User:Kissmykumbaya/sandbox

J. Frank Norfleet was an American rancher who, after being swindled, hunted down and exposed a ring of con-artists led by Lou Blonger. He gained a national reputation as being one of America's top manhunters during the first half of the 20th century.

=Early Life= J. Frank Norfleet was born in Lampasas County, Texas to Texas Ranger Jasper Holmes Benton and Mary Ann (Shaw) Norfleet. The oldest of six children, Norfleet spent his early years on his father's free cattle range north of San Angelo. In 1879 he joined a buffalo hunt to the Llano Estacado and afterwards took on several jobs as a cowboy and drover.

Spade Ranch
In 1886 Norfleet began driving cattle for brothers Dudley H. Snyder and John W. Snyder. He stayed with them until 1889, when the Snyders sold the Spade Ranch to Isaac L. Ellwood. Norfleet "went along with the deal almost like a chattel", and was promoted to foreman of the ranch. In 1894 Norfleet married Mattie Eliza Hudgins and subsequently had four children, two of which died in childhood. Norfleet left the Spade Ranch in 1904, when he started his own ranching operation on a 2,000-acre tract in western Hale County. Norfleet spent years adding horses, mules and cattle to his ranch and became an accomplished breeder. He was able to sell his stock both in the city as well as providing breeding stock to nearby ranchers. He also continued to amass ranch land. By 1919 Norfleet had become quite wealthy.

=External links= https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/20457270/james-franklin-norfleet https://books.google.ca/books?id=C8BsDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT17&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4#v=onepage&q&f=false http://www.amyreading.com/the-truth-gets-dicey.html https://www.paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2012/03/j-frank-norfleet-and-the-pursuit-of-justice.html http://www.graftersclub.com/bios/Norfleet.asp https://www.npr.org/2012/03/24/149148112/the-big-con-if-you-cant-avoid-it-avenge-it https://hometownbyhandlebar.com/?p=2028 https://www.reed.edu/reed-magazine/articles/2012/reading-history-of-big-con.html https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2012/03/19/something-for-nothing/ https://www.myplainview.com/news/article/Swindeled-rancher-J-Frank-Norfleet-put-con-men-8467031.php