the same band responsible for the Reign of Terror—was planning
to rob a store owner who kept diamonds in a safe, he handled the
matter himself. He alerted the shopkeeper, who lay in wait; sure
enough, that night the shopkeeper saw the intruders breaking in
and blew one of them away with his single-barreled, 12-gauge
shotgun. After the other outlaws fled, authorities went to inspect
the dead man and saw his gold front teeth. It was Asa Kirby, Henry
Grammer’s associate.
Mollie with her sisters Rita (left), Anna (second from left), and
Minnie (far right) Credit 33One day, Hale’s pastures were set on fire, the blaze spreading for
miles, the blackened earth strewn with the carcasses of cattle. To
Mollie, even the King of the Osage Hills seemed vulnerable, and
after pursuing justice for so long, she retreated behind the closed
doors and the shuttered windows of her house. She stopped
entertaining guests or attending church; it was as if the murders
had shattered even her faith in God. Among residents of the
county, there were whispers that she’d locked herself away lest
she go mad or that her mind was already unraveling under the
strain. Her diabetes also appeared to be worsening. The Office of