Killers of the Flower Moon (Adapted for Young Readers): The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI

Although they are making progress, Hale proves difficult to pin down because most of the major politicians, lawmen, and businessmen in Oklahoma work for him. White soon begins chasing a promising lead from a convicted criminal who claims that he was there when William Hale put out the bomb hit on Rita and Bill. However, his statement does not go far because people could view it as lying to get a shorter sentence. Every other man who was present for the meeting about the bomb has mysteriously died in the following years. White feels like every lead comes up short.

White receives a tip that changes the case. A prisoner named Lawson claims Hale hired him to carry out the bombing of Rita and Bill’s house. Although Lawson is lying, White uses the threat of his confession to finally crack Ernest. White has begun to fear for Mollie’s safety and officially calls for the arrest of Ernest and Hale. Ernest is picked up in a pool hall, but Hale turns himself in. He walks into the station in a brand-new suit and acts cocky, thinking he is untouchable. Ernest eventually cracks and shares his story only with White.

Ernest describes his relationship with Hale and how he “worshiped him as a boy” (182). Even though Ernest protested, he followed Hale’s orders in the murder of Bill and Rita. Hale did not understand Ernest’s concerns because all Hale cared about was securing Rita and Bill’s money. In his confession, Ernest also identifies a man named Ramsey who killed an Osage man named Henry Roan. Ramsey confesses after seeing Ernest’s confession, but he shows no remorse for killing an “Indian,” even going so far as to say that “white people in Oklahoma thought no more of killing an Indian than they did in 1724” (184).

Ernest refuses to implicate his brother, Bryan, in the murder of Anna Brown, but he does identify the mysterious third man who was with Anna and Bryan the night of her murder. The man is Kelsie Morrison, the undercover informant White has been working with since the beginning of the case. White now has another lead and has identified one of the moles in his operation. Ernest claims that Morrison fired the shot that killed Anna. After these discoveries, White ensures that Mollie goes to a hospital to get treatment for her suspected poisoning. She makes a speedy recovery once she is no longer being “treated” by the Shoun brothers. The brothers are brought in for questioning, but White cannot prove they poisoned her, so they are released. Mollie is adamant that her husband loves her and would never harm her or her family.

After gathering this evidence, including the revelation that Hale is the father of Anna’s unborn child, White tries to extract a confession from Hale. Even with the evidence presented, “Hale [seems] untroubled, as if he still had the upper hand” (188) and tells White he will see him in court.

The horrific stories and news coverage surrounding the murders and news gather a lot of public attention. White presses ahead, trying to link Hale to more of the 24 Osage murders. Because of Hale’s influence in Oklahoma, White and the team want Hale to be federally prosecuted. White fears that Hale has too much leverage (through threats and bribery) for there to be a fair trial in Oklahoma. White and his team manage to link one of the murders to Hale and hope the additional crime will be enough for a federal prosecution, but their effort is blocked. The case is bumped back down to the state court. It will be months before the Supreme Court rules on this appeal, so White and his team prepare for the first trial as best as they can. Hale also prepares by tampering with witnesses and silencing folks by any means necessary. White is so scared of Hale’s efforts that he sends Ernest away under agent protection.

On the first day of the first trial, the courtroom is packed with every type of citizen from the “Kingdom of the Osage” (196). The crowd remains relatively tame until Ernest walks into the courtroom. Before he can say a word, one of Hale’s lawyers requests to speak with him. After many minutes in the judge’s chambers, Ernest completely flips. Hale exerted his influence over his nephew, and once Ernest took the stand, he recanted his entire story. White describes this devastating blow as “The King is on top again” (198).

After Ernest flips, White and the prosecution team decide to go after him first, thinking his conviction can be used against Hale. In the midst of Ernest’s trial, Hale, Ernest, and others testify under oath that White and his team of agents have threatened them and beaten them to coerce confessions. They play on the public fear of the bureau, going so far as to say they were hooked to electrodes and threatened with electrocution. Many begin calling for White to be fired.

At the same time, Morrison, the man who killed Anna Brown and has been bouncing between working for Hale and working for White, continued to testify. He admits under oath to killing Anna, confirms Bryan Burkhart’s involvement, and admits that his wife was in the car while they murdered Anna. Morrison’s wife confirms the story and says that Morrison threatened to kill her if she came forward earlier with this information.

In the middle of Ernest’s trial, his youngest daughter, who had been sent away to live with relatives for her own safety, dies. According to doctors, there is no foul play, but Ernest is rattled. He suddenly decides to fire all of his lawyers (who were actually Hale’s lawyers) and plead guilty. He is sentenced to life in prison but seems to be relieved to be finished with the whole ordeal. As he walks out of the courthouse to prison, he smiles at Mollie. She remains expressionless. Ernest’s confession is a huge win for White. Another breakthrough for White comes when the Supreme Court rules that the one Osage murder that has occurred on Osage land will be tried in federal court. At last, White has multiple confessions linking Hale to the murders, and he will be tried in a federal court, hopefully beyond the reach of Hale’s influence.

In July 1926, William Hale and his henchman John Ramsey are tried for the murder of Henry Roan. The jury in the first trial cannot reach a decision, and they have to try the men again. Hale tries to bribe jurors and lawmen alike, but after Ernest testifies, Hale and Ramsey are convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison.

The conviction and sentencing shock the public because no one knew if a white jury would convict a white man for killing a nonwhite man. An Osage man states, “[T]he question for the [jury] to decide is whether a white man killing an Osage is murder—or merely cruelty to animals” (210).

A year later, Bryan receives immunity from prosecution if he testifies against Morrison. The deal is successful, and Kelsie Morrison is convicted of Anna’s murder. Mollie divorces Ernest shortly after. White is privately applauded by Hoover and the bureau, but the only group that publicly names and thanks White and his team for their efforts is the Osage Tribal Council. After his success, White is offered the position of warden of a prison in Kansas known for corruption and housing serious criminals. White does not want to leave the bureau, but he accepts the job. He is grateful he can provide his family with more stability after constantly moving around with the bureau, and he feels excited to follow in his father’s footsteps. Shortly after accepting the job, Hale and Ramsey are transferred to his prison.

Hale spends his days working in the prison. Mollie reenters society and eventually remarries. White continues his work as warden until one day, he is captured by prisoners attempting to escape. During their escape, they also take two 18-year-olds hostage at a nearby farm. When one of them attempts to escape, White jumps in front of the bullet meant for them and is almost killed. Although he survives, he loses the use of his left arm and moves to a lower-security prison to act as warden for the remainder of his days. Before he dies at age 90, he works with an author to ensure that the story of the Osage murders is documented. He maintains contact with Hoover, but Hoover refuses to share files with him for the book or write a foreword. Instead, Hoover writes his own narrative, securing himself as the head of the bureau for years to come.