The Washington times., 1921-12-09
CON
man SLIPS
PAS 7 NET
Millionaire Corners Suspect ir
Montreal to No AvaiI-Burns
Asked to Take Scent.

Montreal to No AvaiI-Burns
Asked to Take Scent.
On q search for a man, who
with four others fleeced p. j. Nee,
. furniture man Of this city, and
himself out of $75,60, j. Frank
Norfleet, millionaire Texas ranch
or, accompanied by his son Pete
Norfleet, is in Washington today
seeking the aid of federal auth
critics.
Has Caused Capture Of Four.
Single handed, Norfleet has cap
tured four members Of the gang and
be declared today that he would get
the fifth man ''if 1t took the rest of
his lfe." When last heard OF,
this man, whose name is w. B.
Spencer, according to Norfleet. was in
1 Montreal, Canada.
1t was Norfleet who trailed e. j.
Ward, the man who fleeced the
Washington furniture dealer out Of
$4,000. captured him in Los Angeles
and later brought him to Washing
ton. Ward was sentenced to twenty
years in jail. Shortly before the
date set for his removal to a Fed
eral penitentiary Ward committed
suicide in the District Jail.
The confidence gang worked in
every part Of the United States.
Twice before Norfleet has visited
Washington in quest Of the men. He
n staying at Nee's home here.
To Confer With Burns.
The Texan expects to confer with
William j. Burns, of the Department
Of Justice, some time today. Con-
gresham Jones of Texas Is arrang-
ing appointments for Norfleet with
Federal officials here.
After Norfleet had brought about
the capture of Joe Furey, William
Gerber, e. ]. Ward, and Reno Hamlin,
and had secured the conviction OF
Furey. Gerber, and Ward for SWIM
ding, he started out to find the last
OF the gang. He had already Travelled
ell over the United States and Mexico.
For two years he has gone through
avery city in the United States.
While the gang was visiting his
which Norfleet and his $4,000 was
finally ensared, Spencer had talked a
good deal about the Niagara Falls, the
Great Lakes, and Canada.
Norfleet's deductions were that each
man naturally talked about the coun-
try with which he was most familiar.
Spencer talked about Niagara Falls,
and there Norfleet went. He discov-
cred that Montreal was 1.-The live burg
for boozers," SO he went there.
Spots Spencer in Crowd.
Bill Strother, the Texas steeplejack,
who skins skyscraper walls with the
agility that hunting horse takes a
hazard, was climbing a twenty-story
! hotel. A crowd Of 10000 watched the
performance. Norfleet went through
the crowd. searching each face, and
finally located Spencer.
YOURS my man now" Norfleet
said. Spencer ran. Norfleet gave
chase. Another gangster struck him
on the jaw with q piece Of lead pipe.
He was not disabled by the blow, how
ever, and chased the swindler into a
moving picture theater. He cornered
him in the upper balcony. Norfleet
Oulled his pistol and Spencer cried to
The crowd that he is going to kill me. i"
A score of men pounced on Norfleet,
who loudly protested that he was go.
ing to arrest the man, but the crowd
dragged him to the first floor of the
theater. Spencer. meanwhile. got
away down a fire escape.
81 will get him yet" Norfleet said
today.
One morning. two years ago, Nor
fleet, who the night previous had
closed a deal for an OIL lease on his
loO.000-acre ranch, kicked q wallet in
the lobby Of the Westbrook Hotel al
Fort Worth, Tex. He found that tho
wallet contained $4,000 in currency
IL had a Masonic membership card in
the name Of Joe Furey.
Fell for Game.
Norf1eet IL a thirty-second degree
York rite Mason and q Shriner. Nor
fleet took the wallet, advertised that
he found 1t, and the next day Furey
showed up. The acquaintance de
veloped. In q day or two Furey in
troduced Norfleet to Gerber and WARD
a. rich friends who were on the inside
! OF Wall Street. One of them had jus,
CLEANED UP a million, Furey said, and
believed they ought to let Norfleet
make something on their inside knowl
edge, because he had been 30 kind tc
= him in finding and returning the
5000.
So Norfleet was let In for $40, 200
In q couple of days they returned $40,
600, having doubled the original in
vestment. Shortly the gang declared
that II Norfleet would put up $50, 00t
they could literally make j. Pierpont
Morgan look like a piker and make 6
million dollars. SO they went over Il
Norfleet's bank and obtained the
money.
The "rich Stockholders" left the
ranch then and that was the last Nor
fleet saw Of them until he brought
about the arrest OF the quartet. Al
hut spencer and Ward. who Is dead
are In prison.
Nee was later roped in by the gans
by practically the same methods uset
~ Norf1eet