Dora Hand

Dora Hand
Undated photo
Born	c. 1844 Place of birth missing
Died	October 4, 1878 (aged c. 34) Dodge City, Kansas, USA
Cause of death	Gunshot
Resting place	Boot Hill, Dodge City
Nationality	American
Occupation	Dance hall singer
Spouse(s)	Theodore "Ted" Hand (divorced)

Dora Hand (c. 1844 – October 4, 1878) was an American dance hall singer and actress in Dodge City, Kansas, who was mistakenly shot to death from ambush by a young suitor, who was acquitted of criminal charges in the case. Hand was also linked romantically with James H. "Dog" Kelley, the mayor of Dodge City from 1877 to 1881.

Hand may have been born on the East Coast of the United States and some sources list her birth as early as 1840. According to legend, she was a descendant of a prominent unnamed Boston family, had studied music in Europe and had once performed opera in New York City. Like Doc Holliday, she had supposedly come to the American West to battle tuberculosis. When she arrived in Dodge City, possibly as early as May 1877 or as late as June 1878, she was divorced from her musician husband Theodore "Ted" Hand and used the stage name Fannie Keenan.

When Hand came to Dodge City, Mayor Kelley had already entered the restaurant business with Peter L. Beatty. Their Beatty & Kelley Restaurant adjoined the Alhambra Saloon, which they also co-owned. Fannie Garretson, another saloon singer, had encouraged her friend Dora to come to Dodge City. The two were earning $40 a week, a large amount at the time, at the Lady Gay Dance Hall and Saloon, which was co-owned by Ben Springer and the peace officer James Masterson, a younger brother of Ed Masterson and Bat Masterson. An article in the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City describes Hand, accordingly: as "of medium height and build, with a face of classic beauty. There was a grace and charm in her walk. She dressed plainly, usually in black, and this color seemed to accentuate the ivory whiteness of her soft skin."

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