La Conçon, part 2

Alas, Storyville’s demise was hastened by Prohibition; while largely ignored among New Orleans residents compared to the more dramatic and violent results elsewhere, the increased Federal scrutiny was often focused on well-known “houses of ill repute”. Federal snoop Isiodor “Izzy” Einstein personally infiltrated the Chateau (in disguise) and placed the establishment on his long list of violators; in 1923, Federal agents raided the house and arrested La Conçon under the Volstead Act.

A sympathetic local jury refused to convict her, but La Conçon realized that she had fewer and fewer ‘friends in high places’ willing to look the other way. As the time had passed, the customers became less affluent and influential as a rule, and she was never able to rebuild the wealth that she’d spent on repairs after the fire. The Chateau deteriorated in reputation and clientèle, and La Conçon was forced to sell it to a past lover, one Sylvestro Carolla, a.k.a. “Silver Dollar Sam”, the leader of the New Orleans mafia.

With the not inconsiderable purchase price, as well as her own savings, La Conçon was able to buy a lovely house in the Garden District, and opened “Boutté’s”, a small restaurant and night club in the French Quarter that featured jazz musicians. However, she left the day-to-day running of the business to Estelle White, one of her former ‘girls’, and her new husband, E. J. White (La Conçon would later sell them the restaurant outright, and the White family still operates the now-famous business to this day, although in a different and larger location.