Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders

[almagata]

I am almost done listening to Killers of the Flower Moon.  What a horrid episode in the history of American justice.  I guess I should be relieved that eventually there was any justice at all. 

I've spent some time trying to figure how the people of America can prevent corruption and I just can't see how it can be mitigated successfully. The system is so reliant on people acting with integrity yet it only takes a handful of corrupt people in a few key positions to co-opt the entire system in a region. 


 

[albion]

I had never heard of this before. Its interesting how these guys seem to stick together though. Benny Binion was Dallas. William Cassidy, who I have posted about, actually worked for him and his family during the murder trials. I have always wondered how Binion was able to set up shop in Vegas with the environment it had.

[almagata]

Osage Indian murders

William King Hale and his nephews Ernest and Byron Burkhart conspired to kill several Osage Indians for the oil headrights.

Ernest married Mollie Kile (or Kyle) a native Osage. Through various permutations, William King Hale had Mollie's sister Anna Brown killed in 1921.

Anna's head rights were inherited by her mother Lizzie Q and Mollie. The death of Lizzie Q and several cousins left Mollie Burkhart and therefore Ernest as heirs to the headrights worth several hundreds of thousands of dollars in 1920s. Mollie fell ill and was later discovered to have been poisoned. When she moved away from Fairfax she recovered.

Hale was convicted after three trials under federal laws and sent to Leavenworth prison in Kansas. He was sentenced to life but was paroled in 1947. He spent some of his life in Montana working as a ranch hand for Benny Binion. He died in Arizona.

Byron turned state's evidence and never served time. His brother Ernest was sentenced to life in state court and was sent to McAlester. He was released in 1959 and received a pardon in 1966.

[almagata]

I wonder why there is a Osage Park in Danville?

[almagata]

Osage Station Park is known for its beautiful, memorial rose garden and children's play area with train station.

This 35-acre park features four tennis courts, four baseball diamonds, several soccer fields, plus a path around the park. The tennis courts and sports fields can be rented. An additional parking lot is located near the tennis courts, off Orange Blossom Way. The twenty picnic tables and five barbecue pits are located near the children's play area and are available to rent.

The park is named after the ranch that grew Osage Oranges, and there are still three Osage Orange trees at the park.

www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/osage-orange-tree-zmaz85zsie
www.resilience.org/stories/2015-12-15/why-osage-orange-trees-why-here-why-now/