In 1985, while performing a title examination in Texas Coastal Bend Refugio ("Rey-fury-o") County, I came across J.G. Catlett, a Tulsa, OK oilman, who owned an overriding royalty interest (ORRI). ORRIs are associated with individual oil leases; therefore, when the lease it is tied to expires, so does the ORRI. In that case, the base lease never produced oil or gas—and it expired on its own terms, wiping out Catlett's ORRI.
Months later, I again saw Catlett in the records of Goliad County. In that case, Catlett owned a mineral interest that my client wanted to include in a drilling prospect. I had to find Catlett and get an oil and gas lease from him (or his heirs). Thus began an extensive search for the Oklahoman, whose address in all public record documents bore a deficient address of "Tulsa, OK." No street address, office building name, post office box, or drawer number – nothing but the annoyingly imprecise "Tulsa, OK."
In April 2022, I launched another search for the elusive Mr. Catlett. What I found shocking was that in 1933, Catlett played a direct role in one of the most sensational crimes in the FBI's history. The February 1929 St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the March 1932 Lindbergh baby kidnapping, and the June 1933 Kansas City Massacre involved some of the same players as the matter in which Catlett took part. After 37 years, I discovered the whereabouts—and the character—of J.G. Catlett.