Lady Gamblers Part 2: Kitty Leroy

april 13, 2016

Image by David Chestnutt If you enjoyed to reading the intriguing story about Poker Alice, then this lady gambler will definitely interest you. Gunfighter, gambler, performer and alleged prostitute. Those are some of the adjectives that describe Kitty Leroy - one of the most proficient lady poker players in America. Image source: History Witch Born in Michigan in 1850, Kitty started off as a dancer at the tender age of 10 where she performed in dance halls and saloons and later took up weaponry and games of chance as a career. Kitty first got married at the age 15 and legend has it that her husband had the nerve "to let her shoot apples off his head'! Her marriage though to him didn't last long and she headed to wild west, settling in Dallas. Texas and pursued her dancing career. She entertained larger audiences in Dallas but soon gave up dancing and became a Faro dealer. She always carried several knives and revolvers with her and as her proficiency for weapons grew so did her dressing code. She often dressed like a man or in extravagant gypsy-like attire. Play Kitty Cabana Slot While in Texas, she got married a second time at the age of 20 and moving to California. Her third marriage extremely short-lived. It was to a dying man whom she had challenged to fight her but he refused to fight a woman. She dressed up in men clothing and challenged him again and when he declined, she shot him and while he lay on the ground he called a preacher and married him before he succumbed to his injury and died! Image Souce: Nadine Hall Kitty's next stop was Deadwood, South Dakota in 1876 - the same town that Poker Alice lived - and opened a gambling saloon at this thriving boom town. She also met her fourth husband, a German who had struck gold. In less than a year, he ran out of money and so did Kitty's interest in him. Before ending the relationship, she hit him on his head with a bottle and showed him the door! Image by Malcolm Smith In June 1877, she married her fifth husband Samuel Curley, who was known to be very jealous. After several arguments over alleged affairs, he shot Kitty (then aged 28) in December  - six months after they were married - and turned the gun on himself. The community of Deadwood buried the pair together the following day.