how many osage murders might there possibly have been?
Estimates are that 60 or more wealthy Osage were killed from 1921 to 1925. Envy for and racism against the Osage ran deeper than snarky newspaper headlines. The Osage Council and tribal representatives in Washington D.C. Anna Brown was one of the first victims of the Osage killing spree. Desperate, the Osage appealed to a new federal agency who may be able to save them — the FBI. The tribe was relocated yet again to Oklahoma, where the Osage Nation is still today. The fortunes of the Osage began to change with the Louisiana Purchase and the arrival of American settlers. Past news articles are retained for archival purposes and this content should not be considered current. The Osage Indian murders were a series of murders of Osage people 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. But less than a day after he arrived in the capital, McBride was stabbed twenty times, a murder described by newspapers as “the most brutal in crime annals in the District.” McBride’s killing was a clear message that white friends to the Osage were not safe either, a fact emphasized when an attorney with a lead on the case was flung from a moving train. Wikimedia CommonsA trial document connecting the various murders back to the ringleader of the murder spree. It began in the early 1920s, a time that should have been a prosperous one. Oil revenue for the the Osage in the year 1923 totals over $30 million. Library of CongressThe Osage Council and tribal representatives in Washington D.C. It emerged in the late 1700s as a result of tribes being pushed eastward by American pioneers. Further, not every family received justice in the investigation, but each one did receive a bill for the FBI’s troubles. The Osage Indian Murders were a series of murders of Osage Indians in Osage County, Oklahoma in the early 1920s, called the "Reign of Terror" by newspapers. Gina Dimuro is a New York-based writer and translator. Then local whites began targeting the tribe. It has gone on to become an award-winning book, and is reportedly being adapted in a movie directed by Martin Scorsese. The tribe was finally settled in an area spread between present-day Kansas and Oklahoma in 1865. . Hale lived to be 87 and is buried in Wichita, Kansas. Another of the murderers shrugged off his actions by offering the explanation “white people in Oklahoma thought no more of killing an Indian than they did in 1724.”. In May of 1921, the bodies of two tribe members — Anna Brown and Charles Whitehorn — were found in the woods of Osage County. The Osage Reign Of Terror: How A Bigoted Conspiracy Against The Native Americans Led To The FBI’s First Case. The estimated Osage death toll is in the hundreds, though reported numbers are much less and investigated deaths far fewer. Between 1921 and 1926, at least 24 members of the Osage Indian Nation in Oklahoma were brutally murdered. :) There are two ways you can go. Estimates are that 60 or more wealthy Osage were killed from 1921 to 1925. A trial document connecting the various murders back to the ringleader of the murder spree. By the early 20th century, the oil rush instigated a flood of intermarriages where white men wanted a taste of the Osage wealth. Non-Osages were able to inherit an Osage headright, and this was the motive for the Reign of Terror. “Killers Quotes” Discussion Board This module’s discussion board is unique because it is organized into 9 thematic threads You've reached the end of your free preview. Call our toll-free information line if you need assistance or would like to verify information on this page: 1-800-320-8742. The Department of Justice could no longer turn a blind eye to the systematic murder of the Osage, dubbed the “bloodiest chapter in American crime history.”. One Osage World War I veteran said, “I fought in France for this country, and yet I am not even allowed to sign my own checks.”. The investigations went nowhere, but the killings did not stop. You Could Face Jail Time For Leaving Your Dog Out In The Cold, Per New Law, Jim Hutton: The Story Of Freddie Mercury's Longtime Partner, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. There was a total of 16,425 reported homicide cases in the U.S. in 2019. And when you look at the ages, it appears few died simply of old age. The horrifying death of Rita Smith helped finally trigger a federal investigation into the Osage murders. It's unremarkable in many respects -- until you look at the dates. Summer 1923 By now, over two dozen Osage have been murdered--the actual toll is probably significantly higher. The name Osage is an English rendering of the French phonetic version of the name the French understood to be that of the entire tribe. The theory gained more credence after two more tribe members dropped dead in similarly sketchy circumstances over the next few months. His experience as a Texas lawman had hardened his nerves and he refused to be intimidated by the deaths of the previous investigators. It seems the commonly reported dates for the Osage Reign of Terror might not be accurate. “They’re scalping our souls out here,” one embittered Osage reportedly lamented. They were a formidable people, as painter George Caitlin once described them as “at their full growth, . 1918-1931 10. There was justice in some cases, but not many. Most of these government-appointed money managers sought only to siphon off what wealth they could for themselves. Actually the Plains culture lasted only about two hundred years. Mollie Burkhart’s mother died two months later to a suspect poisoning. The Osage Murders: A Q&A with David ... And so, yes, I think there would have been enough to embark on a book. Although some of the appointed guardians were honest men who genuinely did their best for their “wards,” they were few and far between. Chief Big Heart ensured that the wealth of the Osage would stay only among tribe members. 1923 seems to have been a particularly bad year. But even once brought to justice, many of the perpetrators were released by a corrupted jury. shows 305 hits. Although the local coroner did not have the equipment to perform a toxicology exam, poison was suspected. 24? In contrast to the French, the Americans were not interested in trading with the Osage, but rather in taking the tribal lands for themselves. But ultimately their devious activity would catch up with them. The tribe decided to seek help from a higher authority and sent Barney McBride, one of the rare white oilmen who worked to help the Osage rather than to exploit them, as a representative to the capital. How many Osage murders might there possibly have been? _____ Pales next … Since the discovery of large oil deposits beneath the land of Osage Native Americans in Oklahoma, the tribe had become some of the wealthiest people in the world. Osage ancestors had farmed for hundreds of years along the Ohio River before they, like so many other Native groups, moved out to the Great Plains in the early 1600s. In 1906, thanks to the clever negotiation skills of Chief Big Heart, Congress ratified the Osage Allotment Act that guaranteed mineral rights of Osage territory to tribe members only, meaning that the now-valuable reservation land could only be inherited, not bought, thus keeping the fortune within the tribe entirely. They are at the same time well-proportioned in their limbs and good-looking.”. The American public became fascinated by the Osage whom they intolerantly labeled “red millionaires.” Indeed, all of the money in the world could not erase racist stereotypes, as one newspaper wryly stated: “That lament, ‘lo the poor Indian,’ might appropriately be revised to ‘Ho, the rich redskin.”. After centuries of abuse and broken promises at the hands of the United States government, the Osage were wise enough to know they had to move quickly to make the most of their miraculous good fortune. Getty / BettmannThree of the dozens of Osage tribe members who were killed in a vicious plot for oil wealth. The Osage then numbered some 5,500. Osage Tribal Murders. Henry Roan, a young Osage, was murdered via gunshot. But with the arrest of William K. Hale it all stopped. Though the bureau estimated that there were twenty-four Osage murders, the real number was undoubtedly higher. The Osage are generally thought of as Plains people, a culture known for its powerful warriors, skilled horsemanship, and buffalo hunting. The Osage were convinced not only that they were being systematically murdered, but that the local authorities were in on the sinister plot. 01/26/05. (The deaths of some alleged victims who lacked discernable wounds were simply ascribed to \"indigestion,\" \"peculiar wasting illness[es],\" or \"causes unknown.\") The killings subsided after the arrest of William K. Hale in 1926. Next, read about Chief Big Heart’s granddaughter, Maria Tallchief, who became a world-famous ballerina. And, of course, in the event of Burkhart’s death, Hale would have been next in line. They both had been shot, but the local law enforcers were largely amateurs not equipped to deal with serious crimes. For the dozens of murders he allegedly orchestrated, Hale was found guilty of just one – … A depiction of the Osage by painter George Caitlin. GRANN: Well, by now, this was known as the Osage reign of terror. They finally sent in agents from the newly-created Bureau of Investigation. The bureau closed its investigation after catching Hale and his henchmen. Many of the crimes were committed by the victims loved ones, especially amongst those in intermarriages. A Byte Out of History Murder and Mayhem in the Osage Hills. Originally broadcast April 17, 2017. Between 1920 and 1925 there were more than 60 mysterious or unsolved murders in Osage County, all dealing with Osage headright holders. In 2017, New Yorker staff writer David Grann publishedKillers of the Flower Moonabout the Osage Murders. Getty / BettmannAnna Brown was one of the first victims of the Osage killing spree. Getty / BettmanThe horrifying death of Rita Smith helped finally trigger a federal investigation into the Osage murders. Hale, along with his accomplices, Ernest Burkhart, John Ramsey, and several others, were allegedly tied to more than 20 killings. Found: In May 1921, the badly decomposed body of Anna Brown—an Osage Native American—in a remote ravine in northern Oklahoma. . More than two dozen members of the Osage tribe had been shot, stabbed, beaten and bombed in one of the bloodiest crime sprees in American history. A headright was hereditary, passing to the immediate legal heir of the deceased allottee. Tribal Murders tells a suppressed, horrifying true story of extreme greed and the cold-blooded murders of Indians during 1920s Oklahoma. For instance, Mollie’s husband Ernest was involved in a large conspiracy of murdering the Osage headed by self-titled “King of Osage Hills” William Hale. In 1925, to prevent another Reign of Terror, the United States Congress passed a law prohibiting non-Osages from inheriting headrights of tribal members possessing more than one-half Osage blood. There are hundreds and hundreds.” Charles Whitehorn However, the rocky land onto which the Osage had been pushed held a tremendous secret: beneath the supposedly worthless soil lay “some of the largest oil deposits in the United States.”. “They lived in mansions and had chauffeured cars. In March of 1922, Mollie’s sister Rita was killed alongside her husband and white servant by a bomb planted under their house. At the time Hale, originally from Texas, was considered to one of the most prominent citizens of the area. Largely Forgotten Osage Murders Reveal A Conspiracy Against Wealthy Native Americans. Now they were forced to lease land from the tribe in order to mine the black gold under the reservation property. The wealth that had saved the Osage from starvation had also damned the tribe because of the immense avarice amongst white settlers who surrounded them. . Hale was sentenced to life in prison on January 27, 1929, and served only 18 years of his sentence before being paroled in 1947. But at least some at the bureau knew that there were many more homicides that had been systematically covered up, evading their efforts of detection. Hale and Ramsey were later convicted of Roan’s murder, and Burkhart accepted a plea deal for the murder of Smith. Some families instigated their own private investigations, which often ended in the deaths of those involved. Between 1920 and 1925 there were more than 60 mysterious or unsolved murders in Osage County, all dealing with Osage headright holders. Because of the mandate that Osage wealth could travel solely through inheritance, white settlers went so far as to infiltrate Osage families through marriage and either enjoy the spoils of their spouse or murder those family members who remained between them and potential wealth. In exchange for hunting animal pelts, they received guns and powder from the French, which in turn allowed the Osage to become the most powerful tribe in the region. Despite attempts at negotiating treaties with the United States to preserve their property rights, the Osage were pushed farther and farther west as the Americans encroached deeper into their territory. Beginning in 1921, at least two dozen Osages were murdered by gunfire, stabbing, poisoning or explosives, but the number may have greatly exceeded that as there were many other Osage deaths that occurred under suspicious circumstances. The oil boom was in full swing, and the Osage people were prosperous due to ownership of mineral rights. Osage, original name Ni-u-kon-ska (“People of the Middle Waters”), North American Indian tribe of the Dhegiha branch of the Siouan linguistic stock. Burkhart was eventually pardoned by Oklahoma Governor Henry Bellmon in 1965. Bureau Director J. Edgar Hoover, meanwhile, wanted to reinvent the FBI. In 1924, “under the pretense of enlightenment that the Osage needed protection,” Congress insisted that every tribe member be appointed a white guardian to manage his or her assets and supervise how they spent their oil wealth. The tribe first encountered Europeans in the form of French fur traders in the late 17th century and initial relations proved beneficial to the Osage. In the early 1920s, Osage County, Oklahoma was a hotbed for murders and crime due to the valuable land that was producing oil. But many bigoted settlers conspired to usurp the tribe’s wealth through bureaucracy, marriage, and ultimately murder. White soon proved to be more than up to the task. The relentless greed which had driven the white settlers had backfired on them tremendously. It was thereafter applied to all members of the tribe. Burkhart and Ramsey also received life sentences, and both were also paroled in 1947. The Bureau was new and required good publicity, he thus hoped that the newspaper frenzy surrounding the killing spree would bring in just that. The community illuminated their houses all night for increased security. Jump to comments section Print this page. Several people who had tried to catch the killers themselves had been killed. Murders, bombings, poisonings, investigations, cover-ups, and layers upon layers of corruption allowed the murders to continue until the nascent organization of the FBI finally investigated and solved some of the murders. Warrant for William K. Hale, January 22, 1926. During the 1920s, a rash of ‘mysterious’ deaths of Osage with access to oil money occurred. Anna’s sister, Mollie, was once such Osage who had married a white man named Ernest Burkhart. But with the arrest of William K. Hale it all stopped. are less than six feet in stature, and very many of them six and a half, and others seven feet. The Osage Indian murders were a series of murders of Osage Indians in Osage County, Oklahoma in the early 1920s, called the "Reign of Terror" by newspapers. Then, check out some stunning photos of the Crow Tribe in the early 20th century. By 1923, the Osage were earning over $30 million dollars from leases and royalties a year, an amount equating to around $400 million dollars today. Did You Know? A keyword search on "Osage?" Estimates vary, but approximately twenty-four Osage Indians died violent or suspicious deaths during the early 1920s. There were at least 24 Osage who had been murdered. Three of the dozens of Osage tribe members who were killed in a vicious plot for oil wealth. White recruited an undercover group of cowboys to survey Osage County. What might the true length be? are less than six feet in stature, and very many of them six and a half, and others seven feet. The discovery of oil on their land had turned the Osage from being on the brink of starvation to “the wealthiest people per capita in the world.”. (14) IMDb 6.2 1 h 22 min 2017 16+. Congress pressured the Osage to sell their Kansas lands with the 1870 Treaty of Drum Creek. You can continue searching white records until you have considerably more information... and/or search Osage records. The majority of these crimes occurred in or near Fairfax and were rarely investigated by local authorities; some were never solved. Osage mineral lease royalties were paid to the tribe, who then distributed it equally to each allottee. Wikimedia CommonsA depiction of the Osage by painter George Caitlin. ... and then you might as well pack your bag. There’s a non-Osage family named Vaughan. Under the Osage Allotment Act of 1906, subsurface minerals within the Osage Nation Reservation were held in trust by the U.S. government, but were tribally owned. Osage County, Oklahoma Tourist Information Office. Anna would be merely one of the first victims in a five-year-long Reign of Terror that would run from 1921-1926 and claim the lives of dozens (and possibly hundreds) of Osage men, women, and children. . The Osage tribe originally inhabited the area that is today Western Missouri along the Ohio River. The Reign of Terror was a frightful time for the Osage people. They were a formidable people, as painter George Caitlin once described them as “at their full growth, . Library of CongressA pair of Osage women in 1921. He was very close to the Osage and tried to stop the killers. Osage County, Oklahoma Tourist Information OfficeChief Big Heart ensured that the wealth of the Osage would stay only among tribe members. The undertaker later discovered a bullet hole in the back of her head. The bureau closed its investigation after catching Hale and his henchmen. He consequently sent former Texas Ranger Tom White to head the investigation. This equal share was called a headright. Anna’s immediate family included her sisters, Mollie Burkhart and … They had initially been allotted only the least-arable land in the territory and the food supplies promised failed to materialize. Hale was tried four times before a Federal District court finally convicted him in 1929. They are at the same time well-proportioned in their limbs and good-looking.”The tribe first encountered Europeans in the form of French fur trader… There were many who were silent, including law enforcement, reporters, and members of the community, who allowed the murders to prevail. The Osage tribe originally inhabited the area that is today Western Missouri along the Ohio River. W.W. Vaughan was a local attorney. They found the system of guardians was grossly corrupted. The Osage were the wealthiest people in the country, which in turn attracted opportunists trying to take over their wealth. July 1925 Tom White, appointed by J. Edgar Hoover to head the Osage murders … Library of CongressAn Osage camp in Oklahoma. Osage historian Louis Burns said, “I don’t know of a single Osage family that didn’t lose at least one family member because of head rights.” A federal agent who investigated the reign of terror on the reservation said, “There are so many of these murder cases. Hale was even the self-proclaimed “King of the Osage Hills.” He was a wealthy rancher with several banking and business interests throughout Osage County. But at least some at the bureau knew that there were many more homicides that had been systematically covered up, evading their efforts of detection. They had servants, many of whom were white,” wrote David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. Members of the Osage Indian Nation became very wealthy in the 1920s after oil deposits were found on their land. She then reached out to the National Archives staff who worked with these records, and together they found more than 3,000 documents relating to the Osage murders. 29-year-old William Stepson, who had been a healthy and athletic man, fell ill and died within a matter of mere hours. Lewis and Clark reported in 1804 that the peoples were the Great Osage on the Osage River, the Little Osage upstream, and the Arkansas band on the Verdigris River, a tributary of the Arkansas River. While being investigated for the murder of Henry Roan, Burkhart tied Hale and Ramsey to the murder of Roan and confessed to the murder of William E. Smith. In his sixth outing with Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio will likely play Tom White, the legendary Texas Ranger turned federal officer whom J. Edgar Hoover appointed to head the investigation. At one point, he thought he had gathered enough evidence. Another alternative is if you can telnet on Internet or have WWW access you could search the University of Tulsa Library catalog (LIAS). How many Osage murders might there possibly have been? Martin Scorsese is teaming up with Leonardo DiCaprio on Killers of the Flower Moon, the story of a formative FBI investigation into murders of Native American Osage tribespeople in 1920s Oklahoma. As one chief remarked in 1928, “Some day this oil will go and there will be no more fat checks every few months….then I know my people will be happier.”. The “Osage Reign of Terror” saw the deaths of at least 24 Osage. When I spoke to a former Osage chief, he told me why so many American Indian nations were being galvanized by Standing Rock and showing up there: because it is the same fundamental issue. He gathered information. Though the bureau estimated that there were twenty-four Osage murders, the real number was undoubtedly higher. A native of Greenville, Texas, Hale, the s… What they uncovered was more malicious than they initially assumed.