The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 96, July 1992 - April, 1993 Page: 86

Southwestern Historical Quarterly

tones. In actuality, black prostitutes made up a substantial if not major-
ity percentage of the local fraternity before the end of the century, if
we can believe the newspaper reports.
Violence among the women is another aspect of the local vice scene
that is only hinted at in the popular mythology surrounding Hell's Half
Acre and the Acre's numerous "soiled doves." A survey of violence in
the profession in other towns or derived from generalized sociological
studies does not carry the same impact as reading about specific names
and dates for local mayhem. The regular recitation of prostitutes'
deaths in the local pages of the Democrat and the Gazette put the prob-
lem in real terms: these girls lived here, walked the same streets we
walk today, probably even knew some of our forebears! When they
gave up on life, they were also giving up on Fort Worth.
The basic facts are that Fort Worth was a violent city for women from
the "wrong side of the tracks" and that prostitution was rampant in the
city's early days. These facts can only be revealed through the lives of
the city's residents who were most closely involved. Soiled doves and
madams deserve to have their stories remembered. This account,
hopefully, is only the beginning.