Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-11
THE WALFoRD CRIMINAL SAID
TO BE TRYING TO GAIN HIS
FREEDOM.
Glory Gains Circulation At Cedar Rap.
ids to the Effect That Powerful and
influential Friends of the Man Are
Working to Bring About Release.

Cedar Rapids, Feb. 9.--Is Frank No
yak. the notorious Benton county Grim
inal, who led officers mysterious
chase for thousands of miles, to be re-
leased from the state penitentiary
soon?
An interesting story to this effect
was told here last night by man who
claimed to have positive knowledge
that quiet movement to secure No
vall's release has been on foot for some
time and that when the time comes
considerable pressure will be brought
upon the authorities to secure liberty
for Novak.
A Notorious Crime.
Noval's crime was most notorious
one. and for time it baffled the au-
thorities. In 1896 he was apparently
a prosperous business man at the town
OF Walford in Benton county He was
the big man of the little town and at
the head OF its various enterprises
and public movements. In February
1885,. Novak's store burned one night
and in the ruins were found the char
red remains of man who seemed to
have met his death in the flames. At
first it was supposed to be Novak him
self, for it was known that he had
been sleeping in room in the store
and he was to be found nowhere else
Foul Murder Was Proved.
For a time this explanation of the
presence of ihe dead man was &C.
cepted, but little by little suspicious
circumstances came to light. The
Identification Of the body was not sat
isfactory; later Indications were found
that the man had met his death by vio-
lence rather than by fire; then it was
discovered that the dead body much
resembled a man known as Ed Murray,
and then it was found that Murray was
missing. Fact after fact developed to
indicate that Novak was not dead, and
when it was disclosed that his life
had been heavily insured the motive
for the suspected murder and ARISEN
became apparent.
In the meantife Novak had been
seen and the officers, spurred on by re-
wards and excitement of the chase,
began hunt for the man that lasted
months and covered many thousands of
miles of ground. Across Iowa to Ne
braska, across the state to Denver and
then on over the mountains and plains
they trailed him, but never near
enough to catch him. At the coast the
trail ended for time, but finally it
was discovered that the hunted man
had probably gone to Alaska to lose
himself In its friendly wilds.
Detectives Mere Persisfenf
But Novak did not count on the per-
sistency of the sleuths who were upon
his track. They never gave up, and
finally their persistency was rewarded.
They located him, identified him be-
yond doubt, and then arrested him
and started home with him. When he
arrived here the chain of evidence
was quickly bound around him and a
sentence for life passed upon him.
His Many Friends.
In spite of his crime Noval has many
powerful friends left, and it is said
that they are planning his campaign
for q pardon. Novak also has money
slowed away somewhere, and that is
also being employed in his behalf 1t
appears also that the son of Novak, a
boy about IA years of age, named Milo
Novak, has been mysteriously missing
for some time.
He had been attending school in
this city since last fall, it is said, and
he suddenly disappeared SO that his
mother had been able to find no trace
of him, though she has searched every
where. There was report that he was
in AnamoSa for short time. and it is
possible that he may be there yet, but
there is no definite information along
this line.