Most of the names in this story should be familiar to everyone...especially to those over 50. For fans of the old TV Westerns, the town of Dodge City should also sound familiar. This famous Old West cow town came alive each week on television with the airing of "Gunsmoke". It ran for 20 years (1955-1975), and was the number one show on television from 1957-1960.
Most people do not know that the character of "Miss Kitty" was based on an actual woman...and not just any woman, but one with a very sinister connection to Corpus Christi! Miss Kitty, saloon girl and later owner of the Long Branch Saloon, is loosely based on a real woman named Dora Hand. Little is known about Dora's early life, but she is believed to have been the daughter of a prominent family in Boston. She was highly educated, trained in Opera, and was the wife of musician, Theodore Hand. She came out West in the mid 1870's intent on divorcing her husband (something unheard of in those days, and perhaps the reason for wanting to start a new life in Dodge City).
Her arrival in the city created a sensation almost overnight. She was described as being "a most graciously beautiful woman, with a face and voice which gave men strange nostalgic dreams of better days and finer surroundings." The Dodge City Times reported that Dora Hand was "a prepossessing woman whose artful winning ways brought many admirers within her smiles and blandishments." It was rumored that 12 men had lost their lives in skirmishes over Dora. Whatever the facts, Dora was obviously talented. She performed at several Dodge City saloons, packing the house with each show and taking home a whopping $75.00 a week. But, she was no ordinary "saloon girl". On Sundays, she sang at the Dodge City First Methodist Church. Church attendance soared when Dora was present. She also joined the Ladies Aid Society, generously sharing her wealth with the city's poor and unfortunate. "An angel of mercy" some called her.
As charmed as her life had become, the story of Dora Hand would have a tragic ending. It seems that one of Dora's greatest admirers was James H. "Dog" Kelley, mayor of Dodge City and owner of several saloons at which Dora performed. He had gotten his nickname from the fact that none other than Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer had given him a dozen greyhounds as a parting gift when Custer and his 7th Cavalry left Ft. Dodge in 1872. Kelley had been a scout for Custer and had cared for Custer's own dogs. Despite the fact that Kelley was 11 years older than Dora, his affection for her was well known.
In the summer of 1878, a young, 23 year old cowboy from Texas entered Dodge City after driving a herd of cattle into Kansas from his father's Laurelas Ranch near Corpus Christi. The cowboy was James W. "Spike" Kenedy, son of King Ranch co-founder, Mifflin Kenedy.
James was born in Brownsville, but he spent a good deal of time in Corpus Christi, where his parents had a home.....and the city where his life would eventually end. It was well known that Spike Kenedy had a violent temper....especially when intoxicated....and that his flagrant disregard for the law often got him into big trouble. More often than not, it was his rich and influential father who would come to his rescue, keeping him out of jail. (Such was the case when Spike had shot a man during an argument in Ellsworth in 1872....when he was only 17 years old!)
That summer of 1878, Kenedy was arrested in Dodge City on July 29 by City Marshal Wyatt Earp for disorderly conduct and brandishing a pistol. When Earp found out who he was, Kenedy was let off with a fine and a warning. (The Kenedy Ranch had driven over 15,000 head of cattle to Dodge City in 1878 alone). It was not long afterward that young Kenedy met Dora Hand for the first time. He was more than 10 years younger than her, but he was smitten and began to relentlessly pursue her!
On the night of August 17, Kenedy entered the "Alhambra Saloon", owned by Mayor James "Dog" Kelley. Kenedy was there to drink, play cards, and listen to his beloved Dora Hand sing. The drunken Kenedy caused a disturbance when he accused the card dealer of cheating him. He then made some crude remarks to Mayor Kelley. Kelley had had enough of him. He physically dragged Kenedy out of the saloon and gave him a severe beating in the process. That incident would set in motion a chain of events that would lead to one of the most infamous murders in the Old West.
Stewing with hatred for Kelley, Kenedy left Dodge City and took a train to Kansas City. There, he bought himself the fastest horse he could find and rode it back to Dodge City. For several weeks he stalked Mayor Kelley, intent on getting his revenge. He learned that Kelley often slept in a two room shack near his saloon, making his target easy prey for what he had planned. In the early morning hours of October 4, 1878 Spike Kenedy rode up to the shack and fired four .44 caliber bullets through the thin walls of Kelley's shack. Sure that he had killed Kelley, Kenedy then rode swiftly out of town, sighted by at least one eyewitness who positively identified him. What Kenedy did not know was that Mayor Kelley was not even in the house! He was in nearby Ft. Dodge being treated for an intestinal problem. Instead, in the house that night was Dora Hand and her fellow dance hall friend, Fannie Garretson.
One of Kenedy's bullets has passed harmlessly through a piece of Fannie's nightgown. However, another bullet passed through Fannie's bedroom wall and into Dora's room, striking Dora in the side of her chest, killing her instantly. Dora was 34 years old at the time of her death. Even in the notoriously violent Old West, the killing of a woman was considered an especially heinous act, and the public demanded justice for their beloved Dora.
The next day, perhaps the most illustrious Old West posse ever assembled took off in pursuit of James "Spike" Kenedy. At the head of the posse were Sheriff Bat Masterson, deputies Bill Duffy and Bill Tilghman, City Marshal Charlie Bassett, and Assistant Marshal Wyatt Earp.
(In pursuit of Dora’s killer, coming in Part 2).
Robert Parks is a special contributor to KRIS 6 News. Parks was a history teacher at Carroll High School for 19 years and is now retired. His knowledge of Corpus Christi history makes him a unique expert in the subject.
