Killer of Moon Flower

Quotes:

1.There had been no evil to mar that propitious night, because she had listened; there had been no voice of evil; no screech owl had quaveringly disturbed the stillness. She knew this because she had listened all night.

 — John Joseph Mathews, Sundown

2. gods had left confetti.

3. The necks of the smaller flowers break and their petals flutter away, and before long they are buried underground. This is why the Osage Indians refer to May as the time of the flower - killing moon.

4. Mollie had already lost her sister Minnie nearly three years earlier. Her death had come with shocking speed, and though doctors had attributed it to a “ peculiar wasting illness,”

5. In the early 1870s, the Osage had been driven from their lands in Kansas onto a rocky, presumably worthless reservation in northeastern Oklahoma, only to discover, decades later, that this land was sitting above some of the largest oil deposits in the United States. To obtain that oil, prospectors had to pay the Osage for leases and royalties. In the early twentieth century, each person on the tribal roll began receiving a quarterly check. The amount was initially for only a few dollars, but over time, as more oil was tapped, the dividends grew into the hundreds, then the thousands. And virtually every year the payments increased, like the prairie creeks that joined to form the wide, muddy Cimarron, until the tribe members had collectively accumulated

6. une très jolie demoiselle of the Paris boulevards had inadvertently strayed into this little reservation town.

9.Who would believe that anyone would marry you and kill your family for your money

10. amongst the whites, honest men, but they are mighty scarce.

11.If Hale had told what he knew, a high percentage of the county’s leading citizens would have been in prison.” Indeed, virtually every element of society was complicit in the murderous system. Which is why just about any member of this society might have been responsible for the murder of McBride, in Washington: he threatened to bring down not only Hale but a vast criminal operation that was reaping millions and millions of dollars.

Lizzie

Lizzie, who had moved in to the house after Mollie’s father passed away.

Lizzie “ keep up the old superstitions and laugh down modern ideas and customs.

Anna and Millie

her three sisters, Anna Brown. Thirty - four, and less than a year older than Mollie, Anna had disappeared three days earlier. She had often gone on “sprees,” Anna had been shot, execution - style. Other people gathered around the body, which was so badly decomposed that it was impossible to identify. One of the pockets held a letter. Someone pulled it out, straightening the paper, and read it. The letter was addressed to Charles Whitehorn

Mollie had already lost her sister Minnie nearly three years earlier. Her death had come with shocking speed, and though doctors had attributed it to a “ peculiar wasting illness,”

Anna’s husband Brown

After Anna had divorced him, she had denied him any inheritance, leaving virtually all of her fortune to Lizzie. Since the burial, Brown had hired a lawyer and had tried unsuccessfully to contest the will.

But within days authorities had conceded that there was no evidence to support the forger’s claims — no evidence that he had been in Osage County at the time of the murder or that Brown had ever contacted him. The authorities had no choice but to release Brown.

Molly:

She was accustomed to the chorus of meadowlarks and sandpipers and prairie chickens, now overlaid with the pock - pocking of drills pounding the earth. Unlike many of her friends, who shunned Osage clothing, Mollie wrapped an Indian blanket around her shoulders. She also didn’t style her hair in a flapper bob, but instead let her long, black hair flow over her back, revealing her striking face, with its high cheekbones and big brown eyes.

By 1921, they had a daughter, Elizabeth, who was two years old, and a son, James, who was eight months old and nicknamed Cowboy.

Mollie was the one in the family who always maintained her composure

Roan

Molly and Roan had been briefly married. There are few surviving accounts detailing the relationship, but it was likely an arranged marriage: youths — Mollie was only fifteen at the time — pressed together to preserve a vanishing way of life. Because the marriage had been contracted according to Osage custom, there was no need for a legal divorce, and they simply went their own ways.

Roan’s body — “ his hands folded across his breast and his head on the seat” — and how the bullet had exited through his right eye and then shattered the windshield. They noted the broken glass strewn on the hood and on the ground beyond.

Ernest Burkhart

Molly’s husband, Ernest Burkhart, rose with her. A twenty - eight - year - old white man. Molly suffered from diabetes, and Ernest cared for her when her joints ached and her stomach burned with hunger.

short brown hair, slate - blue eyes, square chin. Only his nose disturbed the portrait; it looked as if it had taken a barroom punch or two. Growing up in Texas, the son of a poor cotton farmer, he’d been enchanted by tales of the Osage Hills — that vestige of the American frontier where cowboys and Indians were said to still roam. In 1912, at nineteen, he’d packed a bag, like Huck Finn lighting out for the Territory, and gone to live with his uncle, a domineering cattleman named William K. Hale, in Fairfax. “ He was not the kind of a man to ask you to do something — he told you,” Ernest once said of Hale, who became his surrogate father. Though Ernest mostly ran errands for Hale, he sometimes worked as a livery driver, which is how he met Mollie, chauffeuring her around town.

his “ devotion to his Indian wife and his children is unusual…and striking.

William K. Hale

Many officials, the county prosecutor owed their elections at least in part to Hale.

Hale, who had an owlish face, stiff black hair, and small, alert eyes set in shaded hollows, had settled on the reservation nearly two decades earlier. Like a real - life version of Faulkner’s Thomas Sutpen, he seemed to have come out of nowhere — a man with no known past.

William Hale, Ernest’s uncle, was very close to Anna and Mollie’s family

Hale later recalled, adding that he’d given his friend so many loans that Roan had listed him as the beneficiary

Osage

plutocratic Osage and the red millionaires

In 1923 alone, the tribe took in more than $30 million, the equivalent today of more than $400 million.) The Osage were considered the wealthiest people per capita in the world.

Oklahoma, only to discover, decades later, that this land was sitting above some of the largest oil deposits in the United States. To obtain that oil, prospectors had to pay the Osage for leases and royalties. In the early twentieth century, each person on the tribal roll began receiving a quarterly check. The amount was initially for only a few dollars, but over time, as more oil was tapped, the dividends grew into the hundreds, then the thousands. And virtually every year the payments increased, like the prairie creeks that joined to form the wide, muddy Cimarron, until the tribe members had collectively accumulated

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased, from the French, the Territory of Louisiana, which contained lands dominated by the Osage. Jefferson informed that the Osage were a great nation and that We are all now of one family. But within four years Jefferson had compelled the Osage to relinquish their territory between the Arkansas River and the Missouri River.

The Osage were forced to cede their ancestral land. They lost their underground reservation rights.

White people are going to settle all this country, and they get the best land because they get here first and take their pick.

Though, the reservation under threat of being removed by soldiers, many squatters began to take the land by force. In 1870, the Osage — expelled from their lodges, their graves plundered, nevertheless, impatient settlers massacred several of the Osage, mutilating their bodies and scalping them.

old Whitehorn

He was married to a woman who was part white, part Cheyenne and also had vanished a week before Anna had.

Bringing Up Father

Ernest took the guests into Fairfax, five miles to the northwest, to meet Hale and see Bringing Up Father, a touring musical about a poor Irish immigrant who wins a million - dollar sweepstakes and struggles to assimilate into high society.

Murder

Two bullets were retrieved from Whitehorn’s skull, and they appeared to have come from a .32 - caliber pistol — the same kind of weapon that had been suspected in Anna’s murder. Was it just a coincidence that both victims had been wealthy Osage Indians, in their thirties.

Mollie pressed the authorities to investigate Anna’s murder, but most officials seemed to have little concern for what they deemed a “dead Injun.” So Mollie turned to Ernest’s uncle, William Hale.

The wholesale slaying of Osage Indians for their oil headrights….The freeing of a principal in so cold - blooded a plot, after serving little more than a decade of a life sentence, seems to reveal one of the besetting weaknesses of the parole system

Conclusion:

1.      The biggest guilty comes from victim’s forgiveness.

2.      Money, Easy come, easy go with crimes. Louis F. Burns, an Osage historian, wrote that after oil was discovered, the tribe had been “ set adrift in a strange world,”

3.      Anna, Minnie, Lizzie all died in the hands of parties unknown

April book: Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann

Leader: Shannon Yeh

Killers of the Flower moon is a gripping nonfiction book that delves into a little-known but devastating chapter in American justice history. The narrative unfolds through three interconnected chronicles:

1.      The Murder of Osage Indians

2.      The Birth of the FBI

3.      The Author’s Quest.

1.      The Murder of Osage Indians

The book revolves around the Osage Reign of Terror, which occurred during the 1920s. During this period, numerous members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma were brutally murdered. The motive behind these killings was their immense wealth derived from oil reserves on their land. These murders, for the most part, remained unsolved.

Though the Osage Nation in Oklahoma experienced immense wealth due to oil reserves on their land, this prosperity was marred by exploitation and theft orchestrated by white settlers. Let’s delve into three mechanisms through which white people siphoned off Osage wealth:

a)     Guardianships and Financial Exploitation:

•            The United States government implemented a policy that deemed Osage citizens with more than half Native blood as “incompetent” to manage their own affairs and money.

•            Under this racist and paternalistic system, financial guardians were appointed to oversee Osage wealth.

•            These guardianships were meant to protect Osages from exploitation by non-Indians, but they ended up being rife with corruption and theft.

b)     The Allotment System

The allotment system was a policy implemented by the United States government in the early 20th century.

•            Under this system, the Osage Indian Reservation, which was rich in oil, was divided into individual allotments or parcels of land.

•            Each Osage family received an allotment, and the mineral rights to the land (including oil) were retained by the tribe.

•            The goal was to provide economic independence to Native Americans by allowing them to lease or sell their mineral rights.

•            However, this system had unintended consequences, leading to exploitation and violence.

c)     The Ration System

The ration system was another mechanism that controlled Osage wealth.

•            Osage headrights (shares of tribal wealth) were distributed to individual tribal members.

•            These headrights were valuable because they entitled the holder to a share of the oil revenue.

•            However, the government imposed a per capita payment system, where Osages received regular payments based on their headrights.

•            This system restricted their access to their own wealth, as they could only receive a fixed amount regardless of the actual oil revenue.

•            The ration system aimed to prevent Osages from squandering their wealth but ended up limiting their financial autonomy, often depriving Osages of a decent living, putting large Osage families in poverty particularly. 

•            The lead character Mollie Burkhart in Killers of the Flower Moon had to declare herself “incompetent” when dealing with her own allotment, thus engaging a white man, Scott Mathis, as her guardian. Fortunately, after some mysteries of the serial murders of the Osage were resolved, Mollie, in 1931, regained her own control to her wealth and was viewed as a full-fledged American citizen, and so were many Osage people.

The Victims:

Mollie Burkhart

The first section focuses on Mollie Burkhart, an Osage woman who tragically lost most of her family during what became known as the Reign of Terror. Her mother, sisters, and brother-in-law were among the victims. Her husband, Earnest Burkhart, secretly aided his uncle William Hale in executing the murders and even turned a blind eye when Hale’s doctors injected Mollie poison that was claimed to be insulin for her long-term diabetes. After Mollie’s family members murdered, she inherited all their wealth, and her husband was her guardian then. Slowly poisoning Mollie to death is a way for Earnest to get control of Mollie’s wealth, who was completely manipulated by his uncle Hale. Fortunately, she was brought to the hospital in time and immediately regained her health after Agent White rescued her out of her home.

Anna Brown

Mollie’s older sister, the first victim of the family. She met a tragic end when she was shot to death from behind her head by Kelsie Morrison at the age of 36, when Earnest’s brother Bryan was aiding by lift-sitting up drunk Anna on a rock. Her body was discovered in a ravine by hunters, approximately three miles outside of Fairfax, Oklahoma.

Lizzie

Mollie Burkhart’s mother. She had inherited three additional headrights, which made her a wealthy Osage woman.

Lizzie’s life took a dark turn when her daughter Anna Brown was killed in 1921. Lizzie herself died a few months after Anna’s death under suspicious circumstances, with poisoning suspected as the cause.

Minnie

Mollie’s younger sister that died of a mysterious wasting illness at young age 27 before Anna was murdered. She was married to Bill Smith, who Rita, Mollie’s youngest sister, got married to after Minnie passed.

Rita and Bill Smith

On the early morning of March 10, 1923, a bomb planted beneath their house exploded, instantly killing Rita and their housekeeper, Nettie Brookshire. Bill Smith, however, did not die immediately; he succumbed to his injuries a few days later.

Henry Roan

an Osage man. He was briefly married to Mollie Burkhart in 1902, before she met her eventual husband, Ernest Burkhart. Although their marriage had no legal record due to its traditional Osage nature, Mollie still held a deep and personal bond with Roan. However, she kept this connection a secret from Earnest.

In February 1923, Henry Roan’s body was discovered slumped behind the steering wheel of a Buick, a few miles outside of Fairfax. He had been shot in the back of the head. William Hale, whom Roan considered a close friend and benefactor, was notified of the death. Unbeknownst to others, Hale was the beneficiary of Roan’s $25,000 life insurance policy, which gave him a direct financial interest in Roan’s demise. Mollie, who had just given birth to her third child, a daughter named Anna, was shocked by Roan’s murder.

Charles Whitehorn

An Osage man living in Oklahoma during the 1920.  About a week after the murder of Anna Brown, Whitehorn’s body was discovered near an oil rig. He had been missing for about two weeks before his remains were found. Whitehorn, like Anna Brown, had been shot in the head. The execution-style murders of both Anna and Whitehorn raised suspicions and speculation about who could be responsible. The similar method of killing and their proximity in space and time suggested a link between the two murders.

George Bigheart:

An Osage man. He had planned to pay his lawyer, W.W. Vaughan, $10,000 (equivalent to $140,000 today) for legal services to file his certificate of competency. However, somehow, William Burt (associated with the notorious William Hale) collected the money. Days later, both George Bigheart and Vaughan were dead. The cause of Bigheart’s death was suspected to be a mysterious poisoning.

Vaughan’s and McBride’s Mysterious Deaths

On the train ride home, Vaughan vanished from his cabin. After an extensive thirty-six-hour search, his mangled body was discovered by the railroad tracks just north of Oklahoma City. Like McBride, Vaughan had been stripped naked and left for dead.

Barney McBride

A wealthy white oilman who became involved in seeking justice for the Osage Indians. As the suspicious deaths mounted, the Osage tribe turned to McBride for help. He was once married to a Creek Indian woman, which likely contributed to the trust the Osage placed in him. In August 1922, McBride traveled to Washington, D.C. to plead with federal authorities to investigate the Osage murders. His mission was to seek government intervention and bring the perpetrators to justice. Unfortunately, McBride’s efforts were cut short: he was found stabbed over 20 times, stripped naked, and left for dead in a Maryland culvert.

The Murderers and Conspirators

Kelsie Morison

Kelsie Morrison was a notorious bootlegger and informant in the Osage Nation during the Reign of Terror. He was involved in illegal alcohol distribution during the Prohibition era. He agreed to work as an informant for the FBI, providing information about criminal activities in the Osage community. However, Morrison double-crossed the FBI by secretly working as a double agent for William K. Hale.

Morrison confessed to shooting and killing Anna Brown.

It was later revealed that Morrison was once married to an Osage woman—William Stepson’s widow. Like her ex-husband, she died of a suspected poisoning. 

Morrison was charged with the murder of Anna Brown but was released from prison after a few years. His testimony implicated other individuals, including Bryan Burkhart and William K. Hale.

Kelsie Morrison’s actions and confessions were pivotal in unraveling the web of corruption and violence that plagued the Osage community during that dark period. His role highlights the complexities and betrayals within the investigation.

Asa Kirby

The juice man that set up the bomb that blew Bill and Rita’s house. He was eliminated in a robbery that Hale incited him to rob diamonds of a jeweler, who was informed ahead by Hale and shot Kirby into pieces. He died before the agents uncovered the mystery of Bill and Rita’s murder.

Henry Grammar and AI Spencer Gang

aided Hale in scheming and executing the crimes.

Earnest Burkhart

Ernest Burkhart is Mollie’s husband. He, adoring and revering his uncle Hale since childhood, was aiding Hale’s conspiracy to murder his own family members, including Mollie’s sisters and brother-in-law.

Ernest Burkhart, struck by the death of his youngest daughter, Little Anna, age 4, while being held in custody, decided to testify against his uncle, William K. Hale, during the trial. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1926 for his role in the murders. However, only 11 years after being sentenced, Ernest was paroled. Unfortunately, his actions had lasting consequences, and his attempts to reconnect with his son Cowboy and daughter Lizzie were met with resentment due to his involvement in the murders. He lived until 1986, passing away at the age of 94.

Bryan Burkhart

Earnest’s younger brother, aiding his uncle Hale to carry out diabolical schemes. He lured Anna Brown to drink till getting completely wasted and then lifted her up to sit on a rock, where Morison shot her from the back of her head.

William Hale

William Hale, also known as “King” Hale, is a central character in this nonfiction book.

He was a former cattleman who rose to prominence over the years, becoming a deputy sheriff and a respected man in town. However, beneath his respectable facade, Hale was eventually revealed to be the cruel mastermind behind several murders of members of the Osage tribe. His victims included Henry Roan, Anna Brown, Rita Smith, and Bill Smith.

Hale orchestrated a vast conspiracy to defraud the Osage of their wealth through theft, manipulation, and murder. He was known to use poisoned liquor as one of his preferred methods for having people killed.

Despite his crimes, Hale used his charisma and likable personality to gain the trust of his victims and co-conspirators, avoiding suspicion for years.

After Earnest testified against Hale, in 1929, he was convicted in federal court for ordering the murder of Henry Roan and sentenced to life in prison for his role in the brutal killings that targeted members of the Osage tribe. He spent nearly two decades behind bars, serving his sentence at Leavenworth Penitentiary, where Agent Tom White later became the warden for. After 18 years of imprisonment, Hale was paroled in July 1947. Despite his involvement in the murders, he regained his freedom. He died at a nursing home in Arizona in 1962 at the age of 87.

2.      The Birth of the FBI

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) played a pivotal role in solving the Osage murder cases. Prior to this, the FBI was in its infancy, and its reputation was not well-established. The Osage murders provided a crucial opportunity for the fledgling FBI to showcase its worth.

J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI, recognized the significance of these cases and sent agents to investigate. The successful resolution of the Osage murders helped solidify the FBI’s reputation and contributed to its growth and influence. In summary, the book intertwines the shocking crimes committed against the Osage people with the emergence of the FBI as a key law enforcement agency in the United States. It sheds light on a pivotal moment in both criminal justice history and the development of a national federal investigative agency, which worked without the interference of local corruption and devious networks.

The Breakthroughs of the FBI

J. Edgar Hoover, the influential director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), implemented innovative methods for modern crime investigation.

a)Record-keeping Practice of Dewey Decimal System Influence:

Hoover was a librarian at the Library of Congress at his early career. Mastering the Dewey decimal system, he innovated an index filing system, which required agents to type up written reports. Unlike in old times, law-enforcement personnel orally briefed or telegrammed the supervisor, making important information get lost in time. This system allowed the FBI to organize and cross-reference information about suspects, informants, and cases.

b) Scientific Policing

At the time when the FBI was still in its infancy, traditional policing methods often relied on intuition, personal connections, and sometimes even brute force. J. Edgar Hoover, the director of the FBI, sought to transform law enforcement into a more systematic, evidence-based, and professional endeavor. Hoover envisioned the FBI as a showcase for modern policing, emphasizing scientific techniques over old-fashioned sleuthing.

Key reforms included:

•            Training Agents: Agents were trained in forensic methods, such as fingerprint analysis and ballistics.

•            Formal Evidence Gathering: Agents adhered to formal rules for collecting and processing evidence.

•            Standardization: Hoover aimed to make agents interchangeable cogs, following consistent protocols regardless of their backgrounds.

•            Insulation from Corruption: By distancing agents from local communities, Hoover hoped to insulate them from local corruption.

c) Hoover’s Progressionism

J. Edgar Hoover, as the long-serving director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), had a distinct approach to law enforcement. His progressionism was characterized by several key principles:

•            Scientific Policing: Hoover emphasized evidence-based methods, training agents in forensic techniques like fingerprint analysis and ballistics.

•            Standardization: He aimed to create a consistent, professional force by implementing uniform protocols.

•            Efficiency: Hoover sought to streamline the FBI’s operations, making it more effective in achieving its goals.

•            Political Influence: His politics were often controversial, using the FBI to perpetuate his own views and suppress dissent.

•            Emphasis on PRs: He skillfully leaked information that garnered the interest of the press to form public opinions that benefited his crime investigation.

d)Agent Outfits and Appearance:

Hoover wanted FBI agents to project a specific image:

Crisp Black Suits: Agents were expected to wear well-tailored black suits, symbolizing professionalism and authority.      

Dark Sunglasses: To add an air of mystery and seriousness, agents often wore dark sunglasses.     

Official FBI Badges: The iconic FBI badges were part of the uniform, signifying their authority.

Hoover aimed to move away from the old-fashioned, rugged detective stereotype with thick mustaches and revolvers.

The Agents:

Agent Tom White, leading the newly formed Bureau of Investigation, takes charge. His team works tirelessly to uncover the facts and bring the perpetrators to justice. Corruption, inadequate law enforcement, and local officials hinder their efforts. He faced the challenge of balancing Hoover’s expectations with the complex reality on the ground.

While some agents resisted these changes, White adhered to Hoover’s protocols, even replacing his cowboy hat with a fedora. He grew up in a penitentiary because his father was a warden there. After the Osage case, he accepted an offer to become a warden too. His brother and his son later both became FBI agents, making the three generations of his family law-enforcement. 

Agent John Burger

John Burger was an agent who worked closely with Tom White, the federal agent in charge of the investigation. He had already gained recognition in Osage County due to his previous work on an Osage murder case. White recruited Burger because he had extensive connections with outlaws, which could be used as valuable informants. However, White did not entirely trust Burger, as he had expressed racial prejudice toward the Osage community. Despite this, Burger’s network and knowledge played a crucial role in uncovering the truth behind the murders.

Others: Agent Smith and Agent John Wren

3. The Author’s Quest

In the final section, the book shifts to the twenty-first century. The author himself investigates the unsolved crimes that happened nearly a century earlier. His mission is to bring clarity to the Osage families who continue to suffer from their losses.

William Hale, a well-liked cattleman and local businessman, offers support during the investigation. However, the Osage history should have made Mollie wary of his friendly gestures. The Osage’s immense wealth from oil leases made them targets, resulting in the deaths of as many as twenty-four people. The Reign of Terror left a lasting impact on the Osage community, and this book sheds light on their struggle for justice and the eroding trust in the face of greed and conspiracy.

In summary, “Killers of the Flower Moon” uncovers a dark chapter in American history, revealing the intersection of wealth, power, and violence against the Osage people.

Questions

1.     The term “flower moon” refers to the full moon that typically occurs in May. It’s associated with the blooming of flowers during spring. In the context of the Osage, it symbolizes renewal and growth. Discuss how this name reflects the Osage culture and their connection to nature.

※In 1923 alone, the tribe obtained that oil, prospectors had to pay the Osage for leases and royalties. In the early twentieth century, each person on the tribal roll began receiving a quarterly check. The amount was initially for only a few dollars, but over time, as more oil was tapped, the dividends grew into the hundreds, then the thousands. And virtually every year the payments increased, like the prairie creeks that joined to form the wide, muddy Cimarron, until the tribe members had collectively accumulated.

In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson purchased, from the French, the Territory of Louisiana, which contained lands dominated by the Osage. Jefferson informed that the Osage were a great nation and that We are all now of one family. But within four years Jefferson had compelled the Osage to relinquish their territory between the Arkansas River and the Missouri River.

The Osage were forced to cede their ancestral land. They lost their underground reservation rights.

White people are going to settle all this country, and they get the best land because they get here first and take their pick.

Though, the reservation under threat of being removed by soldiers, many squatters began to take the land by force. In 1870, the Osage — expelled from their lodges, their graves plundered, nevertheless, impatient settlers massacred several of the Osage, mutilating their bodies and scalping them.

The destiny of the Osage, just like the short period of the flower moon, goes from full moon to the new moon.

※There had been no evil to mar that propitious night, because she had listened; there had been no voice of evil; no screech owl had quaveringly disturbed the stillness. She knew this because she had listened all night.— John Joseph Mathews, Sundown

In the eye of the Osage, they believe the nature, contented with what the gift from the nature. It’s such a distraught story marred by the human beings. . Flower moon just a cold moon.

2.     What is the guardianship for the Osage? Do you agree with the guardianship? In your opinion, what caused this ill-formed policy?

※A conspiracy is everything that ordinary life is not. It’s the inside game, cold, sure, undistracted, forever closed off to us. We are the flawed ones, the innocents, trying to make some rough sense of the daily jostle. Conspirators have a logic and a daring beyond our reach. All conspiracies are the same taut story of men who find coherence in some criminal act.

 — Don DeLillo, Libra

They are the victims of the venal society.

3.     The FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) was founded in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation. It evolved from a small investigative unit to a federal agency responsible for enforcing federal laws. Discuss its historical context based on the information in this book, its role during the early 1900s, and how it differs from local law enforcement agencies.

※Law protect to all the people who knows the law.

※Better than FBI, history is a merciless judge. It lays bare our tragic blunders and foolish missteps and exposes our most intimate secrets, wielding the power of hindsight like an arrogant detective who seems to know the end of the mystery from the outset.

4.     In the last section of the book, the author’s field trip allowed him to immerse himself in the setting, meet descendants, and experience firsthand the places he wrote about. Discuss the benefits of such field investigations for authors and readers. How does visiting a location enhance our understanding of historical events? Please give an example for your personal experience.

※Honesty is the best policy, even the kind people are scarce, but the little firebug will make the darkest night shine. This is the most beautiful confetti that gods had left for us.

※70 years ago, Taiwan was experiencing a historical event that intertwined gunshots, blood, tears, and fear. Incidents of military-civilian conflicts occurred frequently in various places. This was known as the "White Terror" in history. We learn to cherish all the people from different corner with understanding and forgiveness.

5.     Further to the question above, consider how personal travel enriches our perspectives, fosters empathy, and exposes us to diverse cultures. Share your own travel experiences and how they have shaped your understanding of the world.

※Back from the travel to Tailand based on their own cultures and mixed with Chinese culture and all the culture around the world and present this spirit into their daily life, such as department stores, floating market, temple, food ,art ,clothes and sea sport. We are not alone in the world any more, all the cultures and economics impact are intertwined with each others as fast as before. A considerate heart and an open mind lead us a door to the world.

※Research on the earliest indigenous people in the Americas found that Polynesians came from Taiwan

The Native Americans were originally thought to have migrated from Siberia via the Bering Strait, but modern archaeologists have discovered complete skeletons of the ancestors of the earliest indigenous people in the Americas - the Holy Spirit Cavemen, the Poole Women and the Kennewick Man. Research by scientists has found that they are similar to the Polynesians, the islanders in the Pacific. It has been confirmed that the Polynesians, the islanders in the Pacific, have settled in the Pacific more than 10,000 years ago. They migrated to the Americas by sea and became Evidence of Native Americans. Gene analysis also showed that the Dia blood type of Taiwanese aborigines is rare and is related to the origin of the aboriginal Eskimos and northern Indians in northern America. Therefore, blood analysis proved that the aboriginal Eskimos and northern Indians of North America may be related to Taiwan. Aboriginal people have the same origin. It is believed that the Polynesians from Oceania who migrated from Taiwan migrated there via the sea. In addition, the earliest indigenous cliff dwellers in America are also believed to be Polynesians, who entered the United States from the mouth of the Colorado River. The ancestors expanded along the river upstream and inland, reaching many tributaries and inland land trails, including the entire region and states. It is filled with the remains of countless ancestors of cliffside residents, including cliffside dwellings, rock carvings, rock paintings, and calligraphy. , as well as many artifacts. According to research in archaeology, linguistics, culture, physical anthropology and biology, it can be proved that the earliest indigenous people in the Americas were the Polynesians, who settled in the Americas by sea. Many of the oldest stone carvings of the Omega culture in the Americas include giant statues from Mexico. The stone statue in the picture has narrow eyes, a broad nose, a big mouth, and an Omega helmet on its head. It is 2.85 meters high, 2.1 meters wide, and weighs 18 tons; archaeologists believe that the huge stone The features that combine black and Mongoloid races are most likely to belong to the Asian ethnic group, the Polynesians. The Polynesians are the people of the Empire of the Sun who migrated from Taiwan—the Mu people, who later became the Austronesian people. The picture shows the ancient ruins of cliffside residents in the Colorado River Basin and the Mexican Omega stone heads.

The earliest indigenous people in the Americas found that Polynesians came from Taiwan, we can’t ignore this is Osage’s destiny, but deep in their blood, flew our ancestor’s DNA,too. This a story not about them, but us, we learn to have more sympathy to Osage.

6.     Speaking of scientific policing, what advances do we need for our law-enforcement to meet the growing cyber and AI crimes, such as deep fake videos or audios? Have you or anyone related to your circle ever experienced cyber or AI crimes? Please share with us. What to do when we encounter one? Life becomes more convenient but also filled with danger. What we can do is to be more alert to our daily life. If we got cheated like a squaw man, just learned from this experience, haha..I learned one lesson in FB,too. Maintain our composure to our life

Related reading:

1.       flower moon: https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E6%94%B6%E7%A9%AB%E6%9C%88