When Two Cincinnati Madams Fought, A Sugar Daddy Got Caught In The Middle

Rodney Forest Ludlow was among the richest young men in Springfield, Ohio, in 1888. His father owned an iron foundry and arranged lucrative positions for each of his sons. Rodney, or “R.F.” as he preferred, was 35, married with four children and socially connected. Rodney visited Cincinnati regularly. Perhaps business brought him to the Queen City, but Bertha Wilson certainly had something to do…