Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1920-01-25
TWO MEN HELD IN
 s45,0OO SW|NDLE ! IN OIL GAMBLE
Hancher Identifies Alleged Millionaires Who Fleeced
 Him


 Fort Worth, Tex, Jan. 24.-E J. ward and Charles Gerber, who are under indictment here for the al ieged swindiing of Frank Norfleet. ranchman of Hale Senter. Texas. out of s45,Oo0 in fake oil stock scheme, have been extradited from California, and returned to Fort Worth for trial. It is asserted that the two accused men are millionaires and that they spent more thanS25, ,000 Tn resisting by every possible legal means their extraditon to Texas. After the two men were arrested at san Bernadino on description sent out by the sheriff of this county, Norfleet went to that place and iden- tifled them as being the persons who hAd perpetrated the swindle. He says when he saw them in the iail tHere they pleaded with him not to Identify them. In addition to run nfng his ranch, Norfleet has been 4 deputy sheriff for many years. In describing the manner in which he wsss swindled, he said:
 El was seated in the lobby of a Llas hotel A man began con vHsaition with me, He learned that shAd farm for sale and told me of aMfhan who was interested in farm l4Aa. In the back of the seat f4Nnd a pocketbook. l opened it. 1t c4etained a Mason's card, $24O in eth, a $100,Q00 bond, several tee- gt4ms and secret code for sending messages. The man I had just met suggested that we find out if the D3n whose name appeared on the Mson's card was registered at the Nn l,,e | and called him. He at first said that he hadn't lost anything, but a&ker looking in his pockets he be. came frantic and declared that a val. uAble pocketbook of his had beer lost. He described it and we gave ittto him.
 Offered $l0O as Reward.
 asI, of course. didn't know that the t6H men were pals and were start. irlRs the plot that cost me $45, ,000 ThA man who had lost his pocketbook g4xe sthe other man $10O reward, ana hSNded a $1O0 bill to me. I refused it. T have done nothing more than ISsShould have done for brother Mason I told him.
 He then suggested that if wduldn't accept the money to let hin place it on the stock market. He ssid that he was to place a big bio for his company, and that he would put the $1OO' with it, and in case il brought anything the profit would be mine. consented for him to dc that The other man also gave him his $100 for an investment. We mel again that afternoon and learned that the money had doubled. It wa invested again. The next day the stock was worth $500, the man said and sold it.
 a4They gave me my part in cash Then the man who posed as rep. resentative for big concern in ! New York took us into his conf. depce! He stated that his company controlled certain, stocks on certain would. throw a great deal of stock on the.s market, force the price tt drop, then wire. him in the secret code, and he would do heavy buying here. Then the company would with draw it's stock, the price would climb, and the profits would bt big, he said. He told me that there was $100,000 mortgage on his home in New York. He said if he could get some one to work witf sim he could earn enough on tho market to lift the mortgage ant give big profit to the one wht helpe dhim.
 "I would be the happiest man 1T the world if I could wipe out tha indebtedness on the home that ] sAelters my wife and children h, said.
 sss Big Bid Made on Market.
 q told him I would help him. big bid for us was made on the mar kct The actual cash was not nee e4aary ,he told me. as he did eX teEsive trading with the exchange Az first the investment didn't look good. The next day the market be gan to soar, he told me. The in Nstment was then worth $60,000 The secretary of the exchange called att our room-we were still in Dal las-and told us if we drew out tn, $6D,OO0 the cash payment on tn. of5kinal bid must be paid in full H4 said that was the rule of tn, exchange and must not be violated
 SI went to my home, agreeing tha1 I kould get $20,OO0 which was need e$Mo cover the bid. 1 returned ane III man who said he was with tho Nv York company said that he haS bRn transferred to Fort Worth INcause of this he said he had hat oS $60.000 account moved to tho F1t Worth office. I put up tho SS .O0O and the men came back tt tA room with $60,000 which l sup rSged was secured from the stocl e,Ahangc.
 i've started to divide the profits Txcn the New York man got tel cyfam. IL was in the secret cadi and it took him some time to trans iaxe it. Finally he read it aloud.
 ' This is chance of lifetime itfwill put us on easy street tol .li& he said. My company tells mt tof place a heavy bid on petroleum VI can take our $60000 and clear uni ",
 LThe S60,OOo was invested. Thei tM secretary of the exchange ap p3red again when our supposed in vaStment was worth $1S0,o00. H' ddnanded the additional cash b' pA up, as the bid was more thar thS S6O.O00 which we had. l gave u1 both the S20,O00 and the S25,ool in4 a Fort Worth hotel. As l wa' albut to let go for the $25,000 be g1n to believe that l had been en ii6d into a swindle.
 Drew Pistol to Shoot.
 | didn't want to kill them, but kykw they were after my money OSe of them walked to the elevator Aent after him. l forced him t'