Mollie Kyle (also known as Mollie Burkhart and Mollie Cobb; December 1, 1886 – June 16, 1937) was an

Osage The Osage Nation, a Native American tribe in the United States, is the source of most other terms containing the word "osage". Osage can also refer to: * Osage language, a Dhaegin language traditionally spoken by the Osage Nation * Osage (Unicode b ...

woman known for surviving the

Osage Indian murders The Osage Indian murders were a series of murders of Osage Native Americans in Osage County, Oklahoma, during the 1910s–1930s; newspapers described the increasing number of unsolved murders as the Reign of Terror, lasting from 1921 to 1926. So ...

. She gained initial prominence in newspaper coverage during the trial of

William King Hale William King Hale (December 24, 1874 – August 15, 1962) was an American political and crime boss in Osage County, Oklahoma, who was responsible for the Osage Indian murders, for which he was later convicted. He made a fortune through cattle ra ...

and gained renewed prominence in the 21st century when she was portrayed by Lily Gladstone in the film ''

Killers of the Flower Moon ''Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI'' is the third non-fiction book by the American journalist David Grann. The book was released on April 18, 2017 by Doubleday. ''Time'' magazine listed ''Killers of the Flo ...

'' (2023). Kyle was born in the Osage Nation in 1886 and attended

Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syste ...

, eventually converting. She married Ernest Burkhart in 1917 and afterward most of her family was murdered in an inheritance scheme led by Burkhart's uncle. Kyle, a

diabetic Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level (hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased app ...

, survived a poisoning attempt on her life and divorced Ernest in 1926. She remarried in 1928 and died in 1937.

Early life

Mollie Kyle was born on December 1, 1886, in the

Osage Nation The Osage Nation ( ) ( Osage: 𐓁𐒻 𐓂𐒼𐒰𐓇𐒼𐒰͘ ('), "People of the Middle Waters") is a Midwestern Native American tribe of the Great Plains. The tribe developed in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys around 700 BC along ...

Indian Territory The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...

(now

Osage County, Oklahoma Osage County is the largest county by area in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Created in 1907 when Oklahoma was admitted as a state, the county is named for and is home to the federally recognized Osage Nation. The county is coextensive with the Os ...

) to James Cue Kyle and Lizzie Q. Kyle. She grew up in Gray Horse and was forced to attend

Pawhuska Pawhuska ( osa, 𐓄𐓘𐓢𐓶𐓮𐓤𐓘 / hpahúska, ''meaning: "White Hair"'', iow, Paháhga) is a city in and the county seat of Osage County, Oklahoma, United States. It was named after the 19th-century Osage chief, ''Paw-Hiu-Skah'', wh ...

. She was

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and spoke both English and

. By the 1900s, Mollie was wealthy from her

Osage headright An Osage headright is a type of headright in the United States. There are 2,229 Osage headrights, one for each member of the Osage Nation enrolled in 1906. Osage headrights entitle the owner to a quarterly share of the Osage Mineral Estate. Osage ...

, but deemed

incompetent Incompetence is the inability to perform; lack of competence; ineptitude. Aspects of incompetence include: *Administrative incompetence, dysfunctional administrative behaviors that hinder attainment of organization goals *Incompetence (law), a p ...

due to federal laws regulating Native Americans requiring her to have an appointed

legal guardian A legal guardian is a person who has been appointed by a court or otherwise has the legal authority (and the corresponding duty) to make decisions relevant to the personal and property interests of another person who is deemed incompetent, call ...

Osage Indian Murders

In 1917, Mollie married Ernest Burkhart, a nephew of

. The couple had three children: Elizabeth, James, and Anna. Anna died of whooping cough as a child. After their marriage, Ernest and Hale conspired to kill Mollie's family in order to gain control of their Osage headrights in what would become the most famous of the

. In 1918 her sister, Minnie Smith, died of a "wasting illness" now believed to have been poisoning. Anna Brown, another sister, was shot and killed in May 1921. The next month her mother died. Another sister, Reta Smith, was killed in an explosion alongside her husband, Bill Smith, and housekeeper in 1923. Her cousin, Henry Roan, was killed the same year. Investigators eventually tied the deaths to Ernest and Hale and the pair were arrested. After her husband's arrest, she recovered from a " wasting illness", now widely believed to have been poisoning. She divorced Ernest in 1926 after he confessed to his role in the murders. Mollie is portrayed by Lily Gladstone in

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominatio ...

's 2023 film ''

'', which focuses on the murders.

Later life and death

She married John Cobb in 1928. In 1931, Mollie successfully sued to end her guardianship and gained control of her family's wealth. She died on June 16, 1937, and is buried at the Greyhorse Indian Village Cemetery in Osage County.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle, Mollie 1886 births 1937 deaths 19th-century American people 19th-century Native Americans 19th-century Native American women 20th-century American people 20th-century Native Americans 20th-century Native American women Native American people from Oklahoma Native American Roman Catholics Osage Indian murders Osage people Genocide survivors