◆ SpookStack

man who had complete control of the Osage Liquor traffic, and rho ‘oad a eed to keep cartain woods surrounding his land lirhted up by moans of su .privately ‘omed power plant, where he worked a gang of criminals whe had eed fled from all over the United Stetes day and night in making illicit Liqu 5 Y-Gearpmor died in an automobile uccident prior to the investigation of the’. 7 16 ee -murder cases, and at the time of his death had.on his purson $15,000.00 in Ee a7 8 ane “cash. He is supposod to have boen offrdered by o notorious bandi¢ mio TS. = Tocal™ au thorities, , as his death vas- considered Q good riddance. there 08. : Law,” 2 gaping. Sound under his lert ampit. oo ~ ry #y A bandit who was sarving tine in ‘the Oklshoma State Poni abinty, 3 asa a -rocalled while boing, intervioned by ao Speciakp Agent of the Unitad Stctes. ieee “yg. - Burseu of Investigation thet during the period df-+the mirders he cittaded - 5 ee og Gathering of thirty-s7-o nationnlly kno~m bonk bindits and trein robbers “tn ‘a group of woods in the Osago Country, where they vere in hiding us ¢ fugitives from ‘Justice, ané during their sojourn Shey often cngeged in © ; 28% ae ¥e pistol practicc, akill in thc use of pistols being ubsolutcly necessury to. . a their Profession at this timc. , 7 = a me Prior to the , Osage Indian tribe becoming immensely veelthy over= night through discovery of oil on the reservation, William K.Hale, kno as: -"Bili" Hale and sometimes dubbed "King of the Osage", drifted into thia. = ' territory fram Texas, an uneducated and more or less uncouth cor mncher |. *., 7. and cattle thief, but possessed of a domineering personality. He finally —. ., Succeeded in controlling 45,000 acres of select QOsare grazing land by means of- leases, and acquired 5,000 acres outright, in addition to controlling a ~ bank at Fairfax, Oklehoma, and ovming a part in a store there, growing = 25. immensely realthy from his deslings with the Osage Indians, Eventually he became a millionaire, cho dominated local politics and sceningly cculd not .. be punished for any of the mony crimes vhich vere luid at his door. His: ;. mothod of building up pover und prestige wus to put various indivi aucls . ““gnder obligation to him by means of gifts or favors sho-m to thum. Con- ‘sequently, he had a tremendous folloving in the vicinity composed not only of the riffraff olement which had G@rifted in, but of many good and sub- 2. | stantial ci tizwne. ~ The various churacters concerned in this story vers as follovs; 7 a ILL ( "BILL "KING HALE, muster mind bchind the five murders | $nypstigated, 5g yoar old typical norterner of medium steture, black nedrg? tu ing gray, prepossessing figure, naut dresser, mddy cemplexion, sho eted a militury air, with shoulders back and chest at, self-confide genor of many fino horses, having a home in Fairfax, Oklahoma, and + Cre eh Reet, a "