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J. Frank Norfleet
James Franklin “Frank” Norfleet (February 23, 1865 - October 15, 1967) was a rancher and self-appointed detective.
Born in Lampasas County, Texas in 1865, the first of six children of Jasper Holme...view moreJames Franklin “Frank” Norfleet (February 23, 1865 - October 15, 1967) was a rancher and self-appointed detective.
Born in Lampasas County, Texas in 1865, the first of six children of Jasper Holmes Benton, a Texas Ranger, and Mary Ann (Shaw) Norfleet, Frank’s father was fighting Indians on the frontier during the closing months of the Civil War. He spent part of his youth on his father’s free cattle range north of San Angelo and in 1879 joined a buffalo hunt to the Llano Estacado. Subsequently he worked as a cowboy and drover for various outfits. From 1886-1889 Frank was employed as hired help with cattle and then became foreman of a newly acquired Spade Ranch in Lamb and Hockley counties. He remained with Spade until 1904, when he started his own ranching operation on a 2,000-acre tract in western Hale County.
In 1907 he constructed a new frame ranch house on the draw that soon became a showplace, harboring wild game and exotic bird species. There he developed the famous “Five Dollar Strain” of race horses from a scraggly pony he had bought for that amount.
Frank’s legendary stint as an amateur sleuth began as a result of a business venture to Fort Worth, and between 1919 and 1935 he brought in over 100 confidence men and other lawbreakers to justice. His short stature and ability to stalk a criminal and stay on a fugitive’s fresh trail earned him the nickname “Little Tiger.” He was awarded a special certificate from the FBI for his services and his exploits became the subject of several magazine articles and a full-length book, “Norfleet”: The Actual Experiences of a Texas Rancher’s 30,000-Mile Transcontinental Chase After Five Confidence Men (1924).
Norfleet died in 1967 at the age of 102 and was buried in Lubbock Resthaven Mausoleum.view less
Books by J. Frank Norfleet
Norfleet: The Actual Experiences of a Texas Rancher’s 30,000-Mile Transcontinental Chase After Five Confidence Men