Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1921-03-06
Texan Trails
Crook Through
United States
Rancher, Fleeced of Fortune
Ends Grim Hunt Through
Is States By Landing
His Man.
BY KENT WATSON.
International News Service Staff
Correspondent,

Fort Worth, Tex, March 5.-The
man hunt has ended after IA months
Of searching through Is states and
Mexico, and ]. Frank Norfleet grim
yisaged Texas plainsman, has gone
home to Hale Centre. Tex, to rest
Joe Furey, the man he sought and
the man who is alleged to have
fleeced him out of S45,000 on fake
stock scheme, is in Jail here. He will
go to trial before jury in Judg.
George L. Hosey's district court
here early this month.
Like western melodrana run the
details of Norfleet's search for Furey,
who also is wanted in California,
Florida and Washington.
Swindled Out of Fortune.
Norfleet was swindled out Of his
LIES fortune on November TO- 1919.
Three men, it is alleged, did the job.
Then the man hunt started. 1t was a
month later that T. ]. Ward and
Charles Gerber, two OF the alleged
swindlers. were arrested in Los ma
geles, Cal, and. after fight to pre-
vent extradition, were returned here
to stand trial. In turn, they both
were given the maximum sentence OF
10 years each.
And while Norheet conducted his
nationwide searcch for Joe Furey,
Charles Gerber remained i'll Jail here
where he now IS awaiting a decision
on his appeal to 4 higher court. E.
u. Ward, taken to Washington to
stand trial on a charge similar to
the one under which he was CON
victed, committed suicide i'll the
Washington jail in November, 1920.
~ -+--yR.gin Long Chase
at has been ii months since
slost my money" declares Norfeet.
"But as the days went by | still
had hope. | grew more determined.
The folks back at Hale Center,
where | live issued a silent and
stinging ultimatun that | wouldn't
be welcome neighbor if l didn't
get my man. ! quit the ranch and
became a special deputy. | was
given a warrant for Furey's arrest
and told that the governor of Texas
would ask for the extradition of
Furey from any state i'll which |
captured him.
II took my son, Pete, out OF a
normal school to aid me in the
chase. Ny wife managed the rench,
feeding m jhcrless lambs from a
bottle and attending to the house
hold duties.
pete and I followed Furey's
trail from Tia Juana, Mexico. to
St. Path, going through 1S states.
We went to Minneapolis, St. Paul,
Joliet, Omaha Des Moines, Kansas
City, Oklahoma City, El Paso, San
Antonio, Oklahoma City, San Ber-
nardino, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Hot Springs, Birmingham, Atlanta,
Mobile, Biloxi and Tampa, finding
evidence of Furey's ramihcations in
all of those cities. We learned that
he had visited England and France
and knew that he .Mas being chased
Caught at Jacksonville.
AT Jacksonville, Fla, we landed
him and l got extradition papers.
When we arrived in Jacksonville |
went to the detective bureau. They
told me Furey was wanted there and
that hes not likely to light But |
kept on. There were eight large ho-
tells there. l knew Furey would be
stopping at one of them, for he al
ways had plenty of money. | sta
toned Pete at one hotel, while !
made the rounds of the others. We
had arranged to meet each other
every As minutes. l went to the
meeting place and there was Pete.
I've found him. he said. | went
Immediately with him to the hotel
where he had seen Furey. We trailed
Furey into a cafe. AS | neared the
table where he was seated he raised
his head. His eyes met mine. He
recognized me. He jumped to his
feet and started to run. | pulled
(Turn>to Page Two, Column Three.)