Della Moore
Encyclopedia
Della Moore also known as Annie Rogers or Maude Williams, was a prostitute during the closing years of the Old West, best known as being the girlfriend of outlaw
Harvey Logan
(Kid Curry), who rode with the Wild Bunch
gang.
near El Paso
. She was pretty, with a petite build, and began working in brothel
s in San Antonio
around the age of 15. By 1899 she was working in the famous brothel of Madame Fannie Porter
, having met and becoming involved with Curry some time around mid-1898. She would help hide Curry after his robberies, and often helped him resupply before he would leave again.
By 1900 Moore had left prostitution and began traveling with Curry, who was between robberies. The two travelled to Tennessee
, where they met up with other members of the gang, to include Ben Kilpatrick
and Laura Bullion
. On October 14th, 1901, Moore was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee
for passing notes associated with an earlier robbery Curry had committed. She and Curry never saw one another again. She was jailed, but was later acquitted on June 18th, 1902.
There is no evidence to support that Moore and Curry ever reunited after her release from jail. Both Kilpatrick and Bullion were arrested in Knoxville, Tennessee
while she was incarcerated, and Curry killed two Knoxville policemen to avoid capture only one day after their capture. He was later captured, but escaped again. She travelled to Arkansas
, where she returned to prostitution, and by the time that Curry was killed in Colorado
by a posse
in 1904, Moore had returned to Texas and for a time worked again for Fannie Porter in her brothel. It is believed that she later became a teacher
, dying around 1926, but that is unconfirmed. She often changed her name, and it is not known for certain as to what path her life took following her involvement with Curry.
Outlaw
In historical legal systems, an outlaw is declared as outside the protection of the law. In pre-modern societies, this takes the burden of active prosecution of a criminal from the authorities. Instead, the criminal is withdrawn all legal protection, so that anyone is legally empowered to persecute...
Harvey Logan
Harvey Logan
Harvey Alexander Logan , also known as Kid Curry, was an American outlaw and gunman who rode with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's infamous Wild Bunch gang. Despite being less well known than his counterparts, he has since been referred to as "the wildest of the Wild Bunch"...
(Kid Curry), who rode with the Wild Bunch
Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang or the Oklahombres, was a gang of outlaws based in the Indian Territory that terrorized Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen. They were...
gang.
Early life, life with Curry
Little is known about Moore's early years. She is believed to have been born around 1880, in TexasTexas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
near El Paso
El Paso, Texas
El Paso, is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, United States, and lies in far West Texas. In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 649,121. It is the sixth largest city in Texas and the 19th largest city in the United States...
. She was pretty, with a petite build, and began working in brothel
Brothel
Brothels are business establishments where patrons can engage in sexual activities with prostitutes. Brothels are known under a variety of names, including bordello, cathouse, knocking shop, whorehouse, strumpet house, sporting house, house of ill repute, house of prostitution, and bawdy house...
s in San Antonio
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
around the age of 15. By 1899 she was working in the famous brothel of Madame Fannie Porter
Fannie Porter
Fannie Porter was a well known Madame of the 19th century. She was best known for her association with famous outlaws of the day, and for her popular brothel.-Career as a Madame:...
, having met and becoming involved with Curry some time around mid-1898. She would help hide Curry after his robberies, and often helped him resupply before he would leave again.
By 1900 Moore had left prostitution and began traveling with Curry, who was between robberies. The two travelled to Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, where they met up with other members of the gang, to include Ben Kilpatrick
Ben Kilpatrick
Ben Kilpatrick was an American outlaw during the closing days of the American Old West. He was a member of the Wild Bunch gang led by Butch Cassidy and Elzy Lay. He was arrested for robbery and served about 10 years of his 15 year sentence...
and Laura Bullion
Laura Bullion
Laura Bullion was a female outlaw of the Old West. Most sources indicate that Bullion was born of German and Native American heritage in Knickerbocker, near Mertzon in Irion County, Texas; the exact day of her birth is unclear...
. On October 14th, 1901, Moore was arrested in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
for passing notes associated with an earlier robbery Curry had committed. She and Curry never saw one another again. She was jailed, but was later acquitted on June 18th, 1902.
There is no evidence to support that Moore and Curry ever reunited after her release from jail. Both Kilpatrick and Bullion were arrested in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
while she was incarcerated, and Curry killed two Knoxville policemen to avoid capture only one day after their capture. He was later captured, but escaped again. She travelled to Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, where she returned to prostitution, and by the time that Curry was killed in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
by a posse
Posse comitatus (common law)
Posse comitatus or sheriff's posse is the common-law or statute law authority of a county sheriff or other law officer to conscript any able-bodied males to assist him in keeping the peace or to pursue and arrest a felon, similar to the concept of the "hue and cry"...
in 1904, Moore had returned to Texas and for a time worked again for Fannie Porter in her brothel. It is believed that she later became a teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
, dying around 1926, but that is unconfirmed. She often changed her name, and it is not known for certain as to what path her life took following her involvement with Curry.