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She was born Mary Catherine Elder Haroney in Hungary on November 7th 1850 and was reported to have been the wife of Doc Holiday, although there are no records of the marriage. She was from an Aristocratic family Kate's father Michael made a living as a doctor.
In 1862 Mexico's Emperor Maximillian appointed Kate's father the position of personal surgeon. With the appointment the Haroney family packed up and left for Mexico. In 1865 Maximillian's rule crumbled, the Haroney family fled Mexico and moved to Davenport Iowa. On March 26, 1865 Kate's mother died and the following May her father passed away also. (Causes of the death's are not known.) Kate and the rest of the children wind up in foster homes. In 1867 Kate is put in the care of Otto Smith. The stay with Smith is short, Kate runs away and by her account stowed away aboard a steam ship headed for St. Louis. The Captain of the ship (Fisher) finds Kate but does not put her off instead, He instead carries her on to St. Louis where Kate assumes Fisher's name and enrolled in a convent school.
Later Kate said that she married a dentist, Silas Melvin and the couple had a child. Both Husband and child passed away the same year.
1874 find's Kate, working in a sporting house for Nellie Bessie Earp the wife of James Earp. Kate say's that she did not meet Wyatt Earp until she was in Fort Griffin Texas, but Wyatt was in Wichita at the same time as Kate, and speculation is that she had a relationship with Wyatt at that time.
She traveled with Holiday to Texas, Dodge City, Las Vegas, New Mexico and finally Tombstone, Arizona. In 1980, Kate moved to Globe, Arizona when Holiday went on to Tombstone to join up with the Earps. She was visiting her beau during the gunfight at the O.K. Corral then married another whom she later left.
In 1875 Kate, still using the name Elder is listed as being in Dodge City working as a dance hall girl.
1878 Kate moves on to Fort Griffin where she meets Doc. Holliday and according to her Wyatt Earp. Kate will spend the next few Years with Holliday, traveling to Colorado, South Dakota and New Mexico. There relationship is often rocky, with Kate still plying her trade as a prostitute from time to time and soon causes them to split for awhile.
In 1880 Kate is running a sporting house in Tombstone Arizona and doing quite well. Doc. has been in Prescott where he had a good run with the cards and soon follows Kate, whether this was to reconcile with Kate or not is not known, but they did get back together in Tombstone.
On March 15, 1881 the stage coach is robbed and Doc. is accused of being in on the robbery. Kate and Holliday have just had one of their many fights and the Cowboy's get Kate drunk then persuade her to testify to the fact that she knew Doc. was involved. Holliday is arrested on her testimony. The next day after she sobers up she recants her statement and Doc. is released. This would more or less end the relationship with Holliday.
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