Lottie Deno was a vivacious red-head and well educated Southern lady of culture and refinement who sacrificed her social status for survival. Responding to circumstances, she became one of the most famous women of the West as the "Queen of Cards".
Born Carlotta J. Thompkins in Kentucky in 1844, she was the eldest daughter of a wealthy, upper class plantation owner. Lottie attended the finest Episcopal convent school for girls.
Lottie's father didn't want his daughter to be a naive, helpless southern belle; there was more to life than social graces.
He wanted her to be strong, independent and capable of conducting family business some day. Consequently, he exposed her to the real world of commerce, riverboats and gambling. He taught her to play cards including common tricks of the trade.
From childhood, Lottie's nanny was Mary Poindexter, a 7ft. slave. Mary remained with Lottie for many years as her companion and protector. The Civil War changed everything for Lottie.
When she was 17, her father enlisted in the Confederate Army and was killed. With her mother in poor health, Lottie became head of the household.
In 1861, it was decided that Lottie should go stay with friends in Detroit.
She was expected to find and marry a husband with sufficient means to care for the farm and family. Instead, Lottie took up gambling to support herself, Mary, her mother and sister in Kentucky. Young Lottie fell in love with a gambler in Detroit. They teamed-up and worked the riverboats and tidewater towns during the Civil War.
Near war's end, Lottie decided to go to Texas. Traveling by riverboat to New Orleans before heading West to San Antonio, She practiced her profession. On one occasion, a young Union soldier accused Lottie of cheating and went for her.
Lottie's tall companion, Mary Poindexter, jumped between the two, grabbed the soldier and threw him overboard into the river. On the frontier every professional gambler cheated. As one biographer put it, "An expert card player, Lottie could win a good percentage of the time", but "that was not enough for a woman who depended on gambling for a living and expected to maintain the standard of elegance she had known from childhood."
Lottie never told her mother or sister about her gambling activities. Instead, she told them she had married a wealthy cattleman from Texas. She would never see her family again nor would they ever learn the truth about her.
San Antonio was a wide-open gambling town. The talented redhead was soon hired to deal cards at the Univeristy Club, owned by Frank Thurmond. Cowboys lined up for the privilege of playing the pretty lady. As a dealer, Lottie received a percentage of the winnings.
A lady of class, Lottie always wore the latest fashions and never permitted any smoking, drinking or cussing at her table. Her companion Mary sat behind her on a stool and watched for cheaters or surly losers. Lottie's dress and manners dispelled suspicions. She became the highly respected "Angel of San Antonio".
Lottie fell in love with her boss Frank Thurmond. Although she had many admirers, she remained loyal to Frank. During a poker game, Frank got into an altercation with a player and killed the man with his Bowie knife. The man's family put a bounty on Frank, and he was forced to leave San Antonio.
Mary Poindexter decided the time had come to go her own way. So, Lottie set out on her own to find her lover. She gambled her way around West Texas before finally finding Frank in Fort Griffin.
It was in Ft. Griffin that she acquired her famous name. After winning every hand and busting a drunk cowboy, the loser shouted, "Honey, with winnings like them you ought to call yourself Lotta Dinero." Seeing the advantages of a nickname to protect her real identity from family and friends in Kentucky, she thereafter became known as "Lottie Deno".
The redhead got a job dealing cards at the Bee Hive, a gambling house where Frank worked. During this time Lottie was introduced to Frank's friend, Doc Holliday. The famous gambler 'n gunslinger soon became an admiring customer at Lottie's Faro table. On one well recorded occasion, Doc tapped-out a $3,000 loser to the lady.
After five years, Lottie and Frank left Texas for New Mexico where they married. Not long after, Frank for the second time used his Bowie knife to terminate a threat. It was considered self-defense. But it was the turning point for Frank and Lottie. They swore off gambling and settled down in Deming, NM. Frank succeeded in business and real estate, eventually becoming V.P. President of the Bank.
Lottie, too, became a well respected member of the community. Although she quit dealing, she did host a poker game featuring Doc Holliday to raise money to build a church. The prize pool of $40,000 was used to finance construction of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Deming.
Frank and Lottie were together over 40 years when he passed away in 1908. Lottie lived on another 26 years. When she was buried beside Frank in 1934, America lost a leading lady.
Perhaps the greatest tribute to Lottie Deno was that she was the character immortalized as the beautiful, redheaded Miss Kitty who ran the Longbranch Saloon in the famous "Gunsmoke" radio and television series.
