The Public Arch

4/22/2023

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Black and white photograph of Etta Gray, seated woman in a dark gown from the late 1800s

While one of the safest cities in the United States today, El Paso, Texas was one of America's most dangerous cities in the 1880s. Run by gunslingers, gambling brokers, and brothel madams, the city often descended into significant bouts of violence. One such episode occurred when the most renowned madams in the city, Alice Abbott, invaded the home of her chief rival, Etta Clark. The dispute ended with Alice Abbot shot and Etta Clark arrested for attempted murder. Eventually, Clark's brothel burned down. On this episode we unpack these events and get to the root of what they can tell us about this lively border town.

Host: Josh

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Further Reading

Samuel K. Dolan, Hell Paso: Life and Death in the West’s Most Dangerous Town. Two Dot, 2020.

H. Gordon Frost, The Gentleman’s Club: The Story of Prostitution in El Paso. Mangan Books, 1983.

Music: "Evening Melodrama" by Kevin Macleod (www.incompetech.com)

Sepia colored image of a young woman with long dark wavy hair. she has a flower crown on, large dark eyes, and is looking off to her left

Bessie Colvin

Black and white image of a middle aged woman with dark hair pulled back severely

Alice Abbott

The Public Arch

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