Mollie Kyle (also known as Mollie Burkhart and Mollie Cobb; December 1, 1886 – June 16, 1937) was an Osage woman known for surviving the Osage Indian murders. She gained initial prominence in newspaper coverage during the trial of William King Hale and gained renewed prominence in the 21st century when she was portrayed by Lily Gladstone in the film Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).
Kyle was born in the Osage Nation in 1886 and attended Catholic school, 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, survived a poisoning attempt on her life and divorced Ernest in 1926. She remarried in 1928 and died in 1937.
Political cartoon depicting Mollie Kyle and William King Hale from the Enid Morning News Sunday edition on February 7, 1926
In 1917, Mollie married Ernest Burkhart, a nephew of William King Hale.[2] The couple had three children: Elizabeth, James, and Anna. Anna died of whooping cough as a child.[7] 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 Osage Indian murders.[2]
In 1918 her sister, Minnie Smith, died of a "wasting illness" now believed to have been poisoning.[2] Anna Brown, another sister, was shot and killed in May 1921.[4] The next month her mother died. Another sister, Rita 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.[2] She divorced Ernest in 1926 after he confessed to his role in the murders.[4] Mollie is portrayed by Lily Gladstone in Martin Scorsese's 2023 film Killers of the Flower Moon, which focuses on the murders.[8]
Later life and death
She married John Cobb in 1928.[2][4] In 1931, Mollie successfully sued to end her guardianship and gained control of her family's wealth.[5] She died on June 16, 1937, and is buried at the Greyhorse Indian Village Cemetery in Osage County.[1]
