Jenni Nixon
Underworld Queens
kate leigh and matilda (tilly) devine
tough gangsters in skirts decked out in silver fox furs
broad-brimmed hats flash diamond rings
sydney’s queens of crime frocks as sharp as razors
tilly’s ‘queen of the loo’ owns brothels
woolloomooloo and palmer street darlinghurst
known as razorhurst (cut-throat razor-gangs slicin’
and dicin’ the competition)
tilly’s lookin’ after business at the bloodhouse
the tradesman’s arms sawdust on the floor
soaks up all the blood and vomit
kate’s down at the courthouse peeling veggies for tea
sly-grogger fence for stolen goods cocaine pusher
bookmaker queen of surry hills married petty crim
gave false alibi for ‘shiner’ the boyfriend
does five-year stint for perjury
runs sly grog in surry hills standover men
slashers and enforcers
knock on the door ask ‘is mum in?’
cockatoos keep nit ‘stay ’ave yer drinks inside’
it’s kate and tilly’s sydney they own the joint
rivalry fuels razor wars
frank green’s shot over a girl (‘good looker for a whore’)
armed with pistols and knives kate’s mob arrives
big jim on tilly’s porch shoots one dead
wounds two or three more kate’s lover collects a bullet
razor gang’s slashers turn the streets red
kate kills snowy prendergast aged twenty-three
charged with murder pleads self-defence
coroner records finding of shooting justified
prendergast ‘burglariously’ entered premises
women are rich write letters to the editor
interviews in the press accuse each other
‘white slaver!’ ‘dope pusher!’
give generous gifts to charity
christmas parties for local kiddies
bribes to police until ’54 that is
then the taxman came
took their money diamonds and property
upstairs room on devonshire street
penniless kate dies after stroke and fall
seven hundred attend her funeral
crims and cops well-known identities
even tilly devine pays respects
(just to be certain)
tilly wrote to the truth newspaper
‘wasn’t as bad as i was painted
there’s lots in sydney who will miss me
even coppers’ they soon forgot her
story goes in a pub in darlinghurst
someone proposed to raise a glass
toast her passing but no one bothered
earlier version published Harbour City Poets
voices from underground 2010