Chicago 50 - No. 7 - Kitty Malm (Go-To-Hell Kitty)
- Lauryn Johnson
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
"Katherine 'Kitty Malm' was nineteen years old with a two year old daughter, estranged from a husband who she claimed verbally abused her. The young, poor, uneducated immigrant entrusted few others with her daughter's care. 'The only one in this whole damn world I'd let take care of her is my mother. She'd be good to her.'
"After taking up with convicted murderer Otto Malm, who called her 'Sweetheart,' the two attempted to break into a sweater factory on the night of November 4, 1923, in today's Lakeview neighborhood. They were startled, however, by two men who cruised up in a vehicle, bathed them in beams from their flashlights and demanded to know what they were doing. Shots rang out, wounding both men-one slightly, the other critically-and Katherine, too.
"The lovers, who referred to each other as husband and wife, dashed away from the scene and into a nearby getaway car. If not for her desire to see her young daughter again, Katherine could have escaped Chicago forever. She returned, however, to confess her involvement, hoping to see her child. One day after a warrant was issued for her arrest, Katherine walked into the Hudson Avenue police station and said, 'Do you want me? I'm Mrs. Malm. I wanted to see my baby.'
"But her partner in crime was first to confess —telling the court they both fired that night, but that it was a bullet from Katherine's gun that killed one of the men.
"Reporters labeled Katherine 'Tiger Girl' and 'Tiger Woman' as she waved off Malm's confession: 'Men, they're brave as the devil, but they can't hold out the way a woman can. Now me, they could beat the hell out of me and I wouldn't of squealed.' Yet, beneath the tough exterior were signs of desperation. She claimed to be on a hunger strike, attempted suicide and fainted frequently during her trial.
"Her biggest fear was not to be found guilty of the crime but to be sentenced to hang for it. Life imprisonment would not only give Katherine years to build an appeal and pursue her education but also provide opportunities for her mother and daughter to visit.
"Katherine was found guilty following a blockbuster trial and sentenced to life in prison. It was a relief. She later said, 'I thought for sure they would give me the rope. And when they didn't, I was so surprised I just went all to pieces.'
"Katherine was portrayed as a tiger in the courtroom, but once incarcerated, she became a kitten. Her commitment to bettering herself was so profound that the prosecutor from her trial became the biggest proponent for her clemency. But there's no happy ending to this story: Katherine died at twenty-eight of a sudden illness, snuffing out her attempt to rewrite her legacy."
--He Had It Coming: Four Murerous Women and the Reporter Who Immortalized Their Stories by Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather
Kitty was the inspiration behind the character "Go-to-Hell Kitty" who makes a brief appearance in the Chicago.
(left) Kitty's mother, Margaret Walter, brought granddaugher Tootsie (shown holding a sucker) to the courthouse to see Katherine during the murder trial.
(center and right) Kitty with her daughter