* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Tuesday, July 1, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

    Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment’s ‘Mandala Murders’ Premieres July 25 – About Netflix

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse: Dive into the Chilling World of ‘Mandala Murders’ Premiering July 25

    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    New center coming to Mizzou will focus on energy research and technology – Columbia Missourian

    Mizzou Launches Innovative New Center Dedicated to Energy Research and Technology

    Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps? – The Guardian

    Can Technology Like Space Mirrors and Underwater Curtains Buy Us Time to Save the Arctic Ice Caps?

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Emerging Memory and Storage Technology Market Analysis Report 2025-2034 | AI and HPC Boom Fuels Surging Demand for Fast, Low-Power Memory Devices – Yahoo Finance

    How AI and HPC Are Driving Explosive Growth in Fast, Low-Power Memory Technologies Through 2034

    Ostin Technology (OST): Volatility’s Warning or Contrarian Opportunity? – AInvest

    Ostin Technology (OST): Navigating Market Volatility – Red Flag or Hidden Opportunity?

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

    Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse Netflix and YRF Entertainment’s ‘Mandala Murders’ Premieres July 25 – About Netflix

    A Secret Society, Ritualistic Killings, and a Century-Old Curse: Dive into the Chilling World of ‘Mandala Murders’ Premiering July 25

    Susquehanna Raises Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN) Price Target. – Yahoo Finance

    Susquehanna Raises Price Target for Penn Entertainment Inc. (PENN)

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    George Lopez is coming to Spokane – KXLY.com

    Netflix unveils Dallas immersive venue for fans of hit shows like ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Stranger Things’ – Houston Chronicle

    Step Inside Netflix’s New Dallas Immersive Experience Featuring Hits Like ‘Squid Game’ and ‘Stranger Things

    ‘Puttin’ on the Ritz’: Civic Players bring ‘Young Frankenstein’ to life – Yahoo

    Civic Players Deliver a Hilarious and Unforgettable Performance of ‘Young Frankenstein

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    Owls inspire new revolutionary noise reduction technology – KTEN

    New center coming to Mizzou will focus on energy research and technology – Columbia Missourian

    Mizzou Launches Innovative New Center Dedicated to Energy Research and Technology

    Mirrors in space and underwater curtains: can technology buy us enough time to save the Arctic ice caps? – The Guardian

    Can Technology Like Space Mirrors and Underwater Curtains Buy Us Time to Save the Arctic Ice Caps?

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Naples restaurant owner prepares for hurricane season with new flood technology – Fox4Now.com

    Emerging Memory and Storage Technology Market Analysis Report 2025-2034 | AI and HPC Boom Fuels Surging Demand for Fast, Low-Power Memory Devices – Yahoo Finance

    How AI and HPC Are Driving Explosive Growth in Fast, Low-Power Memory Technologies Through 2034

    Ostin Technology (OST): Volatility’s Warning or Contrarian Opportunity? – AInvest

    Ostin Technology (OST): Navigating Market Volatility – Red Flag or Hidden Opportunity?

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

The true story of the Osage murders—and why so many remain unsolved

September 16, 2023
in Science
The true story of the Osage murders—and why so many remain unsolved
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

ByErin Blakemore

Published September 15, 2023

• 8 min read

Poison, jealousy, murder, ambition. Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese’s newest film, tells a story seemingly made for Hollywood—the tale of how white settlers used fatal means to seize the wealth of the Osage people of Oklahoma in the early 20th century. But the film, based on David Grann’s bestselling 2017 book of the same name, isn’t all fiction.

Born in very real, misguided federal policies and fueled by the outsized desire of white settlers to profit from Native Americans’ land wealth, local greed resulted in the deaths of at least 60 wealthy Osage people—and possibly many more. Here’s what happened, why some are still left unsolved, and how the crimes set the stage for modern law enforcement in the United States.

The wealth of the Osage 

The Osage Nation came into massive wealth after oil was discovered beneath its reservation in the 1890s. Worth about $400 million dollars annually in modern currency by the 1920s, oil transformed the daily lives of the Osage people and turned them into what was then considered the richest nation on Earth.

At the time, prevalent attitudes held that Native Americans were naive, primitive, and in need of white oversight lest they squander their wealth. The government also historically considered Indian tribes to be dependent nations in need of federal protection: promoting laws designed to “protect,” not empower, Native people.

These laws often did not protect Native interests—and instead served as ways for white settlers to seize and retain control over Native people and their ancestral lands. In 1887, for example, the Dawes Act broke tribal lands up and gave them to Native families with tribal claims willing to undergo cultural assimilation. However, the law also sold “excess” land to white settlers, dramatically reducing the amount of land owned by Native nations.

The Osage nation sidestepped this “allotment” system, since it had bought 1.5 million acres of Oklahoma land outright from the federal government when the group was driven out of its ancestral lands in Kansas in 1872. The Osage nation gave all the land to members, each receiving 657 acres. The nation itself held on to the mineral rights of the land, granting each member an inheritable “headright” to the share of the nation’s mineral wealth. As the nation’s oil brought in more and more money, each Osage was entitled to more wealth—drawing the interest, then interference, of non-Osage Oklahomans.

The Osage people’s newfound wealth brought scrutiny to individuals’ money management, and newspaper reports about chauffeured cars, mansions and fancy clothing upset those who thought the Osage should spend their money more wisely. In 1908, in response to an outcry of protest over the Osage Nation’s supposed inability to manage its money, Congress gave county probate courts in Oklahoma jurisdiction over land held by Native Americans who were deemed “minors and incompetents” by a judge. If a person was deemed incompetent, the probate court could appoint a white guardian to oversee their financial affairs—and lease or sell their land.

In 1921, Congress went even further to specify that any person with Osage blood under 21 years of age, in addition to anyone who was half or full Osage, must prove their competency or have a state-court-appointed guardian assume management of their finances. Even the suspicion of irresponsibility was enough for the court to designate a white guardian with the right to disperse an Osage’s money, charge them steep administrative fees—and pocket any funds above a threshold of a $1,000 per quarter. As a result, writes historian Dennis McAuliffe, 600 guardians took $8 million in surplus funds alone with no oversight and no accountability over the course of just three years.

The Osage murders begin

The stage had been set the stage for financial abuse—and soon, murder. Beginning in 1921, a series of mysterious deaths began in Osage County.

In May 1921, the bodies of Anna Brown and her cousin Charles Whitehorn were discovered on the same day in different parts of the county. Two months later, Brown’s mother Lizzie Kyle, who had inherited headrights, was killed by poisoning. Then, Lizzie’s nephew was killed in February 1923—and on March 10, Lizzie’s daughter, her son-in-law, and a domestic worker died in a mysterious explosion at their home. The deaths sparked panic throughout Osage County and became known as a “reign of terror.” Meanwhile, the massive wealth of the Kyle family was inherited by the only survivors—Mollie Kyle, a full-blooded Osage who was Lizzie’s last remaining daughter, and her white husband Ernest Burkhardt.

The Kyles weren’t the only Osage people who died around this time, all under suspicious circumstances that included suspected poisonings, supposed suicides, and even being thrown off a train. Between 1921 and 1925, at least 60 Osage people were murdered or disappeared. All possessed wealth due to their headrights—and the Osage Tribal Council suspected that a prominent local white cattleman, William K. Hale, might be to blame.

Hale, originally from Texas, was known for his exploitative financial dealings with Osage people, and he was of outsized influence in Osage County. He owned or partially controlled the bank, the local general store, the funeral home, and even served as a reserve sheriff. Hale’s nephew, Burkhardt, was married to Mollie Kyle, who had now inherited her family members’ millions. Though the murders continued, local investigations and law enforcement efforts to solve the murders failed.

The Osage Tribal Council turned to the federal government for help solving the mystery of the murders. In response, the Bureau of Investigation, now known as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, began an undercover investigation in the area.

As the investigation began teasing out Hale’s possible connection to the killings, more murders occurred. When Mollie Kyle confessed to her priest that she thought she might be being poisoned, investigators cracked the case. Hale, it turned out, had pressured his nephew to marry Kyle, then engaged contract killers to murder her entire family. Under pressure from his uncle, Burkhardt had been giving his wife poison-laced whiskey to drink.

After a variety of state and federal trials that mesmerized the nation with their dramatic proceedings—and the murders of several potential witnesses—Hale and two accomplices were sentenced to life in prison. But many of the Osage murders remain unsolved mysteries.

“Killers of the Flower Moon” 

Nor did the saga of the Osage Nation’s wealth end with the killers’ convictions. In 1925, Congress passed a law prohibiting non-Osage people from inheriting headrights owned by people with Osage or other Native American ancestry. But complaints about the federal government’s dealings with the Osage Nation’s assets continued. In 2011, after decades of legal tussling, the U.S. government finally gave the Osage Nation a $380 million settlement and agreed to a variety of measures designed to better manage the Osage Nation’s assets.

Today, the Osage Nation murders are largely thought to have been the case that helped birth the FBI and modern law enforcement, which relies on extensive investigations, undercover operations, and the use of informants to crack complex criminal cases. Though the murders began over a century ago, they still echo in the lives and finances of the Osage people.

Today, the Osage Nation notes on its website, approximately 26 percent of Osage headrights remain in non-Osage hands and can be passed on to non-Osage entities at will. Though the Killers of the Flower Moon looks at long-past events, the Nation writes, “We are not relics. The Osage Nation is thriving on our Reservation in Northeast Oklahoma – a people of strength, hope, and passion, honoring the stories of the past and building the world of the future.”

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/osage-murders-killers-of-the-flower-moon

Tags: “StoryOsagescience
Previous Post

Hurricanes are escalating more quickly than ever. Here’s why.

Next Post

Should you still travel if you’ve got Covid?

Asteroid 2024 YR4 might smash into the moon – Popular Science

Potential Moon Impact Alert: Asteroid 2024 YR4 on a Collision Course

July 1, 2025
These 9 towns were named the ‘quirkiest’ in New Jersey, according to World Atlas – Bergen Record

These 9 towns were named the ‘quirkiest’ in New Jersey, according to World Atlas – Bergen Record

July 1, 2025
Trump’s Tax Bill Won’t Help or Hurt the Economy. The Deficit Is Already Huge. – Barron’s

Trump’s Tax Bill Won’t Help or Hurt the Economy. The Deficit Is Already Huge. – Barron’s

July 1, 2025
Nantucket Dance Festival opens July 8 – The Inquirer and Mirror

Nantucket Dance Festival Launches with Thrilling Performances Beginning July 8

July 1, 2025
Who would be affected by health care cuts in Senate version of Trump’s budget bill – PBS

Who Will Be Hit Hardest by Health Care Cuts in the Senate’s Trump Budget Plan?

July 1, 2025
Senate passes Trump’s reconciliation bill with Vance casting tie-breaking vote – PBS

Senate Passes Trump’s Reconciliation Bill After Vance Casts Decisive Tie-Breaking Vote

July 1, 2025
Groundbreaking technology to help police tackle violence against women – The Independent

Revolutionary Technology Transforms the Fight Against Violence Toward Women

July 1, 2025
Apple Inc. (AAPL) Adds Tennis To Its List of Supported Sports Ahead of Wimbledon – Yahoo Finance

Apple Inc. (AAPL) Adds Tennis To Its List of Supported Sports Ahead of Wimbledon – Yahoo Finance

July 1, 2025
Nature’s headlamps: A unique light-focusing structure in Parasesarma de Man, 1895 mangrove crabs – ESA Journals

Nature’s headlamps: A unique light-focusing structure in Parasesarma de Man, 1895 mangrove crabs – ESA Journals

July 1, 2025
Scientists found what just might be Earth’s oldest rocks – Boy Genius Report

Scientists found what just might be Earth’s oldest rocks – Boy Genius Report

July 1, 2025

Categories

Archives

July 2025
MTWTFSS
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031 
« Jun    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (701)
  • Economy (726)
  • Entertainment (21,615)
  • General (15,656)
  • Health (9,766)
  • Lifestyle (731)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (726)
  • Politics (733)
  • Science (15,944)
  • Sports (21,223)
  • Technology (15,710)
  • World (707)

Recent News

Asteroid 2024 YR4 might smash into the moon – Popular Science

Potential Moon Impact Alert: Asteroid 2024 YR4 on a Collision Course

July 1, 2025
These 9 towns were named the ‘quirkiest’ in New Jersey, according to World Atlas – Bergen Record

These 9 towns were named the ‘quirkiest’ in New Jersey, according to World Atlas – Bergen Record

July 1, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version