"The Osage Murders & The Birth Of The FBI"

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Wyatt Burp

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I just read this really good, but extremely sad book. It's about the 1920s Osage indians getting systematically murdered for their oil headrights in Oklahoma in the 1920s. It was the FBI's first big case but Hoover used cowboy sleuths instead of his college kid agents. The Osage were the richest people on Earth per capita. It's hard to fathom what dark evil places seemingly law abiding people will go for money. Sure, we see that all the time in the news. But the widespread conspiracy of evil in this case takes it to a different level.

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I read that not too long ago. Very well written, and quite harrowing. While the “main” events on which the author focuses were ultimately cleared, many others never were, and the author found evidence in the old records that the extent of the killings and the fraud was likely much wider than even the FBI realized at the time. I’d never even heard of this before, and I’ve read a lot of 1920s history.
 
jlrhiner said:
It was touched on in a vignette in the movie "The FBI Story" starring Jimmy Stewart.
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I saw that as a kid and the Osage case left a real impression. As I recall it had an authentic look and feel and covered this case really well. Especially the surprise who the main mastermind was. When I saw the books cover in the used book store I thought of The FBI Story and instantly bought it.
 
Gee..., Thanks, Matt... There's another book I've gotta have!!!

Seriously, I'll be adding that to my library. Sounds like an informative read, and "crime" is my "business"!

Edit: just ordered through Abebooks!! I'll let you know when I've read it!! Sounds great.

Best Regards, Les
 
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Haven't read the book or saw any tv about it, and don't recall the details but a friend I knew years ago supposedly had some of the artifacts from the perp's office; desk, chair, etc...
Southern Osage county (largest county in state) is app. 30 miles north from me and I've heard some very tragic stories regarding this.
Another tragic homicide (unsolved) from Osage county is the Mullendor case. This happened during my time (1970). There was book(s) written about that too (search: Mullendor murder). At the time was the largest life insurance policy ever collected on; (EC Mullendor III).
 
blues7 said:
The limits of human depravity are yet to be plumbed.
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You said it better than I did. I go along with the theory that Oswald acted alone in the JFK assassination. It's often said that the conspiracy theories are crazy because if so many were involved then someone would spill the beans in a death bed confession or something. But in the Osage case, there was, and had to be even more people involved in state, country, city gov't who were in on this. Many just to help rip the Osage off. Others in murder. The Osage were assigned guardians to "protect" their money (hahaha!). Those guardianships were handed out as political favors or sold to local businessman crooks. Here's the author being interviewed about it breifly.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enjZe3Bq8tA[/ame]
 
Wyatt Burp said:
You said it better than I did. I go along with the theory that Oswald acted alone in the JFK assassination. It's often said that the conspiracy theories are crazy because if so many were involved then someone would spill the beans in a death bed confession or something. But in the Osage case, there was, and had to be even more people involved in state, country, city gov't who were in on this. Many just to help rip the Osage off. Others in murder. The Osage were assigned guardians to "protect" their money (hahaha!). Those guardianships were handed out as political favors or sold to local businessman crooks. Here's the author being interviewed about it briefly.
Click to expand...

I think Oswald intended to act alone as well. He was no doubt shocked when a second shooter hit the president in the head, and I think that led to his honestly stating he was just a patsy.

The conspiracy was not in the shooting however but in the extensive efforts to cover up the accidental discharge by a secret service agent George Hickey in the following car (who slipped while standing up in the car and discharged his AR-15, striking Kennedy in the head. It's the only explanation I've ever seen that accounts for all the evidence, and in fact none of the evidence refutes it.

I have no doubt that Bobby Kennedy led the cover up as the last thing he would have wanted was for his brother's legacy to tarnished as a result of a needless accidental death. The irony of course is that the wound Oswald made in Kennedy's back and throat probably would have been fatal or at best would have left him quadriplegic. That cover up included the Secret service removing the body from TX before an autopsy could be done, then obstructing the autopsy that was done after returning to DC, and then suppressing, altering or out right losing much of the evidence after that inadequate and poorly done autopsy.

The resulting conspiracy theories were just an added bonus as they deflected any serious consideration regarding what actully did happen.

[ame="https://www.amazon.com/Mortal-Error-ballistics-astonishing-discovery/dp/0312080743"]Mortal Error: The Shot That Killed JFK, A ballistics expert's astonishing discovery of the fatal bullet that Oswald did not fire: Bonar Menninger: 9780312080747: Amazon.com: Books[/ame]
 
les.b said:
Gee..., Thanks, Matt... There's another book I've gotta have!!!

Seriously, I'll be adding that to my library. Sounds like an informative read, and "crime" is my "business"!

Edit: just ordered through Abebooks!! I'll let you know when I've read it!! Sounds great.

Best Regards, Les
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We all like old or older guns here, and that includes the history and period of their use. I like this book because it’s that transitional period where the old West was still alive in oil boom towns well into the 20th century. And like the guns transitioned, so did crime fighting techniques as these cowboy detectives adapted to more modern forensics. There’s also a mystery element in this case.
 
crsides said:
I read it a few months ago also. Ashamed to be a white guy, and that doesn't happen often.

Charlie
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I, as a white guy, had nothing to say, or do, about what happened in the past. It should not have happened, but that was how it was then, not anymore. We learn from history, we cannot change it. I will not be ashamed to be who, or what, I am. Just saying.
 
crsides said:
I read it a few months ago also. Ashamed to be a white guy, and that doesn't happen often.

Charlie
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I had an Irish ancestor who was a slave overseer in N. Or S. Carolina in the 1850s or so. I’m not ashamed of this because I have no control or responsibility about what others did. But I see your point here a little for one reason though I’m still not personally ashamed. what was shameful in this case was an all white gov’t declaring people incapable of handling their own money based on % of Indian blood. So guardians are assigned to manage their money opening the gates for theft, abuse, and murder. Then the people who created this turned a blind eye for a long time to the crimes because Indians were the victims.
 
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