Summary

Chapter 17 describes how White’s efforts to solidify his case against Hale were undermined by additional murders. By the fall of 1925, a significant number of Osage were leaving their territory, fearful of the continuing violence. White himself was concerned that he or his agents could come under threat. Understanding that white citizens of the county were unwilling to betray Hale, he turned to a network of criminal informants for additional evidence. Dick Gregg, a stickup man, claimed that Hale had attempted to get him and the famous outlaw Al Spencer to bomb Smith’s house. White, however, could not solely rely on the testimony of one untrustworthy witness. His efforts were further stymied by the deaths of several possible sources. Curley Johnson, another outlaw with supposed knowledge of the bombing, was poisoned a year earlier. Henry Grammer, Hale’s bootlegger friend, died when...