December 10, 1984

When: March 1984

The facts: Sheila Devin's landlord notices that her West 80th Street brownstone apartment is like a train station, with girls coming and going at all hours. He decides to try and evict her. The woman, investigators discover, is actually Sydney Biddle Barrows, a former accessories buyer for Abraham & Strauss and an escort service tycoon with a splash of blue blood in her veins. Her story dominates the covers of the tabloids with everyone wondering if she'll name clients. She doesn't.

The service: The 32-year-old "Mayflower Madam" runs her business with white gloves: The girls in her agencies—Cachet, Elan, and Finesse—show up in business suits, and nobody is expected to use condoms.

"One young woman who was interviewed for a job with Sheila was told to 'come dressed as if your grandfather was taking you to lunch at 21.'"

"Oddly enough, she was strictest about sex. 'She doesn't allow any weirdness,' says one of her girls. 'Nothing strange.'"

"Police sources claim the personnel were graded A, B, or C, with A's earning upward of $400 an hour and C's about $200."

—Quotes from Anthony Haden Guest's article in the December 10, 1984 issue of New York Magazine

The trial: There was none. She received a $5,000 fine. No jail. No probation.

The little black book: In 1992, Barrows reported that it had been stolen (all eight inches thick of it). "I'm afraid someone's now out there blackmailing these poor guys," she said.

The movie: Candace Bergen plays Sydney Biddle Barrows in The Mayflower Madam.