Plot to murder Katherine Cole

The plot to murder Katherine Cole was an attempt to eliminate an Osage woman who had agreed to testify for the prosecution in the Anna Brown murder case. Kelsie Morrison enlisted William K. Hale’s help to silence his former wife; the hired gunman ultimately refused to carry out the killing and disclosed the plan to authorities, turning an effort to suppress testimony into evidence of a further conspiracy.

A Witness Targeted

Katherine Cole was Morrison’s former wife and had agreed to testify for the prosecution. According to the gunman’s later account, Morrison wanted to arrange her death because she knew too much about the Anna Brown murder. The alleged reason for targeting her thus tied the plot directly to the case the prosecution was trying to prove: her knowledge made her a threat to those implicated in the murder.

The Arrangement

The gunman recalled that Morrison said he would provide a note to William K. Hale, who would make the arrangements. Hale paid the gunman and instructed him to get Cole drunk and get rid of her. The account describes a deliberate plan involving Morrison’s request, Hale’s promised assistance, and payment for the killing—not merely a threat made in passing.

Refusal and Disclosure

At the last moment, the gunman would not go through with the murder. After authorities picked him up on a robbery charge, he told them about the plan. Cole was not killed in this plot, and her agreement to testify remained central to why she had been targeted. The disclosure exposed an effort to obstruct the prosecution by attacking one of its witnesses, even as other plots against witnesses continued.