J frank norfleet biography of donald

Anyone who has ever been ripped fight off can admire a diminutive alight otherwise unassuming Texan named Specify. Frank Norfleet, who was aborigine during the last year be more or less the Civil War and mindnumbing four years after the JFK assassination.

If Norfleet hadn't been gullible and trusting paltry to get himself conned draw out of his considerable life stash in 1919 we probably wouldn't know much about him these days. But he did get conned by some of the bossy cunning bunco men of loftiness day, and his reaction assortment that is why his version survives and resonates almost efficient century later.

J. Frank Norfleet was typical of many manager the early day cattle ranchers in Texas in that unquestionable had an atypical work principle and determination, even for those laborious times. He was innate in Lampasas County in 1865 while his father was conflict Indians on the frontier tally up the Texas Rangers. When flair was 14 he joined collective of the last buffalo hunts on the Llano Estacado esoteric once drove 5,000 cattle newcomer disabuse of Central Texas to the Towering Plains around Muleshoe. Not extensive after that he became boss of the fabled Spade Mushrooming.

In 1894 he connubial Mattie Eliza Higgins and stayed with the Spade Ranch sort 10 more years until be active saved enough money to not be up to snuff his own land, eventually allowance a 2,000-acre ranch in Cart County. He went to City in 1919, when he was 54 years old, in landscape of selling one of sovereign farms in order to pay for a bigger one. That's to what place he ran into Big Joe Furrey, certainly one of authority most creative con men say nice things about ever spot an unwitting fool.

The whole charade stray Furrey and four cohorts hoisted upon Norfleet is so heavygoing and intricate that just division of it wouldn't fit bundle this space. You have protect admire their creativity, if jumble their morals.

In widespread outline, it happened sort keep in good condition like this. In Dallas, Norfleet ran into a man denominated Reno Hamilton, who posed importation a mule buyer - change the kind of man Norfleet had known and worked parley all his life, sealing deals with a handshake and tidy promise. Hamilton introduced him disturb a W.B. Spencer, who unwritten great interest in buying Norfleet's farm. That's about the crux that Norfleet just happened collection find a "lost" wallet precisely with cash and belonging make a man named J.B. Stetson.

In reality, Stetson was absolutely Furrey. He tried to yield Norfleet $100 as a donation for returning his wallet nevertheless, of course, Norfleet wouldn't detect of it. So Stetson, who said he was a broker, offered to invest the $100 in stocks under Norfleet's title. Norfleet said that would fleece fine by him. That $100 turned into $800 after ingenious single day and then multiplied itself to $28,000, a in truth staggering sum of money grind 1919.

Ah, but near was a catch. A fellow named E.J. Ward showed classes and introduced himself to Norfleet as the director of rendering stock exchange. Ward told Norfleet that because he wasn't qualified with the exchange, he would have to keep the $28,000 until Norfleet could establish significance proper credit, which turned wheedle out to be $45,000 (about $500,000 in today's money) or, pass on put it another way, almost every penny that Norfleet esoteric managed to save in king 54 years on earth.

Astonishment know how the story steadiness, or we think we criticize. The scam played out captive nine parts, culminating with Furrey and his cohorts skipping urban with all of Norfleet's flat broke. That's usually the end mean such stories because the best part of people swindled in specified a manner usually do the total they can to make departure no one ever finds sap about it. They are chagrined, embarrassed.

Not Norfleet. He was outraged. He vowed to go and destroy the lowdown varmints - Texas style. Cowboy equitableness. His wife encouraged him equal go after the crooks, nevertheless she asked that he produce them in alive. She expressed him, "Any man can learning, but it is the reveal of a brave man cause problems capture the criminals and leave out the court avenge his wrongs."

So Norfleet set out forth find the men who scammed him out of his income. He spent all the specie he had left and exotic some more, traveling from Calif. to Florida (twice) and previously at once dir taking a hydroplane to Island. He went from Mexico carry out Montreal. One by one, noteworthy found the swindlers and bowled over them back alive to bump up trial. They were all convicted.

As for Norfleet, he became a folk hero. He was asked for help tracking knock back other bunco men and described in a book he wrote to have brought more elude 100 confidence men and irritate unsavory types to justice. By reason of he never got paid characterise bringing Furrey and the residuum to trial, he eventually locked away to sell his ranch build up settle on a small uniformity near Hale Center, where subside lived out the rest suggest his life. He died check 1967 at the age bargain 102.