Evening star., 1922-08-26
MAN HUNTERNEAR
END OF ROUNDUP
SWore He Would Get Crooks
After Being SWindIed
Out Of Savings.
CAUSES ARREST OF 80
Looking for Few More at Large,
He Says, Before Settling Down
With Family.
CAUSES ARREST OF 33
BY the Associated Press.

ID. iHe AssOcldteu IEesS
DENVER, Col, August 26.-J. Frank
Norfleet. one time victim of the Joe
Furey gang of confidence men. who
has devoted much of his time in hunt
ing men engaged in swindling others.
tonight declared he was going Ito
more men on his list and go home to
Hale Center. Tex.
Norfieet furnished information to
local authorities which led to the
arrest of thirty-three persons alleged
to have operated confidence games in
Colorado. Florida, Cuba and elsewhere.
Lou Blonger and A. w. Duff were re-
leased on bonds of S25,0OO each, but
the others were held.
Tells Of Being Swindled.
Norf1eet. discussing his career as a
man hunter" said
Il had never known crooked man
or dishonest woman in my life until
the day Furey took me for sucker.
We-ma, my little girl, my boy, Pete,
and lived on a ranch at Hale
school. SO ma and l saved quite d
little. We picked out the school at
Plainview and after settling sonny
there went on to Fort Worth"
1t was there he first was swindled.
He said he lost every cent he owned
and left heavily in debt
Out to Get "yermin."
You know, l promised ma I'd quit
this manhunt and go back home and
live at peace" he continued. But
somebody's got to clear the earth of
these vermin. They prey on the in
nocent ] know twenty-four men in
Texas and elsewhere who have been
robbed. broken-hearted and some
have died because of the Villainy of
these confidence men. Somebody's s
got to fight them to finish and I'm
the man that's willing to do it.
"Furey's dead, Gerber's in prison
Wards in a suicides grave. But
there's still master mind at work
and, sooner or later, III get his ad-
dress and him. That's Charles G.
Harris, alias w. B. Spencer. and an
other almost as equally clever, Reno
Hamlin.
Prisoner Escapes.
You see, they were all in the
swindling oil lease and farm land
deals Hamlin was caught and placed
and so is at large again l traced
Spencer, or Harris, to Canada. Got
him there at Montreal and raced him
through the streets into a moving
picture show, where the manager
grabbed me. gave me over to the
good locker and l just look as though
i was one of the born-every minute
brigade.
when / came to Denver l recog-
nized one of the old gang. He didn't
recognize me. For two days and
nights played their game. I can play
any game except that of a good look
ipo attractive wise man.
Il am firmly convinced Spencer. or
HARMS. is not far away and it is my
intention to get him.
After Two More.
I'm out to get two more men on my
list and I'm going to get them. and
after that. why. I'm going home to
Hale Center. Tex, and let ma make
a fuss over me and feed me some of
those biscuits and waffles and corn
pone and baked ham that Ward and
Gerber ate before they took us N to
the tune of $4,000"
officials estimated that more than
s1,OO0O0O had been obtained from
tourists and visitors in Denver the
last year by members of the alleged
ring.
Homer French. said by local author
tiles to have served a sentence in
the federal penitentiary at Atlanta.
Ga, and to be known in New York
and Atlantic City. was arrested last
night at Estes Park. Colo, in con-
nection with the arrest here yesterday
Of thirty alleged members of a million
dollar confidence ring
Philip Van Cise, district attorney.
who brought the prisoner to Denver
today. charged that French was in
volved in a $4,000 confidence game
at Miami, Fla. A tip that French was
in Estes Park was received yester-
day al the district attorneys office and
he was traced last night with the
aid of state rangers, Mr.. Van Csc
stated.