In 1924, during the era of Prohibition, the Osage Indian tribe in rural Oklahoma found themselves with unimaginable wealth due to the discovery of oil on their land. With more money per capita than any other population in the United States, the Osage tribe lived lives of luxury and excess. However, this newfound prosperity would soon become the catalyst for a series of gruesome murders and a twisted plot of greed and jealousy.

The story of the Osage tribe's tragic fate is now being told in the new Martin Scorsese movie, "Killers of the Flower Moon." Released on Friday in cinemas and later on AppleTV+, the film stars Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, and John Lithgow. Based on the book of the same name by David Grann, the movie delves into the chilling true story of how the Osage fell victim to a string of murders.

The reign of terror began when William King Hale, a wealthy rancher, took out a $25,000 life insurance policy on an Osage man named Henry Roan. It was clear that Hale had malicious intentions when asked by a doctor if he planned on killing Roan, to which he responded, "Hell, yes." In February 1923, Roan was found dead, riddled with bullets, becoming just one of many Osage people who would meet a violent end at the hands of Hale.

The situation caught the attention of Barney McBride, a local oilman sympathetic to the Osage, who traveled to Washington D.C. in 1923 to seek help from the head of Indian Affairs. This led to the involvement of the Bureau of Investigation, a relatively inexperienced crime-fighting organization at the time. J. Edgar Hoover, then the acting director of the Bureau, was tasked with cleaning up the corruption and solving the string of murders.

Hoover faced many challenges in his efforts to bring justice to the Osage tribe. The investigation was complicated by the presence of private detectives hired by both the Osage and Hale, who muddied the waters and threatened witnesses. Additionally, the bungling nature of the Bureau and their mishandling of certain situations put pressure on Hoover to ensure the case was successfully resolved.

To lead the investigation, Hoover selected Tom White, a trusted agent with experience working with ranchers and Native Americans. White, along with a four-person team, embarked on a meticulous and lengthy investigation that eventually uncovered the shocking plot orchestrated by Hale. He had his nephew, Ernest Burkhart, marry a wealthy Osage woman named Mollie Kyle, with the intention of inheriting her portion of the oil fortune once her family members died under suspicious circumstances.

White's old-fashioned police work, following money trails and piecing together the puzzle, ultimately led to the arrests and life sentences of Hale, Burkhart, and others involved in the conspiracy. Although Burkhart and his uncle negotiated early releases, life outside of prison proved challenging, with Burkhart's wife leaving him and him eventually returning to prison for robbing his former sister-in-law.

The Osage murders and the subsequent investigation played a significant role in the transformation of the Bureau of Investigation into the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in 1935. The Bureau saw an opportunity to tell their story through a dramatic radio broadcast centered around Tom White, which helped shape the public's perception of the agency as the iconic "G-men."

The story of the Osage tribe's wealth, murder plot, and the Bureau's investigation is a chilling tale of greed, corruption, and the fight for justice. Scorsese's film adaptation of "Killers of the Flower Moon" brings this dark chapter in American history to life, shedding light on the atrocities committed against the Osage people and the determination of those who sought to bring their killers to justice.