◆ SpookStack

~5— recollection by participating in these native dances. Marriage by full-blood Osage Indians, whose number gristitute betmgen éme-fourte amd one-third of, the tovel. Jmpber on | the’ ¢ribal rolls, ate still ‘polemnised according to tribal customs. Osage County and the surrounding territory contains very wild stretches of country, thickly wooded with timber unshited for commertial purposes, but affording excellent concealment in addition to its almost inececessible canyons which served es hide-oute for notorious £ { z ‘ eriminals, At the time of the murders from 1971 to 1923, this country wae s haven for sll tyoes of desperate erimineale who flocked there frez ail sorts of the country due to the nature of the eountry iteelf, affording such excellent hiding places for wanted criminale. This eriminal element. to a jarge extent was attracted by the enormour realth of the Osage Indians, Bandite and robbers abounded. The notorious 41 Spencer gang of bank robbers used tnis country for their hide-out. This particular robber was at one time approached by FW. K. Hale, eho attempted un- successfully to bfre him to murder Indiana, . Dick Gregg, a menbe? of the & Speucer gang, and hie father, * im ars bd John Gregg, testified against Hale at his sarder triel to the effeet that Hale tried unsuecess‘ully to hire Al Bpencer, ar rell as both c! the Greggs, to murder certain Indians. *Curly® Johnron, anotrer netoriove ben” bandit, ree sis active in thie country, an“ war at on time aporesche™ ire never of gan’