Vaughan Family Hero

By Gypsy Hogan

Melville Vaughan, Ph.D., a biology professor at UCO for 15 years, grew up in such a family. His grandfather, although not Native American, is counted among the Osage murders of the 1920s in Oklahoma’s Osage County. It was a time when Osage tribal members, by virtue of large deposits of oil found beneath their land in northeastern Oklahoma, were among the nation’s wealthiest per capita — and the world’s most murdered.

Last year, David Grann, staff writer for The New Yorker, released his book, “Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI.” Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio now are developing a film adaptation of the best seller, which tells not only about the deadly schemes of non-Osage to gain access to Osage wealth, but also how the development of the FBI played into the scenario.

In 1994, another book — “The Deaths of Sybil Bolton” — was released, written by Dennis McAuliffe Jr., a reporter for The Washington Post. The book followed his efforts to find out how his Osage grandmother died in 1925 and who killed her — questions never answered for many Osage families about their relatives.

Both books detail the corruption of attorneys, law enforcement officers, court-appointed guardians — even spouses and parents — all people expected to protect the Osage, but who instead stole their money, even if it required murder.

Both books also tell about the death of a 54-year-old Pawhuska, Oklahoma, attorney named W. W. Vaughan, although McAuliffe mistakenly left out the second “a” in the name Vaughan. Attorney W. W. Vaughan is professor Vaughan’s grandfather.

Growing up, the professor knew little about his grandfather. “All I had ever heard was about him dying and his body being found near Tryon,” Vaughan said, referring to a small town about 60 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. “Anytime I’d hear the name Tryon, I’d get a bad feeling, just knowing that’s where they found him.”

Like many, Vaughan became more interested in family history with the birth of his first child. So, before graduate school, he spent parts of 1989-91 researching — and finding more than he imagined.

Before coming to Oklahoma, his grandfather’s early practice of law involved personal injury cases in Kentucky, where the young lawyer evidently found himself going against bigger forces. “The family story is that he was going to be killed if he stayed in Kentucky,” Vaughan said. “His boss was killed.”

So, the Kentucky lawyer came to Anadarko, Oklahoma, in 1903, to continue his practice of personal injury law. He was elected district attorney a couple of times, Vaughan said, and he met and married a young woman who was also from Kentucky.

By 1913, however, reality hit.

“According to my Uncle Bill, they moved from Anadarko to Pawhuska because my grandfather couldn’t make enough money in Anadarko. He was told he could make a lot of money in Pawhuska. That was too bad,” Vaughan said, knowing that 10 years after landing in Pawhuska to work for an oil company, his grandfather would be murdered.

The professor researched newspaper and courthouse files, in addition to interviewing family members and collecting bits and pieces of information they had.

Then, in 2010, he got a call from a cousin.

“All that stuff you’ve been gathering? Bring it,” she said. “He wants to see.”

“He” was the author Grann, who was doing research for “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Grann and Vaughan, both researchers at heart, messaged back and forth and met several more times from 2010-14.

Meeting the first time in the historic Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City, Vaughan showed Grann newspaper articles about his grandfather’s body being found, a copy of his death certificate and an informant’s statement to the FBI. The informant maintained that the attorney Vaughan had claimed to have enough evidence to put Osage County businessman and rancher Bill Hale “in the electric chair.” Hale was later convicted of another murder. No one was ever charged or convicted of attorney Vaughan’s murder.

Thanks to Grann, however, professor Vaughan thinks he has a better idea of what happened on June 28, 1923, when his grandfather was murdered. ***

On that day, lawyer Vaughan received a call saying that a well-known Osage tribal member — George Bigheart — was in an Oklahoma City hospital, poisoned and facing death. He had information that he would trust only to Vaughan, his attorney and friend. Would he please come immediately? Vaughan caught the next train.

Earlier that month, Vaughan told his wife, Rosa, that if anything should happen to him, she was to go to a certain hiding place, where he had placed money for her and the children, along with incriminating evidence that she should give to authorities, according to family members.

In researching his book, Grann gained access to FBI investigative files, including statements from informants and grand jury records that were inside other files Grann requested.

According to Grann’s research, there were others in the hospital room when Vaughan arrived, but Bigheart asked them to leave. He then gave Vaughan incriminating information and documents. Vaughan remained with Bigheart until he died a few hours later. As Vaughan prepared to return to Pawhuska, he called the new Osage County sheriff to say he was returning with enough information to convict the murderers of Bigheart and others.

According to newspaper accounts, Vaughan was joined at the train by a business associate, H.G. Burt, who said, “I got on the train with him, but he wasn’t there when I got off.” Burt, a Pawhuska bank president, said the two parted ways on the train, each off to a sleeper car. However, Vaughan’s sleeper car later showed no evidence of being used.

Newspaper accounts tell how the Boy Scouts and bloodhounds were used to search for Vaughan along the train route. Thirty-six hours after the search began, his naked body was found along the train tracks. However, no notes or incriminating documents were found.

And, when Vaughan’s widow, Rosa Vaughan, went to the hiding place, there was nothing there — neither evidence nor money. She was left alone to support 10 children. Before her husband’s death, the couple had been planning for their four oldest children to attend college. Instead, the oldest went to work as a stenographer to help support the family. Another child went to live with an Osage family who were friends of the Vaughans. Another went to live with an aunt and uncle in Varden, professor Vaughan said.

As for banker Burt, Grann’s research linked him to several schemes to defraud and murder Osage tribal members, including his probable involvement in the death of Bigheart and attorney Vaughan.

“He certainly makes a compelling case,” professor Vaughan said of Grann’s account. ***

For professor Vaughan, a highlight of his personal research is a family photo he found while going through boxes of family photos belonging to an uncle and a cousin.

“There was a photo of both my grandmother and grandfather with some of their kids,” the professor said. His father was in his grandmother’s lap with his twin sister standing between her parents. “All my aunts and uncles were amazed — they had never seen a photo with my grandfather in it. He always took the photos.”

For Vaughan’s family, the fear they experienced following the unresolved death of his grandfather and the hard days that followed were diminished with the discovery of this photo. And, now, it’s in a national best seller — page 95 of Grann’s book.

“Really, my grandfather was collateral damage. I wasn’t sure he would be in the book — still not sure he would be in a movie,” he said recently. “I feel good that my participation helped him (Grann) make a good book and now, hopefully, a good movie.”

He also feels good about helping his family and others know more about his grandfather.

“I often wonder if anyone ever tried to bribe him and get him to be in on the take. I never heard any of that,” Vaughan said. “There were lawyers who were, but knowing my family, they all have been interested in serving others, being truthful and just. My dad was a lawyer, and he was very much like that — always erred on the side of being truthful, doing the right thing.”

In a recent interview with Grann, he said his research makes him think W.W. Vaughan was trying to do the right thing and was murdered for it. Most convincing to him, he said, is the fact that Osage families were willing to help with the Vaughan children after their father’s murder.

For Melville Vaughan, there still are other unanswered family mysteries.

He looks forward to a time when he can do more research on his grandfather. “I’d like to research why he left Kentucky, what that was about.”

Bigger Questions

Melville “Mel” Vaughan, Ph.D., besides teaching biology, runs a research lab at UCO where students help him study a rare condition called Dupuytren’s contracture. Dupuytren’s cause is unknown, but those who have it lose the ability to straighten their fingers, most often the ring and pinky fingers, which contract toward the palm of the hand.

Vaughan began researching Dupuytren’s while working on his doctorate degree. Because it’s so rare, the big research centers don’t look at it because there’s no funding, he said. That frees Vaughan to do research, involving undergraduate and graduate biology majors.

“The students use lab protocols, all the techniques they learn in class. It also helps them learn creative problem-solving and critical thinking,” he said.

And, some day, they may crack the mystery.