vain regret. Tis but the casket that lies here, the gem that filled it sparkles yet.” Inscription on Belle Starr’s tombstone, 1889
Belle Starr checked to make sure the pair of six-guns she was carrying was loaded before she proceeded across a dusty road toward a saloon just outside of Fort Dodge, Kansas. When she reached the tavern she peered over the top of the swinging doors of the establishment and carefully studied the room and its seedy inhabitants. Her thin face with his hawk-like nose was illuminated by a kerosene lantern hanging by the entrance.
She stepped inside the long, narrow, dimly lit room and slowly made her way to the gambling tables in the back. A battery of eyes turned to watch her walk by. Four men engrossed in a game of five-card draw barely noticed the woman approaching them. A tall man with an air of foreign gentility sat at the head of the table with his back to Belle, dealing cards. She removed one of the guns from her dress pocket and rested the barrel of the weapon on the gambler’s cheek.
To learn more about Belle Starr and other lady card players read
The Lady Was a Gambler: True Stories of Notorious Women of the Old West
