ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to all the people who contributed to this project, and
none more so than the Osage who entrusted me with their stories
and encouraged me to dig deeper. Over the years, many Osage
shared with me not only their insights but also their friendship. I
want to especially thank Margie Burkhart, Kathryn Red Corn,
Charles Red Corn, Raymond Red Corn, Joe Conner, Dolores
Goodeagle, Dennis McAuliffe, Elise Paschen, Marvin Stepson,
Mary Jo Webb, and the late Jozi Tall Chief.
My research odyssey led me to many other generous
individuals. The late Martha Vaughan and her cousin Melville
shed light on their grandfather W. W. Vaughan. Tom White’s
relatives—including James M. White, Jean White, John Sheehan
White, and Tom White III—were invaluable sources. So was Tom
White III’s spouse, Styrous, who dug up and developed archival
photographs. Alexandra Sands relayed details about her
grandfather James Alexander Street, who was one of the
undercover operatives. Frank Parker Sr. sent me photographs and
papers concerning his father, Eugene Parker—another undercover
agent. Homer Fincannon and his brother, Bill, shared a wealth of
information about their great-grandfather A. W. Comstock.
A number of scholars and experts patiently answered my never-
ending questions. Garrick Bailey, an anthropologist who
specializes in Osage culture, went beyond any reasonable bounds
of duty and read the entire manuscript before publication. He is
not accountable for anything I wrote, but the book is infinitely
better because of him.