Evening star., 1936-03-30
BY JUNIUS b. WOOD.

TAMPA, Fla. March 80 (NAN.AD. q.
The case of Frank Norman has re-
ceived considerable publicity, but the
tactics used follow so closely those of
other mysterious disappearances, fog
gings and murders that it must be in
cluded in any general summary of
such incidents in Central Florida.
Norman lived in Lakeland, In Polk
County, situated between the counties
of which Tampa and Orlando are the
county seats. His widow still lives in
Lakeland Norman was active in or
ganizing a branch of the International
Labor Defense among citrus workers.
He was a Communist, and the Ku
Klux Klan is avowedly combating
communism.
Three men called at the Norman
home on the evening of April II, 1884.
The largest man, with show of good
nature, introduced himself as the
sheriff and said they wanted to see
Frank. Mrs. Norman later saw the
actual sheriff. He bore no resem-
blance to the man, and declared his
Office had nothing to do with the visit.
1t was kidnapping.
Last Seen of Norman.
Norman accompanied the sheriff"
and his deputies" They also took
another man who was living in the
house Ostensibly they were going to
the sheriff's Office downtown. After
driving short distance, they asked
the other man his name, put him out
Of the car and told him to go back to
his wife. That couple has moved into
An almost inaccessible part of the
Everglades, the great swamp of
Southern Florida.
That was two years ago and was the
last seen of Frank Norman. Polk
County authorities explained their in
ability to find any trace of him, or of
the men who had impersonated the
sheriff and deputies. They claimed to
have a report that somebody had seen
a man who fitted Norman's descrip-
ton hitch-hiking North couple of
days after his disappearance.
Mrs. Norman is convinced the dead
or unconscious body Of her husband
was thrown that same night into one
of the swamps or lakes which alternate
with fertile fruit land in this part of
Florida and that it will stay there
until nature gives up the secret. When
a swamp was drained for cultivation
near Brooksville, about equally distant
from Lakeland, Tampa and st. Peters,
k,,,rr i've Nf 1ol lo1ar1
were found. Though newspapers
printed reports of the find, none of the
bodies could be identified, and the
explanation was offered that the bodies
probably were those of Negroes brought
from some other part of the State.
Five Murders Unreported
One Orlando citizen says that out
OF that county's toll of murders in one
year, at least five were not reported
to the authorities, nor were they
chronicled in the newspapers. The
explanation is that relatives or friends
feared the only result of reporting
them would be to bring more ven-
geance on themselves.
A lawyer says that before trying a
case, which he named, he was able to
investigate the jury venire through Ku
Klux Klan sources and found that 1873
OF the $50 men were Klansmen.
Brooksville, where Raymond Robins
has donated an estate for a public
game preserve, is somewhat removed
from the center Of lawless activity
and only a couple of its outstanding
cases need be mentioned One eve
ming a lawyer was sitting with mis-
wife inside their screened front ver-
anda. An automobile stopped in front,
guns blazed, filled him full of lead
and drove away. One noon while
court was recessed for luncheon the
judge and a lawyer we're chatting in
the lobby of the hotel. The Judge
turned away and had gone only a few
steps when the door opened and that
lawyer was disposed of in the same
manner. Both murders are officially
unsolved
Tarpon Springs. where Greeks fish