Mollie Monroe
Encyclopedia
Mary E. Sawyer better known as Mollie Monroe, was an American
old west woman who was known for crossdressing and for her liaisons with multiple men, among other things.
Monroe fell in love
with a man as a teenager. Both her family and her boyfriend's family agreed that the couple was too young to marry, and the man was sent away.
Monroe then decided to go after her boyfriend, disguised as a man and calling herself Sam Brewer. Her search ended in sadness, when she discovered her boyfriend had been murdered by a gang during a bar brawl.
Monroe then swore to avenge his death, crossing virtually every city from Utah
to northern Mexico
. She failed to find her boyfriend's killers, and became an alcohol
ic.
Around 1870, she met George Monroe, a well known and rich miner. Mollie and George Monroe married and settled in Wickenburg, Arizona
, where they mined together. In 1874, they moved to Prescott, Arizona
. George Monroe had discovered a water spring there. He turned it into a resort and named it "Monroe Springs". The attraction drove many tourists from around the country.
Mollie Monroe was also a gambler
. Apart from her alcoholism, her gambling addiction also led her to lose a considerable amount of money, once selling a gold mine she had discovered for around $2,500 dollars, then gambling the money away in about a week.
Despite her addictions, Monroe enjoyed helping needy people, such as prostitutes
, lone women and their children. Legend has it that once she met a woman and her children; having been told by the woman that her husband went to town for supplies three days before and had not returned, she went searching for the man, and found him in a bar. She then led him out of the bar, tied him to her horse
and dragged him all the way back to his house, staying overnight to make sure he wouldn't leave the house again.
A newspaper report also told of her saving the lives of 20 army
men when attacked by Apaches. According to the article, she had left the men to look for items to cook with, and when she returned, she noticed that the army men were surrounded by Apache, and that two army men had already been killed. She and her friend, Texas Johnson, fired shots into the air, and the Apaches ran, according to the news.
Mollie Monroe was despised by most of Prescott's high society women, for what they viewed as "manly manners" and, as a popular publication of the time said, "morals that are dissolute".
In 1877, she was found wandering across the streets of Peeples Valley
by a police
man named Ed Bowers. Brought to trial, she was found to be insane on May 9 and sent to a sanitarium in Stockton, California
.
Along the way to Stockton, she and Bowers were attacked by thieves. Other than Bowers losing a watch and some 450 dollars, the lawman and Monroe came out unscathed from the attack.
Mollie Monroe's times at the California
asylum did not go without controversy: she tried burning the building once, causing her to be sent to San Quentin jail. Once there, she forged a friendship with former Arizona
governor A.P.K. Safford (after whom the city of Safford, Arizona
is named). Many viewed this as an attempt by Mollie to get out of San Quentin.
In 1887, she was sent to a new asylum built in Phoenix
. In 1895, she escaped the asylum, and was found four days later. With only a few crackers and a bottle of water taken to support herself, she was found bleeding and in bad overall health.
Her health, troubled by her alcohol problems, continued to decline, and in 1902, she died in the Phoenix asylum.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
old west woman who was known for crossdressing and for her liaisons with multiple men, among other things.
Monroe fell in love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
with a man as a teenager. Both her family and her boyfriend's family agreed that the couple was too young to marry, and the man was sent away.
Monroe then decided to go after her boyfriend, disguised as a man and calling herself Sam Brewer. Her search ended in sadness, when she discovered her boyfriend had been murdered by a gang during a bar brawl.
Monroe then swore to avenge his death, crossing virtually every city from Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
to northern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. She failed to find her boyfriend's killers, and became an alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
ic.
Around 1870, she met George Monroe, a well known and rich miner. Mollie and George Monroe married and settled in Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg, Arizona
Wickenburg is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 6,423.-Geography:Wickenburg is located at ....
, where they mined together. In 1874, they moved to Prescott, Arizona
Prescott, Arizona
Prescott is a city in Yavapai County, Arizona, USA. It was designated "Arizona's Christmas City" by Arizona Governor Rose Mofford in the late 1980s....
. George Monroe had discovered a water spring there. He turned it into a resort and named it "Monroe Springs". The attraction drove many tourists from around the country.
Mollie Monroe was also a gambler
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
. Apart from her alcoholism, her gambling addiction also led her to lose a considerable amount of money, once selling a gold mine she had discovered for around $2,500 dollars, then gambling the money away in about a week.
Despite her addictions, Monroe enjoyed helping needy people, such as prostitutes
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, lone women and their children. Legend has it that once she met a woman and her children; having been told by the woman that her husband went to town for supplies three days before and had not returned, she went searching for the man, and found him in a bar. She then led him out of the bar, tied him to her horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
and dragged him all the way back to his house, staying overnight to make sure he wouldn't leave the house again.
A newspaper report also told of her saving the lives of 20 army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
men when attacked by Apaches. According to the article, she had left the men to look for items to cook with, and when she returned, she noticed that the army men were surrounded by Apache, and that two army men had already been killed. She and her friend, Texas Johnson, fired shots into the air, and the Apaches ran, according to the news.
Mollie Monroe was despised by most of Prescott's high society women, for what they viewed as "manly manners" and, as a popular publication of the time said, "morals that are dissolute".
In 1877, she was found wandering across the streets of Peeples Valley
Peeples Valley, Arizona
Peeples Valley is a census-designated place in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. The population was 374 at the 2000 census.Peeples Valley is named for prospector A. H...
by a police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
man named Ed Bowers. Brought to trial, she was found to be insane on May 9 and sent to a sanitarium in Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
.
Along the way to Stockton, she and Bowers were attacked by thieves. Other than Bowers losing a watch and some 450 dollars, the lawman and Monroe came out unscathed from the attack.
Mollie Monroe's times at the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
asylum did not go without controversy: she tried burning the building once, causing her to be sent to San Quentin jail. Once there, she forged a friendship with former Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
governor A.P.K. Safford (after whom the city of Safford, Arizona
Safford, Arizona
- History :Safford was founded by Joshua Eaton Bailey, Hiram Kennedy and Edward Tuttle, who came from Gila Bend, in southwestern Arizona. They left Gila Bend in the winter of 1873-74; their work on canals and dams having been destroyed by high water the previous summer...
is named). Many viewed this as an attempt by Mollie to get out of San Quentin.
In 1887, she was sent to a new asylum built in Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
. In 1895, she escaped the asylum, and was found four days later. With only a few crackers and a bottle of water taken to support herself, she was found bleeding and in bad overall health.
Her health, troubled by her alcohol problems, continued to decline, and in 1902, she died in the Phoenix asylum.