Overcoming the natural fear of making himself a laughingstock, a Panhandle rancher went public on Dec. 18, 1919 with his embarrassing tale of woe.
During a business trip to Dallas the previous month, James Franklin Norfleet caught the eye of a con artist on the lookout for an easy “mark.” Posing as a mule buyer, Reno Hamlin struck up a conversation with the affable stranger and so...