“Residents of
Hamilton were shocked, as will be a wide circle of friends in every part of
Canada, to learn of the rather sudden death, on Sunday morning, at her home,
137 Main street east, of Kathleen Blake, wife of Dr. Theobald Coleman, better
known in the newspaper world as ‘Kit.’ ”
Hamilton Times. May 17, 1915.
She was certainly one
of Hamilton’s most widely known, and loved, residents in the spring of 1915.
Although she was
semi-retired from her professional writing career, she was still very prominent
in the city and elsewhere :
“In the death of Mrs.
Coleman, the newspaper world of Canada loses a valued and esteemed ‘citizen’
and the reading public a friend whose place it will indeed be hard to fill.” 1
1 “Noted
Writer Died Suddenly of Pneumonia : Achieved Distinction in Newspaper Field.”
Hamilton Times. May 17, 1915.
Although her actual
personal name was Kathleen, she was recognized by her many, many readers, more
by her penname, Kit :
“She was easily the
queen of the women writers of Canada, and in her work
conveyed to her readers her charming personality, which many greatly admired
without the privilege of a personal acquaintance.`1
Kit was a native of
Galway, Ireland, and she came to Canada in 1883. Soon after her arrival in
Canada, she did her first newspaper work with Saturday Night in Toronto. Four
years later, Kit joined the staff of the Toronto Mail and Empire. During her
stay with the Mail and Empire, she conducted a `woman`s page` which, at the
time, was the only regular feature in any Canadian newspaper with that focus.
Kit travelled
extensively and wrote, for her page, on many of the most important events of
the day, including the two jubilees (1887 and 1897) of Queen Victoria`s reign,
the Spanish-American war and the World`s Fair at Chicago.
After leaving the
Mail and Empire, Kit syndicated her writings, writings carried in a large
number of newspapers across Canada.
Besides her skills as
a journalist, Kit was a respected writer of verse and magazine articles. One of
Kit`s more famous series of magazine articles was the collection of pieces she
wrote on Charles Dickens, written as she explored many locations in London
associated with Dickens.
The New York Tribune,
in a tribute to Kit, spoke of her as à fearless horse-woman, an omnivorous
reader, a lover of nature, a musician, and an experienced traveler.``
Kit was also known
far and wide as a lover of dogs, notably her fine Burlington terriers, which
she called her `grey yeomen of the guard.
Unlike many prominent women of her
day, Kit was not a steadfastly opposed to the women`s suffrage movement. Despite
ongoing pressure on her to change her view on that subject, Kit would not be
moved.
Besides her renown nationally, Kit was
very well-known in Hamilton:
`She was of a most genial disposition
and made many personal friends among those with whom she came in contact, and
general regret will be felt at her death.
`Mrs. Coleman had for
a number of years past been a resident of Hamilton, where she was greatly beloved,
and the sympathy of the community will be extended to the bereaved family.`1
Kit`s immediate
family, her husband, son and daughter were as shocked by death as everyone
else. She had been in good health but had been ailing somewhat in the last few
days before her death. A sudden escalation of her condition to pneumonia on a
Friday was severe and led to her passing the following Sunday morning, May 16,
1915.
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