Montreal 375 Tales excerpt: French Mary, 1880s barkeeper poured drinks and fueled passions

French Mary

French Mary's: De la Commune E. & St Gabriel (c. 1879-1906)    Sailors emptied glasses aplenty at French Mary's waterfront music hall, named for owner Thomas Burdette's wife, Sorel-born Elisabeth "Mary" Langevin, who stood six-feet and sported a corn-coloured mane. 

   “For years she has presided over this den and last night was in one of her happiest moods; business was good and the coin kept rolling in as her customers gradually grew drunker,” read a disapproving 1894 description denouncing illegal Sunday drinking at the establishment. 

   “Seventy-five human beings were pouring down their throats the vilest of drinks, here they sat and cursed and laughed; here the busy waiters rushed from table to table and here French Mary stood with demoniacal smile, as the wealth poured into her coffers.”

    Actors from the nearby Theatre Royal re-enacted performances, John George Arless covertly propelled beans from his trombone at unsuspecting customers, English-born Tommy Tatlock danced in clogs on a marble surface, Pit "The Frogman" Chaput did his contortions and musicians banged out Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay! 

Where it stood

   Mary hired only women staffers, poured beer from pumps of German silver and had no bouncer, as she simply allowed the frequent bloody fistfights—often between Irish and French customers—to continue for five minutes before ending them with a sonorous bang on the bar. 

    A drunk slashed a father-of-seven with a knife after being expelled in 1897 and officer Émile Bujold once disarmed four “revolver-flourishing toughs.” 

   Mary remarried and died soon after in March 1896, although an alternate version has her moving to San Francisco. City officials eventually forced the bar to close.

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   Hundreds of stories like this can be found in the giftworthy and highly-praised Montreal 375 Tales, now available in paper and e-book form on Amazon.