The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-07-04
FRANK NOvAK'S PLOT
AIMED TO ROB LIFE INSURANCE
COMPANIES OF $4,000.
Few Bits of Burned Teeth Lead to
Arrest and Life Imprisonment of
Novak, Who Was Brought From
Klondike By Clever Chicago De-
rectives.
Chicago Inter-ocean)

/ down q decision III tHe ldiiOuS WV a.
murder case, affirming the verdict OF
the lower court, which sentenced No
yak to the penitentiary for life. TIVE
of the judges dissented.
In the history of carefully planned
and skilfully executed murders none
| takes precedence of this crime Ioi
which Frank \. Novak. would-De gen
tleman, sport, and generally Soou lei
low" goes to prison for the remaining
DAYS of his natural life. His life up 70
this point has been as fast and as ven
| turesome as il will be slow and TEDIOUS
and undressing for the rest or MS
days. -.
Novak was a business man in the Ut
tie town of Walford, in Benton county,
Ia, up to two years ago. lie seemed
to be an unusually bright young man.
and the world, especially the business
world, appeared to be using him We'll
His store was crowded with customers
at the expense of the other merchants
of the place, and TO the uninitiated IL
seemed that money was pouring INTO
his Golfers. His enemies declared that
in a dark corner of the NoVak store was
a cask that contained something be-
sides water, and in prohibition Iowa
something besides water is sometimes
hard to get. Novaks customers could
H.,
The young business man reflected IN
his person the prosperity which appar-
entity was following in his footsteps.
He dressed ID the height of fashion, ana
in country ISwa fashion is conspicuous
He wore valuable jewelry and display
ed evidences of wealth in other ways
He was fond of fast and good horses,
and had both. 1t was whispered that
he was fond of gambling, but in his
? ha
openly voiced. In Cedar Rapids, not
far away, however. there were those
who knew about the young mans PEN
chant for the gaming table. These
men knew that much of the money that
was paid in over the Novak counter
went out from the Novak pocket over
the green cloth. They were in a posi-
ton to know that the drain upon the
business resources of the store was
very heavy.
Bank Robbery and Arson.
Novak lost much money. and the
more he lost the more he gambled- He
was designated among the gamblers as
an easy mark" and when he failed
to turn up in Cedar Rapids TO part
with his money gamblers went TO Wal
ford.
While Walford looked on at the SEEM
ingly prosperous career of the young
merchant, NoVak's finances were con-
tinually dwindling. He was in love
with a charming young woman of Ce-
dar Rapids, whose father had money,
and soon after he married her. The
went into business with
Novak, and they started bank.
1t had not been running long before
the little town was rent with wonder
at a bank robbery. Some of the pa
pers were found in the woods soon at
ter the robbery, and it was a strange
that young Novak should
have been the one to discover them.
The good people of WalfOrd were be-
ginning to suspect the one-time brilll-
ant merchant and heads were shaken
and suspicious were quietly voiced.
Novak and a man named Jilek went
into a general merchandise business
soon after the bank robbery. Their
store was a wonder for that section of
the country. It was lighted by gas and
il was heated by steam. Its furnish
ngs were of hiSh-grade- 1t was we'll
insured, though it was considered fine
risk, and the good people of the town
wondered how il could ever burn with
no oil lamps and no fires inside it.
One morning in February, two years
ago, however, it was found a mass of
flames. The town people turned out en-
masse TO save the building, but the
efforts of the good people were of no
avail Only the charred timberS re-
NAMED after the fire had gone out.
Then the searchers entered. and they
found the charred remains of a human
body NOvak habitually slept in the
store. and il was at once supposed that
ne had persisted. Only the skull and a !
lew bones remained of what shortly |
before had been a human body. Be !
side these CHASTITY relics was brass
,heck which NOvak had been in the
labit of carrying. Near at hand was /
some gold bridgework that a dentist I
had made for Novak some time before. |
Murder Added to Other Crimes.
1T is Novak's body said the good I
people of Walford, and at once his sins |
we're forgotten, and they spoke only of |
world, of his fine clothes and his /
aesthetic tastes.
Another wonder awaited them. Ed /
ward Murray, young farmer Of the |
county, also was missing. In no prob I
.ble way could his absence be ac- /
for. 1t was know that he had /
,een with NOvak the evening before /
he fire. and that the two had been l
There were those, however, /
Who had seen the pair, and noticed that 1
Sovak seemed to be the sober one or I
he two. Murray's reputation, despite
he fact that he had been drinking.
vas a good one, and when il was limited
hat perhaps he had been responsible
or the burning of the Novak store,
here were few who would believe ii.
1t was a strange chain of circum-
tances, and officers quietly began 10
investigate it. The coroner's jury met
ehind closed doors for several days.
ME dentist who had done NOvaks
york discovered that the gold bridge
rould not fit the teeth remaining IN
he charred skull. A physician found
1ithin the bony cavity evidence that
here had been an effusion OF blood
efore death had come.
Novak's business affairs were then
Ound TO have been in bad shape. He
ad pretended 10 make deposit in
he Cedar Rapids bank, which was the
epository for the funds of the Wal
ord money shop, but the money had
OF been sent. 1t was found that he
ad debts amounting to some $4,000. 1t
Tas found, too, that he had insured his
fe for $4,000, an exceedingly large
mount for a country merchant carry
lg no heavier burden of years than he
lothing was found near the charred
amains of the body, and this clothing
-as identified as having belonged to
Iurray. NOvak never wore cloth of as
parse n texture
After several days the work of the
oroner's jury was completed. The YER
let was that Edward Murray came 10
is death by some person or persons
Unknown TO the jury.
Caught In the Klondike Country.
BY this time Novak's picture was De-
ig printed in the daily papers, and +
ne of these portraits was destined to
lay an important part with his career.
hat he was alive was by this time the
eneral theory. Where he was was the