Killers of the Flower Moon
by David Grann
Be forewarned, by the second part of this book, it decides to intro the FBI side, which seems unnecessarily clunky, but I also decided to skim the FBI nonsense, which I'll be taking quite lightly, due to a GRs buddy reviewing, and making clear the timeline of the FBI doesn't directly relate to this story and was a plot device to probably sell the book, and since the Osage story is perfectly mysterious in itself, I'll solely be skimming through the FBI related parts which directly relate to the case. I will be skipping nonsense on Hoover, which I don't have interest in whatsoever.
April'd brought tiny flowers to spring in the Osage territory of OK. There's a reference to a metaphor for the flowers being like confetti, how they spread through the air. Due to how the flowers are broken off, and the petals falling to be eventually buried, is referred to the Osage Natives regarding May as the flower-killing moon. May 24, 1921, Mollie Burkhart, citizen of the Osage settlement of Grey Horse, OK is starting to become scared 1 of her 3 sisters, Anna Brown is in danger.
Less than a yr older than she, at 34, Anna'd gone missing 3 days before. Her fam is used to her partying and drinking binges, going on until dawn, Mollie seeing Anna on the front stoop by morning. 1 of her other sisters, Minnie'd died an odd "wasting illness", she in great health. Mollie and her sisters all were registered members of the Osage tribe. They'd been accidentally allowed to keep the land in NE OK, thinking it was valueless, but it having major deposits for oil, which made the Osage tribe millionaires in 1923.
Mollie'd been 1 of the last people to see Anna before she disappears, the day of which Mollie'd gotten up at dawn. She lives with her 28 yr old white hubby, Ernest Burkhart, who'd met Mollie whilst chauffeuring her. Mollie speaks Osage fluently, Ernest learning so he could chat with her, and caring for her when she had diabetes flair ups with pain in joints or hunger. Mollie isn't sure about the idea of marrying a white man, despite her other sisters doing the same, and their parents practicing a mix of Catholicism and Osage, but Mollie and Ernest getting serious in 1917, and by 1921 they have a 2 yr old daughter, Elizabeth, and 8 mo. old son, James nicknamed Cowboy.
Mollie helps her older ma, Lizzie who lives with them, she having joined them after Mollie's pop'd passed, Lizzie having worried about Mollie's mortality what with the diabetes, but Mollie coming through as being the most mothering type to them all. As the morning latened, she starts instructing her staff, having Ernest wake Anna to care for their ma for once, and when she arrives, she's drunk. Mollie isn't pleased, since they had a racist relative of Ernest's visiting with a couple of his bros, and they not needing to witness Anna incite the Aunt to get colorful. 1 of Anna's servants later tells of Anna having a liking for white guys, and dated Ernest's younger bro off and on, Bryan and 1 time seeing him get asked to dance which has her declare later to him she'd kill him if he messed with another woman.
Anna makes a loud scene at the gathering to those who were attending a musical in Fairfax 5 miles away, Bryan offering to drive Anna home, Mollie feeding and sobering her up a bit before she leaves, Mollie knowing she'd been taking her divorce hard. Bryan maintains having taken Anna home before going on to Fairfax. After the 4rd night, Mollie has her hubby check Anna's house, which's locked and appeared untouched. What'd also struck the community's how a wk earlier a 30 yr old Osage, Charles Whitehorn also vanished, and'd been liked among both Native and white.
May 14 he leaves for Pawhuska and doesn't come back. Mollie doesn't quite have cause to panic yet, since Anna keeps a gun in her bag and could be partying right now, Ernest thinking she'd likely turn up soon. A wk after Anna vanishes a rotting corpse is located in Pawhuska in the brush by a base of a derrick, where drilling is constant, making it an easy cover for the execution style bullet holes in the un-ID-able body, but a letter on the body connecting it to Charles. Near the same time a man, his teen son, and a buddy are squirrel hunting, and as 2 are drinking in a creek, the boy spots a squirrel, shoots it, and chases the body down a ravine, locating a corpse and pointing it out to his pop.
It was an Amer. Native woman face up, being eaten by worms on her face. The 3 go to inform an undertaker of what and where they'd found the body, Mollie coming with those who knew Anna closest like her sister and hubby, Bryan, and Ernest. They ID the body as Anna's by confirming the clothes being the same as well as the gold fillings in her mouth. Due to being on the outskirts of geography and history allowing acceptance in advancement, Anna's body is studied by a team including 2 docs to evaluate if her death was natural or man-related.
So far the pics accompanying also being quite helpful in painting the real picture of Anna's murder. The 2 docs determine Anna's body'd been found between 5-7 days after she'd died. By chance, they see a part of Anna's skull come off to reveal a bullet hole, confirming the murder. Back then, scientific methods are barely catching on, yet, attending training classes being rare.
In 1928, it's natural for a man of law to be a quick draw, so being a "good" or "bad" lawman was flexible. A leader of a gang'd been a main lawman on the Osage Res. The current sheriff at the time is 58 yr old, 300 lbs "frontiersman" Harve Freas, described as a "terror to evil doers". He also had ties with the criminals though, letting bootlegger who'd also killed people off the hook.
Freas hasn't overseen Anna's care at 2st for handling Whitehorn's currently, so the Shouns do an autopsy for the bullet in Anna's skull on site Many current standard are overlooked, like casting tire tracks, taking pics, and checking Anna's body for gunpowder residue. Someone'd brought 1 of Anna's earrings to her ma Lizzie, who'd been too ill to go, she confirming it was Anna's. It was noted by a lawyer how uncommon it was to see a man tend to his wife and kids like Ernest did. It's necessary what with how funeral homes gouged their prices to the point of making it impossible to bury an Osage Native for under $8k, which estimates to $80k today.
The funeral service had both Catholic and Osage traditions. They can't paint Anna's face per Osage tradition, so they have to be content with adding enough food to get Anna to the Happy Hunting Ground, a 3 day supply. It's big news in the paper regarding Whitehorn and Anna's quite similar deaths and being found almost at the same time. Since the lawmen no longer cared to look into a Native's murder, Mollie turns to Ernest's unc, William Hale, who'd become a herder.
Whilst Hale doesn't have an official title in law enforcement, he'd been given an honorary title of reserve deputy Sheriff, and he's allowed certain perks including carrying 2 pistols. Hale'd done a lot for the Osage people when he'd become rich, donating to people in need of health coverage or hunger. So, when Hale'd come to pay respects, he and Ernest also chat of catching Anna's murderer. When they're 1st brought to court to answer qs, Ernest and his little bro, Bryan are 1st held due to their relation and Bryan being last to see Anna, but soon let the 2 go.
Many wks after the funeral, the sheriff gets a tip by a 28 yr old man of how he'd been hired by Anna's ex hubby to kill her. Despite the interrogating of both men, there isn't hard evidence, so Oda Brown is let go. Hale also has further search made for Anna's bullet, but it still can't be found. Less than 2 months after Anna's murder, their ma, Lizzie passes.
Mollie's bro-in-law, Bill Smith considers Lizzie's death odd since the same as Minnie's and seemed like poison. Mollie's 10 when their land starts producing oil, and she learns the history of her people, the Osage initially claiming much more land. 1803, Prezzie Jefferson buys land off the French in Louisiana, which's also a part of Osage territory, so the chiefs meet with Jefferson at the Wh. House where he talks peace and referring to them as his children, and from here on viewing them as friends. Within 4 yrs, he'd forced the Osage to sell their land from Arkansas Riv. to Missouri Riv, almost 100 mil. acres of land or be enemies of America, over the course of 2 decades, Millie's parents mature on the 50 by 125 mi lands they'd been left with.
Mollie's pop, Ne-kah-e-se-y is born about 1844 and dresses in the old style of buckskin leggings, and long, spiked hair. Some yrs later, he's seen as calculating and thinks through a course before taking action, so is elected to serve among 3 judges in the community. Millie's ma, Lizzie wears the typical attire of leggings and skirt with blanket wrapped around her shoulders, and an "industrious" type. Twice per yr, both Millie's parent's fam's would hunt buffalo for 2 mos.
When they kill a bison by the more effective bow and arrow, compared to bullets, they don't waste any part of the body for food or blankets. The Osage are promised by the U.S. gov't their land in KS'd be unmolested forever, but soon settlers arrive, Laura Ingalls Wilder among them. Her fam eventually leave the res by threat soldiers to remove them, but the Osage eventually forced to sell and consider buying land from the Cherokee, S of KS, and near the end of the Trail of Tears, and bigger than Delaware. Since they knew white men wouldn't ever come for their land, and it isn't flat, but hilly, and doesn't allow electricity grids to be made, they'd move there, Pawhuska also being where Lizzie and Ne-kah-e-se-y settle in 1874.
By 1877, the Amer. buffalo hunt is nearly ended, and now the gov't withheld the pymt of the Osage's land until the men like Ne-kah-e-se-y assimilated to speak English, and wear proper clothing, and learn to farm. Even after complying, the gov't officials viewed pymt as clothes and rations. They are given so little, they are dying of starvation as a few chiefs go to the commissioner of Idian Affairs in DC, the chief Wah-Ti-An-Kah fully wrapped in a blanket, and when the man attempts to leave after airily apologizing, and planning to ditch them for another, forgotten meeting, Wah-Ti-An-Kah drops his blanket, and with only a loincloth on, and with paint on his face stares the fool down. Wah-Ti-An-Kah leaves with fool's agreement to end the ration nonsense, Wah-Ti-An-Kah giving the interpreter instruction of allowing the fool free to go.
Mollie's parents keep to their customs, giving their girls Native names along with their white one's. Each fam member'd gotten their wh. name from the wh. idiots coming to the Grey Horse outpost where Ne-kah-e-se-y sold hide pelts, the wh. people soon calling him Jimmy. In 1894, Mollie is 7 and her parents are informed they must send her to a Catholic boarding school in Pawhuska. Her parents are threatened to allow this or their annuity pymts''d be withheld, which'd leave them starving. So, Mollie's sent by horse and wagon thru deserted land, until night when they make camp, hearing the wolves, owls, and coyotes "howling", "screaming", and "gibbering", it carrying an evil spirit.
By light, they traveled further through wood, and finally the capital, Pawhuska, a muddy, large outpost busy with people, and Mollie's brought a mile into a "forbidding stone building", large 4 stories called, St Louis Catholic missionary school, where Mollie's left to the nuns, made to take off her blanket and wear a plain dress. She's led thru darkly coal lantern-lit corridors, no longer allowed to speak her language, and made to learn the bible's way. Each day is regimented between piano lessons, math, penmanship, and geography. This is how the gov't expected to assimilate Mollie into the ideal woman as boys learn carpentry and farming.
Mollie learns "domestic arts: sewing, baking, laundering, and housekeeping". Many kids at Mollie's school attempt escape, and are brought back bound in ropes by lawmen. Mollie spends 8 mos out of the 7 at this school, she seeing how kids are changing their appearances and becoming ashamed of their parents still practicing the old ways, and not knowing English. By the 1890s, Mollie's fam is in more distress caused by the gov't now pressuring the assimilation of land to become homeowners allowing it to become easier for the gov't to take their lands.
The Osage take the lesson of what'd occurred when the Cherokee sold and the gov't opened it for anyone to claim if physically present, the largest land run of 1893 occurring. The gov't couldn't force the Osage to comply since they'd paid for their land, but it doesn't stop Teddy Roosevelt from attempting to threaten the chief, James Bigheart, 1 of the greats to know, they could die, then like the wh.'s who don't work. By early 20th century, Bigheart and other Osage knew the gov't'd break up their territory to become part of OK, in Choctaw, meaning "red people". Bigheart'd delayed this for many yrs, in 1904 sending John Palmer, part Sioux, and a lawyer, described by a US senator as "the most eloquent Native alive".
They spend months negotiation so the Osage ended up with more land, as well as what seems an odd addition of all "oil, gas, coal, or other minerals covered by the lands...are...reserved to the Osage Tribe", they learning of their res containing oil when an Native'd seen a rainbow sheen on a creek's surface, also smelling like axle grease, and had the water tested, and confirmed to having oil. John Palmer takes the chance to boast of writing the Osage agreement in longhand, per gov't schooling ey, dearies. This agreement also made it so members of the tribe could only inherit land, no 1 allowed to buy or sell headrights, thus creating the 1st underground res. The Osage did lease the land to be dug by wh. men and see what they could blow up out of the earth. Bigheart is seen as the "Osage Moses" before he died, not long after the allotment imposition is set.
After Lizzie dies in July 1921, Mollie induces people to detect info on her case of possible poisoning by offerring a 2k reward, Charles' parents offerring 2500, as well as William Hale offerring a reward to anyone catching them dead or alive. When nothing is done by the sheriff Freas, Hale hires a private detec, since police depts'd become corrupt. Despite being more reliable, they tended to be criminals themselves, and without formal training. The official start thru business for private eyes came in 1850, the "blueprint for the industry" formed when it came to a detective using deception when needed.
Mollie's fam also hire some detectives regarding Anna, but theirs were of better quality, 1 a former secret service, almost actor and author of pulp detective novels of his cases. William J. Burns eventually becomes famous for uncovering a bomber who killed 20 people, Sir A. Conan Doyle bestowing the title he'd dreamt of, the American Sherlock Holmes. Burns plays dirty to win though, resorting to kidnapping or other tactics, also breaking into law offices for evidence, it necessary, and common. In summer, a team of operatives go to where the body of Anna is located.
Anna's servant confesses going to Anna's house with her sis, Rita with a copy of Anna's house key, and sees 1 odd thing different being Anna's bag she'd left with now lying on the floor with everything ripped out of it. So Anna'd gotten home, but did she leave again or left with someone? The phone records are looked into, and this being the days of operators who kept notes, they knew Anna'd picked up a call from an office in Ralston, 6 miles away. When looked further into, the detective finds the other operator doesn't have record of the call, which means someone's covering up, and the business owner claims no one'd've been allowed to make a long distance call.
Oda Brown, Anna's hubby is expected, and saved for the next day. A wk after, another agent is sent to speak with Oda, which takes a bit of time, since he isn't ez to locate, and when he does, the agent attempts to make buddies with him to see if he'd reveal his secret more willingly, but Oda suspects him, so gives a bs a to his q. As this fool's wasting time with Oda, another agent learns from a Kaw woman of a w called Rose Osage who'd confessed to killing Anna for seducing her hubby. The 3 rode in the car where Rose shot her, gets her hubby to help her dump the body, and discards her bloody clothes with Anna.
The issue comes from her claim to the clothes being there, and hadn't been located, but there's a 2nd lead regarding 2 fellas who'd left town from the oil camps after Anna's death, so both tips are pursued. Bill Smith, bro-in-law to Mollie, and also investigating is apprised of these tips, he married to Rita, currently, and widower to her sis, Minnie, who'd perished from the wasting illness. Bill also is seen by Rita's servant's as to being abusive by hitting her. Rita is smart, but blind from love, and Mollie suspected the worst after corroborations from others as to how Bill seems like a gold-digger.
After receiving a repeated tip regarding Rose, an agent decides to bug them, this being before solid laws were in place to protect cops, haha... The detectives also learn from the cabby who'd driven Anna home of 1st stopping at her pop's grave, and after, drunkenly telling him she is preggers, this confirmed by 2 others, and no 1 knowing who the papa was. During the summer, Comstock, a local lawyer, who wore a Hitler moostosh, and doesn't discourage being confused for Native, shares how informants'd also confided Whitehorn's wife mad about his affair, so the possibility Anna could've been their conflict also seems logical. Feb. 1922, no new info comes from the investigations, this 9 months after their deaths.
The same month, William Stepson, 29 goes out after receiving a call, and comes home to his fam who thinks he seems ill, and soon dying from what is tested as being strychnine. In 1928, a survey is given for quality of coroners in most counties being incompetent and untrained. Less than a month after Stepson, a w is poisoned, and after her in July, a man, Joe Bates has a sip of whiskey, and starts frothing at the mouth, dying soon after and leaving a wife and 6 kids. By Aug, the Osage convince a local oilman, Barney McBride to speak on their behalf in WA DC to get the authorities to investigate, since he knew many officials in the gov't, but he's welcomed with a telegraph warning to be careful, which should've been his sign to leave, instead he's next located in a culvert, nekkid, but for shoes with a card with his name on it, and stabbed more than 20x, Mollie now knowing rich Natives are definitely being targeted, and now the newspaper headlines parroting this issue.
5 months after McBride's death, another auction with oilmen is held, it soon rising to $14mil. Despite making money, and the press making it seem like Natives dumb lucked themselves to it, rather than smart investing and ancestral customs, people also didn't realize the federally-imposed guardian the Osage put up with, so as to restrict control of their funds, and usually targeted those with blood quantum, John Palmer, half Sioux, fought Congress over. Nothing is done ofc, since they had tally and opinions about the receipts shown for what fam's including Mollie's had bought with their trusts. Wh. men know the Osage had so much money solidified their notion of having to integrate them further into wh. ways, since they are running amok with money.
More restrictions are made, and now guardians are given allowance to withdraw no more than a "few" grand per yr regardless of need or health. Feb 1923, a car's noticed at the bottom of a rocky swale, and cops go down to see a man, Henry Roan, 40, married with wife and kids, slumped dead in the driver's seat, no gun, and shot in the head. Hale, Henry's best buddy's beneficiary of his life ins, since he'd lent him so much cash. Before Henry'd died, he confessed to Hale of his wife cheating on him.
The last Henry'd spoken to Hale is when he asked to borrow liquor cash, Hale warning him to be careful what with prohibition, and next he's found dead. When the body's examined, Hale's present at the top of the hill, it learned Roan's body'd been sitting for about 10 days. This news affects Mollie, since Henry's her brief ex-hubby. At the time, she was 15, possibly arranged, and since Osage custom, didn't request gov't divorce.
Mollie doesn't however share her relationship tot he cops, since she doesn't also wish to reveal this to her jealous hubby. Less than a month after Henry's death, Bill Smith, and Rita decide to move houses, due to being harassed, but soon neighbor dogs are dying, he stating he doesn't think he'd long to live, soon going to Henry Grammers ranch, who has liquor, and also supplies Anna. He's a famed rodeo star, but also steeped in the criminal world, having bad men to help him out. Bill Smith, his wife, and the wh. servant, Nettie, 19 are blown up with the house, surprising everyone with the shock wave, no house remaining, and there car out front destroyed.
Water is soon poured on the remaining fires, which soon helps them hear before shouting through rubble, his legs burnt beyond recognition, and the doc on site promising Bill wouldn't suffer, giving him a good amount of morphine, he not conscious to speak to cops when they arrive. Rita's killed, and Nettie can't be recovered. Bill Smith doesn't share anything relevant when waking, and dies 4 days later. Herman Davis, top state investigator to the governor is found to being a criminal and in charge of closing the Osage murder cases.
Davis eventually earns himself a life sentence, and after Vaughan, a moral lawyer's told of a call from a buddy of George Bigheart, nephew of James, he having info on the murders. So, Vaughan informs his wife, who'd recently had their 10th kid of a safety deposit box with evidence regarding the murder cases, and money for herself and the kids, then leaving. He chats with Bigheart in time, and alone, he revealing many things before dying. Unfortunately, all this info isn't safe with Vaughan alone, he found on the tracks near the train he'd boarded, almost naked, the safety box his wife checks later, empty, and it accepted Vaughan'd learnt too much.
The Osage's death toll'd reached 24, and the wealthiest tribe now seems the most targeted. John Palmer gets involved by asking the highest in office part Osage their was as a Senator, hoping he'd help push the gov'ts involvement. Mollie soon remains hidden indoors, people soon thinking she'd die from failing health, and in 1925, she reports to Indian Affairs of being poisoned slowly, being forced to get injected with insulin now, as well. By 1923, the (Fed)BI issues a rep to look into the Osage murders repeatedly, but soon drops it for not being able to solve it, trying to put the responsibility back on state.
Hoover appoints Tom White to direct the Osage investigations, and knowing this would make him a target of assassins. Wh did his hw on the Osage murders, and more than 4 yrs, since Anna and Charles, so there's slim hope in detecting new evidence. The files on the cases though, are grimly detailed, like Nettie, and Rita's bodies on a house 300 ft away. it also seemed likely the murders were carried out by "henchmen", and whoever was leading, is patient, waiting over yrs, and knowing how to use poisons.
Wh brings in John Wren, a spy for revolutionary leaders in Mex., and is probably the only Native in the (F)BI, he part Ute, and fell out with the Bureau for his penchant for not filing or writing paperwork. So, everyone Wh chose who is available to do so, is given orders to meet Wh in Osage County. Tom Wh, sends his undercover bros in as various characters, Agent Wren posing as an Native medicine man. Wh's ability to gather evidence dwindles as the coroner's files are stolen, so testimony on Anna Brown becomes null.
The undertaker'd kept Anna's skull, though, and saw with no exit wound, someone either the killer or conspirator'd dug out the bullet from inside. When q'ing the doc bros, they admit to searching thoroughly, and too many people being present to know who it could've been. Ruh roh! Wh's investigating of suspects are narrowed from some of the above mentioned, due to Wh deferring to another man's investigation, focusing on Rose and Joe, who gave nearly verbatim alibis, but corroborated by the inn owner they'd roomed at, and then another informant criminal, Kelsey Morrison is acquired.
Slim, Kelsey prepares to chat with Joe and Rose undercover, as well as other seedy characters to learn more of the murders. Slim asks Rose 1t, and she still denies it, so he goes back to the Kaw woman, who eventually admits to've been forced to sign the statement, Wh realizing the conspirators are creating lame ducks. Hoover's itching to discover a lead, and thinks Necia Kenny, who's married to an Osage man, may have an idea, since he had a grudge against Comstock, and felt he could be a part of the conspiracy. Kenny had a history with mental illness, but Hoover found the value in her services of observation.
Comstock still provides helpful info to the bureau despite Wh refusing to share their files with him. Wh chats with a farmer who's been 1 of many who'd seen Anna in a car, some of the other witnesses being paid to vanish. The farmer states saying hi to Anna as she sat in the car, a woman accounting of Anna's posture being upright, as opposed to a drunken slump, and she'd been with Bryan Burkhart, who now'd perjured himself when claiming he'd last seen Anna earlier than he had, this scene occurring later in the night, which means Bryan may've at least taken her back out. Wh uncovers how Anna and Bryan'd been chilling at speakeasy's all around town, and 1 place verifying the 2 and at 1 point the unc, as well'd been hanging out there til 1am.
Then, a 3rd man not ID'd as the unc is seen with the 2, and the last sighting at 3am, with the witness hearing Bryan shout at Anna to get back in the car and stop being foolish. Bryan bribes his neighbor to keep quiet when he's seen coming home at sun up. So, now Wh wonders who the 3rd man is, and what Bryan's motive could be to kill Anna. By end of summer, Wh feels there's a mole in his investigation, since files and details kept becoming known to suspects, Pike becoming prime suspect.
Pike also claims to know the ID of the 2rd man, but wanted a hefty finder's fee. They track Pike down, and he names a man at the bar, but he'd left too early to be the 3rd fella. What Pike also reveals is Hale'd not hired him for Anna's case, but to conceal and fabricate evidence for Bryan, which now has Wh wondering if Hale also is a part of this growing conspiracy. Pike also reveals sometimes Ernest Burkhart is present with Hale and Bryan at their meetings.
Tom Wh 1st saw a criminal hanged when he was still a child, and his pop was executioner. His pop soon became Sheriff, and he's 3rd out of 5 kids, his ma dying from complications from childbirth. His pop adhered to an unbiased morality, keeping violent criminals from nonviolent, sometimes by allowing them to stay at his home for lack of space. Tom witnessed the hanging at 12, of a 19 yr old black man convicted of rape.
After seeing how long the man struggles, Tom grows a distaste for "judicial homicide". Tom signs up to fight Amer. Natives when he's 24, some of his bros follow, since who doesn't idolize becoming a TX Ranger? Tom stays moral for justice being fair whilst noting some officers provoked fights to kill people. So with how many officers he sees die for varying reasons regardless of being a vet or noob, he kept his morality.
Wh loses 1 of his bros defending himself in a shootout in 1918. In 1925, Wh attempts to uncover what Bill Hale, Mollie Burkhart's bro-in-law, and his 2 nephs, Ernest and Bryan are hiding. Smith is 1st to uncover the idea Lizzie was poisoned, and if this is enough to get him killed, than derp, he's on to something. Agents'd learned form a nurse of how Smith'd spoken with his doc, and lawyers before he passed, since she'd been sent out so she couldn't bear believing he'd shared his suspicions for the arsonist.
When summoned by the feds, the Shoun bros were asked, and denied Smith mentioned possible killers, but Bill Smith's lawyer reveals Smith'd mentioned he had 2 enemies, William Hale and his neph, Ernest Burkhart. David Shoun goes on to admit Bill Smith was made to sign a doc which David Shoun "supposed" Smith to be "rational" enough to sign the paperwork for his bro to handle his wife's wealthy estate, and as Wh investigates further, the # of wh guardians stealing funds from the Osage they were meant to protect out#'d those who are morally justified. Many guardians'd buy stock from their own stores and their ward would unknowingly pay an extremely inflated price, or use the money to help certain stores and receive a kickback of funds. Est.'d 1925, guardians stole at least $8 mil. from accts of their Osage "wards".
Judges also got into it by offering Osage good guardians if they agreed to vote for them. 1 Osage woman is left in poverty with her 2 young children, the guardian keeping her money, even after a baby became ill and died. This is brought to court and ignored. An undercover agent learns from a woman working at a gas station reveals William Hale owned everything and'd ordered his workers to burn his land for the ins. cash. So, Wh next looks into why Hale'd actually become Roan's beneficiary was a seedy plan he'd discussed with a salesman regarding how much he wanted and working out the amount, which if it'd been actually owed debt Roan, Hale would've only had to present the proof to Roan's estate to be paid off.
It takes a bit of doing to find a doc to examine Roan to qualify for the loan, due to getting into an accident whilst drunk, but Shoun is 1 of those to recommend Roan. The doc confesses Hale'd confessed to planning on murdering the "Indian", with a "hell, yes". Hale starts to attempt to gain peoples trust, like Bunch, who'd been cheating with the wife of Roan, but not succeeding to convince him to leave town in order to make him look guiltier, including gifting him money to do so. He also tries this on Roan's widow, sending whiskey as a gift after attempting to have her sign papers, she paranoid he'd poisoned it.
So, whilst Wh'd circumstantial evidence, he still had fuck all. What makes Hale even more suspect is his trying to claim Roan's head right for his share in the tribe's mineral trust, which no 1 could currently sell, and when the law failed to change so any Indian could sell the rights, he turned to murder; The last way to gain the headright is thru inheritance. With the other murders headrights, Wh sees they'd been directed to Mollie Burkart. Her hubby, Ernest doing anything Hale says, this also being supported by an informant stating Hale's capable of anything.
Esp, when considering how Ernest starts a fam with Mollie purely to help Hale scheme and kill and funnel the headrights into Mollie's acct. Due to no physical evidence or witnesses, Wh. couldn't prove this deeply sordid plot of multiple deaths for headrights. The guardian for Anna and Lizzie was under Hale's thumb. Hale had many under his control in law enforcement and elsewhere.
Meanwhile, Hoover becomes more corporate-minded with Wh.'s choice of agents and starts seeing them like drive-thru employees, creating a high turn over with his high standards of meeting his policy keeping strict morals, ie. no alchie, and knowledge, reports being written just so, which Wh. attempts to shield his agents from taking blame by taking the micromanagement onto himself. 1925, Wh.'s driven to put Hale and his crew behind bars. Some of the Osage people are affected enough by the seeming inaction of the law to bring justice for their dead, so begin moving away (just like racists go-to line, "if you don't like it, get out"), so Can. and MX being the refuge to some. Wh. meets another seasoned 23 yr old criminal, Greg, who claims he'd been hired with his gang to kill a man and Osage woman, Bill Smith and his wife, but Greg didn't kill women, so passes.
It did incriminate Hale, but Wh. can't use it. Whilst Hale had alibis coming out his booty as anyone who could implicate him ended up dead, Wh. still can't arrest him, due to nothing solid to catch him on. Wh. catches a break with a new informant in jail, so he checks out the story. It matches what could've possibly happened to incriminate Hale.
Ernest Burkhart is also mentioned, and with this evidence, Wh. gladly provides the news to Hoover. After this, Comstock's helpful involvement to the law is being met with death threats, he sleeping in his office from paranoia, and rightly, for finding dynamite at his window at one point. Molly at some point contacts her priest secretly after she'd been kept from attending church, so the priest breaks confidentiality from concern. The priest warns Molly not to drink, due to the poisoned whiskey tactic, but this proves pointless, since Molly had diabetes, and required injections, which the Schoen bros are supposedly administering to her.
After, Molly is declining in health, this concerning the gov't officials working in the Indian Affairs office. Start of '26 Hale turns himself in when he learns he and others are being brought in for questioning. The longer Hale stays in custody, the more sure of himself he seemed Wh. would be the 1 in trouble and not he. Burkhart is seen as the 1 who'd sing like a bird.
Unfortunately, it seems Burkhart and Hale had possible alibis which'd mean the criminal Wh'd trusted the word of, lied and he'd be on Hoover's shit list. Wh. finds another man who'd been offered a reward to kill Smith and wife, which he's hoping'd save his ass. Wh's tactic nearly works to turn Burkhart to confess, but he still resists. During the night, Burkhart calls for Wh to confess who he knew'd committed the murders.
Hale arranged the whole mess, with different men taking part. 1 of the killers related to Anna was Hale's agent, who played a double cross and shot her as he'd been assigned to look for her killer. Meanwhile, Molly is closer to death due to being close to Burkhart still, and the Schoen bros are questioned as to what they'd been injecting Molly with, 1 of them playing coy and saying "it may've been insulin". Milly's symptoms immediately turn around under a new doc's care, which Schoen is incapable of answering. Molly refuses to implicate her hubby, Burkhart.
It comes out Hale had a 2nd tie to Anna by having an affair with her, and so had killed his unborn child with her (most likely due to "tainted" blood). This info known did not bother Hale, since he had much power and was unafraid to put money into saving his dick from serving time. Due to widespread racism, many white civilians thrived on the nasty details to the connected murders of the Osage people. The newspapers painted the story as a modern 20th century wild west, and how could it prove to being so barbaric of a show (sounds like the 21st century Amerikkka).
Due to where some of the murders took place, it fell to the state's control, except for Roan's, which is on Osage land. Hale is charged for Roan's murder 1st, due to this and faced the death penalty. Burkhart is put under protection til trial due to his importance. Wh gets a bad piece of news when the judge states Roan's murder could only be tried in state court, which by the time the supreme court could rule on, Hale'd be released, proving the man'd been right not to worry.
Hale's immediately served with a different set of charges. Molly is ostracized by both whites and her own, due to how publicity was painting her, and her loyalty to Burkhart's innocence. When Burkhart makes it to the stand, he confides to a prosecutor he believed Hale would have him killed if he testified. Burkhart agrees to speak with Hale's lawyer privately, and afterward the lawyer asks for a recess til next day, which is given.
Next day, Burkhart refuses to testify, and becomes a defense witness. The new claim is Wh'd tortured the confessions from Hale and Burkhart, who agrees. Wh ofc, denies doing this when Hoover calls about it, and is upset by the embarrassing scandal. Morrison goes on stand and confesses Anna's death, the drunken woman at the ravine.
Molly had to leave the trial a couple months later due to her 4 yr old being cared for by relatives having died, the Osage not trusting new deaths despite no noted foul play. Burkhart's actions next display what this'd done to him by taking on a new lawyer, and change his plea again to guilty. Wh's rep is saved, but they still had all the other murderers to convict. Burkhart gets life in prison, but he looked relieved.
Wh receives news the Roan case can be tried for being on Osage land after all, and so Hale is next put on trial. Burkhart's again called to testify, and without missing a beat, tells all. Hale and Ramsey (the killer), don't get sentenced, due to the jury being bribed, so the judge releases the jury. Future juries prove to be racist when they continue to refuse to sentence white men for Indians deaths.
The Roan case is retried, and Wh. protects Hale so they can finally charge him. Molly is called to the stand where she reveals Roan'd been her hubby before Burkhart. After this, the jury deliberates, and a couple days later, a guilty verdict for Ramsey and Hale is given, but they're given life rather than being hung, the jury standing racistly strong. With Anna's murder trial, Molly finally had to face what her hubby Ernest'd done with the help of his bro, Brian and Morrison, she soon after divorcing him.
These cases are how Hoover is able to sell the idea of better scientific evidence through a law force, despite the hiccups. Wh is next offered a job as a warden, Hoover wanting to keep him, but Wh taking the job for better cash. Hale and Ramsey end up at his prison. Hale never confesses, but a telling comment proves he had a vicious nature.
Molly moves on and remarries, '31 she obtains freedom from her guardianship. The same yr, Wh is threatened with a gun by inmates trying to escape, he becoming a hostage with some other employees, soon only keeping Wh, as they get into a car with him. They end up on foot, and 2 young people almost end up dead and as Wh tries to save them and takes a bullet in the arm, what occurs is found out a decade later. Wh is still warden, and tells his tale about his arm, he being left for dead, but found and saved.
All the convicts are reclaimed, but 3 died by 1 of their own hand, the shooter killing himself and 4 brought back to prison. Wh. retires in '51 and late '50s, Wh hears of a movie covering the story which doesn't attempt to speak with him on the facts, despite he offering. Wh later decides to release the story through a book. '59 Wh is elderly and health is failing, he continues to complete the book, and whilst the true story isn't accepted for publishing, a fictionalization is, called, The Years of Fear.
'71, he has a stroke and dies not long after, Hoover giving the widow flowers, seemingly begrudgingly. 1 point of the case Wh hadn't uncovered the layer of is covered by the next section by the reporter. The reporter visits the Osage museum and sees all the faces involved, as well as the rest of the 2000 members. The director of the museum gives him more names of fam related to the murdered.
At an event, the reporter meets Molly's g/daugh. The Margie is 50, and after Molly's natural death, Ernest is released from prison and the town shuns him, but the fool ends up back in prison after robbing the home of an Osage. Hale serves 20 yrs before being released at 72 and dies in AZ, but returned to the town to claim how he was always a friend to the Osage. Burkhart gains reentry of OK by a board agreeing to pardon him.
When he eventually dies, his son having at 1st made up with the man Margie'd met once, and seemed too kind to have done what he did, chucks his ashes over a bridge rather than according to his wishes being scattered on Osage land. Margie brings the reporter to Molly and all her fam's murdered grave site. Margie then shows where Anna's life'd been taken. When they reach the scene of the exploded house, Margie reveals how Ernest's son'd escaped death with his sis and Molly, because he'd suffered an earache, and so they hadn't slept over, Cowboy living with knowing his father'd meant to kill him.
The reporter notes how quickly the bureau was eager to pin all the murder master-minding onto Hale, but the reporter allows how some may've been stuck there without the actual connection adding up. The reporter comes up with a different possibility for the man thrown from a train which gives his descendant some peace before her passing not long after learning of it. The more research brought the stats of how many Indians died under their wards watch.
The last of this merely fills in other possible conspiracy supporters for money. Most of this was quite interesting as a whodunnit murder mystery with horrifying implications, which is being felt more so lately in Canada, due to the thousands of children found buried on the Residential schools. Well, it was happening in a different fashion to the Osage for their headrights and took both children's lives for the further control of the parents through their wardens and the gov't seeming to nod with approval from afar.
I’m glad I finally completed this, and whilst I found the correlation to the birth of FBI pretty useless, the main true story was worth the extra perception.
I saw the 2023 movie, and it had it’s artistic liberty with the story, and character motivations despite having 3 hours to tell the real story as it’s shown. It’s well made though, and covered the perspective of the righteous Americans quite accurately, and throwing in the Freemason’s, which I don’t remember being mentioned, as well as the FBI angle, but was a fair accompaniment to the book.
