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BOOKS I READ: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (2017). The story of the Osage murders and the birth of the FBI. With oil gushing out of their Oklahoma parcel, the lucrative rights to the Indian Nation’s land becomes highly coveted. Soon, the Osage are among the wealthiest people on the continent, but are targeted by a ruthless band of swindlers and hitmen. Shielded by guardianship laws requiring white men to handle Indian money, and indifference to Indian affairs, these men exact a heavy toll. After years of unsolved murders, and mounting pressure for justice, J. Edgar Hoover, head of the Bureau of Investigations, sends in Tom White, a former Texas Rangers to clean up the problem.
This crime story doesn’t end with the capture and jailing of the villain suspected of engineering a number of the crimes. Grann’s research discovers an unusually high percentage of Osage dying during that period, likely due to foul play. The insidiousness may have lasted many more years than the official record.
The book title is from a poem by Elise Paschen, Wi’-gi-e, describing the death of Anna Brown, one of the four sisters who are protagonists in the story. Paschen is the daughter of Osage ballerina Maria Tallchief, America’s first prima ballerina.
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