Eunice Gray
Encyclopedia
Eunice Gray was a brothel
and hotel
owner and operator in Fort Worth, Texas
from 1909 to 1962. She is best known for the belief that she was in fact Etta Place
, the former girlfriend of the famous outlaw Harry Alonzo Longabaugh aka the Sundance Kid, who was allegedly killed in a shootout in South America
in November 1908. For many years there were no known photographs of Eunice Gray, but two photographs were recently found which appear to demonstrate that she could not have been Etta Place.
reports she arrived in Fort Worth, Texas, and began running a brothel in 1909 after Etta Place had been seen for the last time, in San Francisco, where she may have requested assistance in obtaining a death certificate for Longabaugh, in an effort to settle his estate.
During her entire time in Fort Worth she gave but one interview, in which she told Delbert Willis, of the Fort Worth Press, "I've lived in Fort Worth since 1901. That is except for the time I had to high-tail it out of town. Went to South America for a few years . . . until things settled down". This has traditionally been thought to be something to do with the anti-vice crusader the Rev J. Frank Norris. He didn't actually arrive in Fort Worth until 1909, and his infamous siege of Hell's Half Acre, the city's red-light district, didn't occur until 1912. Place, by contrast, was in South America between February 1901 and June 1906. Willis also conceded that Gray never admitted or even claimed to be Etta Place; he merely made that connection on his own, given the similarities of their age, the fact that both had classic good looks, and that the period in which Gray said she went to South America coincided, albeit roughly, with when Place was in South America.
More recently, amateur genealogist Donna Donnell found Eunice Gray on a 1911 passenger list from Panama. It was reported in 2007 that following that lead she had tracked down Eunice Gray's niece, who had two photographs of her: one wearing her high-school graduation dress circa 1896 and another taken in the 1920s. Comparing the photos with one of Place, both agreed that Eunice Gray was definitely not Etta Place.
The documents found after the fire further showed that Gray's estate was valued at more than $90,000. There were no letters or communications to verify her family, her origin, or where she had lived between 1901 and 1909.
Donna Donnell's research many years later found that Eunice Gray's real name had been Ermine McEntire and that she had been born circa 1878.
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...
and hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
owner and operator in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
from 1909 to 1962. She is best known for the belief that she was in fact Etta Place
Etta Place
Etta Place was a companion of the American outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid , both members of the outlaw gang known as the Wild Bunch. Principally the companion of Longabaugh, little is known about her; both her origins and her fate remain mysterious...
, the former girlfriend of the famous outlaw Harry Alonzo Longabaugh aka the Sundance Kid, who was allegedly killed in a shootout in South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
in November 1908. For many years there were no known photographs of Eunice Gray, but two photographs were recently found which appear to demonstrate that she could not have been Etta Place.
Arrival in Fort Worth
Gray was described as a beautiful woman, and according to PinkertonPinkerton National Detective Agency
The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, usually shortened to the Pinkertons, is a private U.S. security guard and detective agency established by Allan Pinkerton in 1850. Pinkerton became famous when he claimed to have foiled a plot to assassinate president-elect Abraham Lincoln, who later hired...
reports she arrived in Fort Worth, Texas, and began running a brothel in 1909 after Etta Place had been seen for the last time, in San Francisco, where she may have requested assistance in obtaining a death certificate for Longabaugh, in an effort to settle his estate.
Speculation about Eunice Gray being Etta Place
Gray was semi-wealthy, and many speculated that she was in fact Etta Place. She never made any indication that she was, nor did she make any attempt to fuel the rumors, as many might have if for no other reason than to achieve fame, but instead she avoided the topic altogether. She ran her brothel until at least 1925, at which time she took over the "Waco Hotel", located at 110 E. 15th street, in Fort Worth. Contrary to common belief, the connections between Place and Gray did not establish themselves to any great extent at the time she arrived in Fort Worth, but rather many years afterwards.During her entire time in Fort Worth she gave but one interview, in which she told Delbert Willis, of the Fort Worth Press, "I've lived in Fort Worth since 1901. That is except for the time I had to high-tail it out of town. Went to South America for a few years . . . until things settled down". This has traditionally been thought to be something to do with the anti-vice crusader the Rev J. Frank Norris. He didn't actually arrive in Fort Worth until 1909, and his infamous siege of Hell's Half Acre, the city's red-light district, didn't occur until 1912. Place, by contrast, was in South America between February 1901 and June 1906. Willis also conceded that Gray never admitted or even claimed to be Etta Place; he merely made that connection on his own, given the similarities of their age, the fact that both had classic good looks, and that the period in which Gray said she went to South America coincided, albeit roughly, with when Place was in South America.
Photographic evidence
For many years there were no known photographs of Gray in that period to compare with the one known high-quality photograph of Place. Willis believed that the similarities were striking, but in the absence of a photograph of Gray there was no way of verifying or refuting his observation.More recently, amateur genealogist Donna Donnell found Eunice Gray on a 1911 passenger list from Panama. It was reported in 2007 that following that lead she had tracked down Eunice Gray's niece, who had two photographs of her: one wearing her high-school graduation dress circa 1896 and another taken in the 1920s. Comparing the photos with one of Place, both agreed that Eunice Gray was definitely not Etta Place.
Death and identity
In January 1962, Eunice Gray died in the fire which destroyed the "Waco Hotel" which she still owned and operated. Documents salvaged from the fire indicated that she had been born in 1884 and was then 77 years of age.The documents found after the fire further showed that Gray's estate was valued at more than $90,000. There were no letters or communications to verify her family, her origin, or where she had lived between 1901 and 1909.
Donna Donnell's research many years later found that Eunice Gray's real name had been Ermine McEntire and that she had been born circa 1878.