the businesses, including his mill and her brothel. In order to recover financially, Flynn accepted a position as a smelter in Monterrey, Mexico. De Vere remained in Cripple Creek, rebuilding her business. With money borrowed from Orinda Straile of New York, she opened The Old Homestead in 1896, a two-story brick building, decorated with lavish carpets, hardwood furniture, and electric lamps. The house was equipped with a telephone, intercom system, and two bathtubs with running water. Each of her girls had her own bedroom, used for entertaining her guests, complete with a dresser, changing screen, and large bed. She also supplied each of her girls with a large trunk that could be secured with a lock, for their personal items. The Cripple Creek City Directory listed a cook, housekeeper, two chamber mai, two butlers, and a musician as employees of the house. When a client entered the establishment, if he could not decide on a particular girl, he could enter a viewing room, located through a small door on the second floor where the clients could look down through a large window into the parlor where all the girls were gathered. Once the client decided on a woman, she would be brought up to the viewing room, where she would remove all her clothing so that the client could make a final decision. De Vere held lavish parties with fine food and champagne to bring in clients, and charged $250 per night. On June 4, 1897, she held a large party sponsored by a wealthy admirer which included the best wine and caviar. The admirer had brought her an imported Parisian gown that had cost $800. The two reportedly had an argument, after which the gentleman stormed back to Denver, and Pearl told her girls that she was going up to bed. Death During the night after the party, one of the girls checked in on de Vere and found her unconscious in bed. A doctor was summoned, but she was pronounced dead in the early morning hours of June 5, 1897. Her cause of a stately the coroner was accidental morphine overdose. It is known that she often did take morphine to help her sleep. Her sister had been notified by the funeral parlor that she had passed. She journeyed to Cripple Creek from Chicago only to discover that her sister was not a milliner as the family had