Mary Katherine Haroney

Mary Katharine Horony
Katie Elder, Kate Fisher, "Big Nose Kate", "Nosey" Kate,
Mrs. John H. "Doc" Holliday, Kate Melvin, & Kate Cummings

Mary Katherine Horony was born on November 7, 1850 in Budapest, Hungary.

Most commonly known as "Big Nose" Kate, a frontier dance hall woman and prostitute, and companion of Doc Holliday, Kate used many last names throughout her life, including Elder, Melvin, Fisher, Holliday, Cummings and Howard.

Kate met Doc Holliday while he was dealing cards in John Shanssey's saloon. Doc killed a man in a poker game dispute; with one slash he completely disemboweled him. Doc felt that he was protecting himself and in the right, so allowed the Marshal to arrest him. Once he was locked up, the town vigilantes began a clamor for his blood. Knowing his life was endanger, "Big Nose" Kate disarmed the guard, and the two of them headed for Dodge City, 400 miles away.

Doc felt he owed Kate a great deal for rescuing him and was determined to do anything in his power to make her happy. Kate gave up being a prostitute and inhabiting the saloons.

Doc gave up gambling and hung out his shingle again. Kate stood the quiet and boredom of respectable living as long as she could. Then she told Doc that she was going back to the dance halls and gambling dens. The two split up.

Several years would pass when Kate would catch up with Doc in Prescott, both bound for Tombstone. Soon after their arrival, Kate purchased a large tent, rounded up several girls, a few barrels of bad, cheap Whiskey and operated Tombstone's first "sporting house." Her business was soon making a sizeable income. Kate and Doc's frequent arguments were not really serious until Kate got abusive while drunk. Doc threw her out.

In March of 1881, Doc was accused of being one of the four men who attempted a hold up of the stage. Drunk and still berating Doc for throwing her out, Sheriff Behan persuaded Kate to sign an Affidavit that Doc had been one of the masked highwaymen.

When she sobered up, Kate regretted her actions and repudiated her statement. Doc gave Kate some money and put her on a stage leaving town. His debt to her was paid in full.

In 1888, Kate married a blacksmith, named George M. Cummings, but left him in 1889 and moved to the town of Cochise. She began working in the Cochise Hotel. Kate left the hotel ten years later and moved in with a man named Howard. They lived together until he died in 1930.

In 1931, she wrote to the Governor of Arizona, George WP Hunt, requesting admission to the "Arizona Pioneers Home".

Being foreign born, Kate knew that she was not eligible, so she claimed that she had been born in Davenport, Iowa.

Hunt gave her permission for admission to the home and she stayed there until her death on November 2, 1940.