Unfortunately, Belle Cora was not as lucky as Ah Toy - her prosperity ended sharply in 1855, when U. S. Marshall William Richardson insulted her honor at the theater. He did so at his wife's instigation. Mrs. Richardson was jealous because Belle's parties were more popular than her own.
Naturally, Belle's lover, the gambler Charles Cora, had to shoot the Marshall. At great expense ($30K in gold just for the lawyer) Belle bought a hung jury, but the Vigilance Committee pulled Charles from the jail and lynched him, giving him time only to marry Belle.
Heartbroken, Belle confined herself to her bedroom for a month. She emerged to sell the Cora house and give her substantial fortune to multiple charities, primarily advancing children's education. She died of pneumonia at 30 or 35 (accounts vary) and is buried next to her beloved Charles at Mission Dolores.