◆ SpookStack

rs Sere 2 Be pete his land tlluminated by means of a privately owned , ae, plant where a gang of ePpiminal J/ugitives from alii ever ell ie "States worked day and night naking tilegal liquor. “orga én an automobile accident prior to the FBI's tnvestigatte ed the time of his death he had on his person $15,000 tn eas ; S ‘nad @ gaping wound under his left armpit and it was rumored fe Segetet he was killed dy a criminal who had been with him at the. . ‘eine of the accident. te Information obtained by an FBI ‘Agent indicated thot ‘ta 7. connection with the mysterious deaths of a large number of Indiana 2 ga: the perpetrators of the crime would get an Indian drunk, have a pidoctor: ezamine him, pronounce him intortcated and give him ao. ip Aypodermic\injection of morphine. After the doctor departed ‘the a gang members would inject an enormous amount of morphine under the é . G@rmpit of the drunken Indian which would result in his death. © ™he 23.2. doctor's certificate would eudsequently reed, "Death from alcohoire 24 ne poisoning." hee aes 25 : cop Ua 26 2 To further complitcate the task of the FBI in investi- | ey “gating these murders, Burt Lawson, a convict confined in the .. 4 28°:.4 Oklahoma State Penitentiary at UcAlester, ‘Oklahoma, made several © B29.. Conese tons to the murders, in which he claimed to have been : 5 20-: J employed by Hale to murder W. BE. Smith and his family. Fo instaking me 3b. investigation by Special Agents developed that Hale had concocted: ; this story himself, knowing full well that he could prove a ey - perfect alibi for Lawson and thereby absolve himself at the same _. time. These confessions caused Agents many hours of weary work. * cinta @isproving the details of Lawson’ & confessions before developi., ~ 136 °. the true facts of the case. : ar 2 on : Se a on Lawson, incidentally, while in the custody of FBI Agents : _ proved to bea ‘glutton who ate T-bone steak and French-fried Be | potatoes three times a day. During his first visit toa cafeteria - “ : a, With Agents, Lawson appeared at the cashter with four pieces of: 420%" pie and three pieces of cake on his tray and complained of tie * : ( ufact that he had no room for a meat dish. : we Agents learned that in 1920, Ernest Burkhart explained = -: to @ criminal that he wanted Bill Smith and his wife killed for the following reasons: his (Ernest Burkhart's) wife and Mrs. . Smith were sisters; their mother was old and very 111 and liable to die at any time; that if the old woman died first, Smith's ' wife pould inherit part of her estate, but if Mrs. Smith died.. ftreg] the old mother! s wealth, or most of it, would pass at ner deat to Ernest's wife, As compensation for this deed, Burkhart: ‘vgatd tthe perpetrators could rob the Smiths of their diamonds and- ee a eu ER agdtiton-he said he would pay them $1,000 and give then a Bultic os 3 ig auton bile. mR * ae HF on warch 4, 1924, Agents were informed that the Indian wives of Ernest and Bryan Burkhart were in great fear for their aves and contemplated taking their children and fleeing from thetr ee eee | a lle aE rs