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Ten •————————————• Setting the Stage or the past seven months—from the blustery winter winds in early February through the stifling summer heat of the corn-­ growing season—Frank Novak had been the talk of Iowa. Stories flew around the farms and dusty crossroad towns, at county fairs and downtown courthouses, in the large cities and small villages, from Keokuk to Decorah, from What Cheer to Elkader and out west to the Missouri River valley. Most people believed that Novak had fled the state and had been gone for some time, although some were convinced that his family was hiding him right under the nose of the Benton County sheriff.1 Others thought that Novak and Murray were both still alive and had worked on the insurance scheme together.2 A small number of people were sure that, despite the news reports, Novak had died in the fire along with Edward Murray. The leader of this last group was Jo Novak, Frank Novak’s cousin from Iowa City. Now representing the Novak family’s claims against the insurance companies, Jo was still positive that his cousin was dead and the insurance companies were liable for the amount owed to Frank’s wife and two young boys. The stories that Frank was deeply in debt were all lies, Jo argued; the whole concept of his cousin’s financial distress was a complete fabrication constructed by an imaginative reporter.3 Furthermore, he pointed out, Frank’s life insurance policies amounted to about seventeen thousand dollars—not the twenty-­ seven thousand that the newspapers claimed—and were not taken out in the past eighteen months or so but dated back to about F 102 t h e t r i a l 1882. Jo Novak also pointed out to reporters that there was no motive for his cousin to commit this crime and that all of the charges would eventually be dismissed. Finally, he believed not only that Edward Murray had perished in the fire along with Frank Novak, but also that the farmer’s body was completely consumed by the flames. To Jo Novak, a man who appeared to file lawsuits as often as he changed his socks, the legal system was the only way to clear his cousin’s name, and Jo spent most of the summer gathering evidence to present his case against the Travelers company. In fact, by the end of August 1897, Jo Novak’s lawsuit had already begun. At Iowa City, M. J. Tobin served as the defense attorney for the insurance agencies and had so far refused to bring any of the exhibits, including Edward Murray’s skull, to the court as evidence. Based on the letters that he had received from Gus Thiel, Tobin was sure that Novak was still very much alive and did not wish to do anything that might compromise the evidence that he possessed. Moreover, Tobin had filed a countersuit against Frank Novak for the amount of twenty-­ six dollars and fifty-­ three cents, the money that Novak had earned as a part-­ time agent for Travelers but had never turned over to that company. On August 27, the court was debating this issue, with Tobin himself on the witness stand, when a messenger burst into the courtroom and handed him a telegram from the Cedar Rapids Evening Gazette. The Benton County prosecutor immediately read the newspaper’s message to the courtroom: “Novak has been captured. Will print story tonight.”4 Upon hearing the news, Jo Novak became pale and left the courtroom for a few minutes to regain his composure. When he returned, he informed the court that he had nothing further to say except that he did not believe the news report. Further, Jo Novak was adamant that Frank was dead and would not be convinced otherwise unless he actually saw his cousin alive. At Tobin’s request, the judge granted a continuance in the case and the courtroom emptied. Tobin later confessed to a reporter that Setting the Stage 103 he could scarcely believe that, after all these months, Novak’s flight was over and the fugitive had actually been apprehended.5 Tobin returned to Vinton and began making plans for what he was sure would be an extremely difficult prosecution. He knew that the real work in the case was just beginning.    The news of Frank Novak’s capture spread quickly through the state, rolling across Iowa like ball lightning. It was difficult to pick up any newspaper...

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