The Osage Tribal Council smelled a rat, but townspeople were bribed (or scared) not to testify. Ernie Lee Burkhart Akron, age 46, male. Kelsie Morrison was a bootlegger, a double agent working as both an informant to the FBI and a hitman for William Hale. The dominion of the Osage tribe once stretched across the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys. He left behind a widow and ten children. Eventually they were able to capture one of the masterminds of the murderous plot. Had there been no intervention, in all probability Mollie, already ill from poison, and Ernest would have soon died, with the manipulative Hale receiving the Kyle-Burkhart estate. With Rita's death, Mollie and Ernest Burkhart inherited a fortune from her mother's and sisters' estates. He was released in 1959 and received a pardon in 1966 from Governor Henry Bellmon.[1][2]. Brother of Horace Greely Burkhart and Byron Badford Burkhart. There was an error deleting this problem. An Osage who suffered many deaths in their family could find himself or herself the owner of multiple headrights. "Famous Trials" first appeared on the Web in 1995, making this site older than about 99.97% of all websites. Mollie Burkhart. cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Parolee is released to another state. From 1921 to 1926, the Osage Nation was plagued with countless murders by white people seeking to gain headrights to Osage land. ds, Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2017. Tribal members were able to move into mansions, buy expensive automobiles, hire white servants, and send their children to study in Europe. He was also the mastermind of a plot to acquire Osage wealth through murder. Anna was known to be a heavy drinker. Ramsey later recanted his confession, but Hale maintained his innocence. Mollie fell ill and was later discovered to have been poisoned. Bryan testified that he had dropped Anna off at home early in the evening, after which hed gone back into town. Change). And, on March 10, 1923, Lizzie's daughter Rita Smith, Rita's husband William E. "Bill" Smith, and their housekeeper Nettie Brookshire died when their Fairfax home was destroyed by an explosion. Mollie's struggles to honor the traditions of her tribe's past while conforming to the more . Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. Grann is a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine and the author of two other books: The Lost City of Z and The Devil and Sherlock Holmes.He received the George Polk Award in 2009. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Under interrogation Ernest Burkhart tied Ramsey to the Roan murder, and Ramsey, a local farmer-cowboy, admitted Hale had hired him to kill Roan. While she never consolidated her material into a book, in the 1990s, she compiled an expos on the murders. Day & Deremiah-Frye Funeral Home. Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann-Book Report When Ernest August Burkhart was born on 5 November 1883, in Malaga, Monroe, Ohio, United States, his father, Nicholas Frederick Burkhart, was 29 and his mother, Catherine Emma Weber, was 29. ). You have chosen this person to be their own family member. : Amlex, Inc., 1998). Osage Indian murders - Wikipedia Anna Brown, Mollie Burkharts sister; another holder of Osage headrights, murdered in 1921. Tragically, during the time it took to litigate the case, 20 Osage holders of headrights passed away. Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). And despite the fact that headrights were meant to protect the tribe, Congress also allowed headrights to be inherited by non-Osage if they had married an "incompetent" Osage, directly leading to the "Reign of Terror.". "The Osage Murders: Oil Wealth, Betrayal and the FBI's First Big Case", FBI Pressroom: Murder and Mayhem in the Osage Hills, Freedom of Information Act documents on the Osage Indian Murders, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_Hale_(cattleman)&oldid=1142878968, People convicted of murder by the United States federal government, American prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, Prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment by the United States federal government, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 20:58. (It should be noted that Hale was the beneficiary of Roan's $25,000 life insurance policy). Born in Texas, Hale was a cattleman who had settled on the Osage reservation in the late 1800s and through intimidation, bribery, and extortion, had risen to local prominence. A wealthy Osage woman whose family was targeted. Indigenous actor joins 'Killers of the Flower Moon' cast White began . 'Killers Of The Flower Moon' First-Look Photo Emerges As - Deadline William King Hale (December 24, 1874 - August 15, 1962) was an American cattleman and convicted murderer. Then they began to be mysteriously murdered off. E.G. After oil spouted from a well near Bartlesville, companies began rushing in to explore and excavate. He had been on trial for two weeks . Ernie Burkhart - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages A mere 36 hours later, Vaughan's body was found with a broken neck. Mollie first married Henry Roan, then married Ernest Burkhart. Learn more about merges. Hale had even provided him with the tools for making the bomb, including the nitroglycerin and the coiled fuse. Ernest has been found in 9 cities including Lily, Franklin, North Vernon, Cicero, Noblesville. Many of us recognized this years ago when he ridiculed, Savannah Guthrie and I agree on an important point about the presidency: See. Those who had information on the murderers were also targeted. She divorced Ernest after he was found guilty of murder and then married John William Cobb, Jr. _____ Osage name Nah-kon-tah-he-un-pah, per handwritten census records from 1894 Contributor: JNB (46904070) Sister of Reta Smith. Although there was no evidence of foul play in this latest awful tragedy in Mollies life, the Osage had come to regard every death as inherently suspicious. In January 1929, Hale was convicted and sent to the slammer. GREAT NEWS! His weak-willed nephew, Ernest Burkhart, was married to Annas sister. In 1923, George Bigheart, ill from being poisoned,gave information about a recent murder to local attorney W.V. All rights reserved. Margie Burkhart, the granddaughter of Mollie and Ernest. Annas body was subsequently found in this ravine on the reservation. About a week after her body was discovered, another Osage victim was found near an oil rig. cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. It brought a circus-like atmosphere to the trial and amply demonstrated the difficulties of bringing a white man to justice for crimes against an Osage Indian. During their investigation, Bureau agents discovered that William K. Hale, who called himself the "King of the Osage Hills," was responsible for instigating a majority of the Osage murders. Thanks for your help! Ernest Burkhart could now see the tide turning in the case. In Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon (2021), veteran actor Robert De Niro (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, The Irishman) will play a signifi. Please try again later. William King Hale, 18741962, American cattleman, Osage Indian Reservation boss, convicted murderer. One day in 2012, when I was visiting the Osage Nation Museum, in Oklahoma, I saw a panoramic photograph on the wall. In 1929, Hale was convicted of ordering the murders and imprisoned. For Mollie, it was a day of devastation. Hale also planted false leads that sent our agents scurrying across the southwest. "[3], Hale and his nephews, Ernest and Bryan Burkhart, conspired to kill several Osage Native Americans for their oil headrights. If Anna, her mother, and two sisters diedin that orderall of the head rights would pass to the nephew, and Hale could take control. ernest burkhart pardon Menu dede birkelbach raad. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. One of the last people to be seen with her sister Anna is her husband Ernest's brother, Bryan Burkhart. Who was behind all the murders? Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. As a result, many went unsolved and the number of total murders is still debated to this day. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. Burkhart's application for guardianship over Mollie Burkhart, May 23, 1922. Consequently he had a tremendous following in the vicinity composed not only of the riffraff element which had drifted in, but of many good and substantial citizens.. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. Guardians came up with schemes to swindle money, such as buying cars and reselling them to their Osage "ward" at five times market value. Thus, according to NPR, anyone who was full-blooded or more than half-Osage was wrongfully deemed "incompetent" and assigned a guardian who was to receive the royalty checks instead. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. Oilmen, such as J.P. Getty and Frank Phillips, would bid in the shade of a stately tree, which became known as the Million Dollar Elm. When Ernest George Burkhart was born on 11 September 1891, in Campbell, Hunt, Texas, United States, his father, Walter Scott Burkhardt, was 31 and his mother, Martha L. Hale, was 18. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 2 daughters. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. BURKHART ADMITS OKLAHOMA KILLING; Confesses He Hired Man to Dynamite [5] He spent some of his life in Montana, working as a ranch hand for Benny Binion. Lizzie. Testimony at the Anna Brown Inquest - Famous Trials Notes Lennon, A cattleman turned entrepreneur and dandy, he was a charming, pistol-packing schemer who had ingratiated himself with the Osage. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Ernest Burkhart & the Plot to Murder His Osage Inlaws. Marker Address Rent ? William Hale (cattleman) - Wikipedia Ernest Burkhart Obituary (2003) - Akron, OH - Akron Beacon Journal A headright was hereditary and passed to a deceased allottee's immediate legal heir(s). Lawson claimed that his wife had carried on an affair with Bill Smith, while he had been working as Smiths ranch hand. Mollie's older sister, a divorcee who spent a lot of time in the reservation's rowdy boomtowns. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Then others confessed. Are you sure that you want to remove this flower? Tom . Weve updated the security on the site. If a parole is granted with Special Conditions, the codes will be displayed in the results, e.g., Granted: ALC, DETA, DR. The doctor reportedly asked Hale, "Bill, what are you going to do, kill this Indian?" Now, under the pressure of Hales backroom scheming, Ernest recanted his testimony, claiming that he knew nothing about the murders and taking the stand as a witness for the defense instead of the prosecution. At the time of Lizzie's death in July 1921 (poison was suspected), she possessed three full headrights in addition to her own, having inherited those of her deceased first husband and two daughters. Hale's nephew, and foster son, Ernest Burkhart, and Ernest's wife, Mollie, Anna Brown's sister, received large sums of money as the beneficiaries to both Anna's and Lizzie's estates. The death of Lizzie Q and several cousins left Mollie and therefore Ernest as heirs to the headrights, which were worth several hundred thousand dollars in the 1920s. In it, she named the names of some of those responsible for the murders who avoided prosecution and put the document in the Fairfax Library in Oklahoma. Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, by David Grann, Simon & Schuster, 2017. White and Frank Smith interrogated Ernest for hours, but Ernest denied everything, including Lawson's story. Michael Ernest Burkhart January 19, 1971 - August 12, 2020. While the oil industry doesn't produce the wealth that it once did, many Osage still receive a quarterly royalty payment. According to NPR, even those who were friends of the Osage were targeted. The Life Summary of Ernest August. Submit a Correction Charges were finally brought against Hale, as well as the contract killer he had hired to perform the murders and Hale's corrupt attorney. His henchmenincluding a hired killer and crooked lawyeralso got time. Apple debuted the first official photo from "Killers of the Flower Moon" on May 10, 2021. But they could be inherited. In 1923, these Osage received collectively what would be worth today more than $400 million. Bryan Burkhart, Ernest's younger brother William Hale , Ernest's uncle, a self-made man of great wealth and staggering power; revered by many people as "King of the Osage Hills" Margie Burkhart , the granddaughter of Mollie and Ernest Burkhart; she shared her father's memories of the "Reign of Terror" with Grann as well as stories . The guardians picked were typically considered "prominent white citizens [of] Osage County" and were often local attorneys or businessmen. Consequently, he had a tremendous following in the vicinity composed not only of the riffraff element which had drifted in, but of many good and substantial citizens. She grew up in a lodge, speaking Osage; within a few decades, she lived in a mansion and was a married to white settler. Bill Burchardt, "Osage Oil," The Chronicles of Oklahoma 41 (Fall 1963). However, according to "Lands Allotted Among the Osage Indians"by Joseph F. Rarick, the Osage Allotments Act of 1906 was unique in that all of the reservation land was allotted. Another Osage, Henry Roan, was shot in the back of the head. While the official number of victims has been estimated between27and60, the total number remains unknown. Almost overnight, the Osage became incredibly wealthy, earning royalties from oil sales through their federally mandated head rights.. When all of this money came to Mollie, it would be easy for Hale to exercise control of it through his nephewthough it would be even easier if Mollie were to be killed, too. After 22 years in prison, Earnest Jackson to go before Nebraska Pardon While in custody, Ernest Burkhart confessed to Tom White that his uncle Hale was responsible for the bombing of the Smith house. To extract that oil, prospectors had to pay the 2,000 or so registered members of the tribe for leases and royalties. This in turn encouraged Hale. Barney McBride was a white oilman who went to Washington, DC on behalf of the Osage in 1922. Annas immediate family included her sisters, Mollie Burkhart and Rita Smith, and her mother, Elizabeth Kyle. A memo to the Director of the Bureau of Investigation reported that this Oklahoman seemingly could not be punished. We have 6 records for Ernest Burkhart ranging in age from 34 years old to 85 years old. Mollie Kyle Cobb (1886-1937) - Find a Grave Memorial Ernest F. Burkhardt III, 63, of Somersworth, NH and Leete's Island, Guilford passed away surrounded by his loving family on Sunday, August 8, 2021 at the CT Hospice in Branford. Many conspired to steal the wealth from the Osage and tragically, more than a few succeeded. The prize? Someone had planted a bomb under her sisters house that killed everyone inside, including Rita. In May 1921, the badly decomposed body of Anna Brownan Osage Native Americanwas found in a remote ravine in northern Oklahoma. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. You can always change this later in your Account settings. Bill Smith was married to Mollie's sister, Rita, and was fiercely outspoken about his belief that there was a murderer among them. According to Famous Trials, Hale also happened to be listed as the beneficiary on Roan's life insurance policy for the amount of $25,000. Did You Know? Osage Murders | Osage Nation Although the Northern Oklahoma District Court ordered the United States to give an accounting of the trust account to the Osage Tribe in 2015, the Osage were still pushing to see the accounting in 2017. In October 1925, White received a new tip, this time from a prisoner in the Oklahoma state penitentiary named Burt Lawson. If Anna, her mother, and two sisters diedin that orderall of the head rights would pass to the nephew, and Hale could . The agents met regularly to compare observations and noted the reoccurring names of William K. Hale, Ernest Burkhart, and John Ramsey. It took four trials, but in 1929 Hale was convicted in a Federal District Court of killing Annas cousin Henry Roan. #2: Statement of Ernest Burkhart Regarding the Murders of Bill and Rita Smith (January 6, 1926)(transcription of Bureau of Investigation report) Made following statement to Agents M. S. Smith, John K. Wren and T. B. In what was essentially an attempt to control and acquire the growing wealth of the Osage Nation, Congress passed a law in 1921 requiring Osage to have "a certificate of competency" in order to receive royalties, removing restrictions against Osage who were "less than one-half" Native. Hale's connection to Anna Brown's family was clear. And since the Osage had purchased their reservation in 1870, their land was never partitioned as a result of theHomestead Act. Ernie Lee Burkhart, Akron Public Records Instantly Its title comes from a Hale-concocted insurance scheme: Bill, what are you going to do, kill this Indian? Beneficiary Hales response: Hell, yes.. Best search engine for True crime stories | Mugshots.com In the case of Burkhart's family, Mollie Burkhart's new husband, Ernest Burkhart, a white man, was arrested for the murders. What did they all have in common? However, Hale, Ramsey, and Ernest Burkhart, were eventually paroled over protests from the Osage community. To prevent another "Reign of Terror," as this dark period in Osage tribal history is often referred . Gregg and his gang refused the job. ernest burkhart pardon. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. Lily's notable film roles include Certain Women, Walking Out , and First Cow . " " The late Maj. Gen. Clarence L. Tinker (for which Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma is named) was a member of the Osage Indian tribe and the U.S. military's highest ranking . Convinced of their case, the federal agents, assisted by state officers, took Hale, Burkhart, and Ramsey into custody in January 1926, and in April charged Kelsie Morrison and Byron Burkhart, Ernest Burkhart's brother, with the murder of Anna Brown. Over the years, tribal citizens of the Osage Nation earned millions through their mineral leases as the oil industry boomed. Shockingly, the judge allowed all of this to happen in open court. By . Ernest was also a lifer, but was released in 1959 and pardoned in 1966 by Oklahoma Governor Henry Bellmon. Individual users must determine if their use of the Materials falls under United States copyright law's "Fair Use" guidelines and does not infringe on the proprietary rights of the Oklahoma Historical Society as the legal copyright holder of The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and part or in whole. Or they would outright steal from the Osage's funds. Unfortunately, immeasurable damage had already been done. She lived with her husband Bill and a maid in this house, not far from Mollie: Early one morning in 1923, Mollie heard a loud explosion. A "dreaded" outlaw serving a ten-year sentence in a Kansas penitentiary. (It should come as no surprise that Grammar and Kirby, both notorious individuals in their own right, died under separate but suspicious circumstances soon after the Smith murders.) Ernest also told White that Hale had hired John Ramsey, a contract killer, to murder Henry Roan. The Osage had removed the panel not to forget what happened, as so many Americans had, but because they cant forget. Becoming a Find a Grave member is fast, easy and FREE.
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