The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-01

wichita, Accused of Disposing of
Loot.
The operations which have been go
ing on between Callahan and his gang
and Chief Burt and Mr. Naftzger nave
resulted in diSpoSing of something ilke
5000 in stamps during the past rev
months, according to estimates neaue
by the officers. This has made post
office robbery d profitable business for
the Callahan gang. The 'iitficuity IN
postoffice robberies is not in getting
possession of the stamps from poStof-
fees where they are notably unpro-
tected, but in disposing of the stolen
goods under the watchful eye of the
government
The situation created in Wichita was
ideal for the Callahan gang. When an
yeggman had robbed a postoftice he
hurried to Wichita knowing that he
was not going to be molested he oe-
posted the stamps with Callahan, VINO
sent for Chief Burt, and Burt took the
stamps to their market. The stamps
were generally sold at about rs cents
on the dollar. The yeggman got about
80 cents on the dollar.
How Detectives Worked.
For a long period the postoffice de-
partment has been veXed to solve thu
numerous robberies at the postoffices
in Kansas, and became convinced that
the work was that of an organized
gang.
To John A. Elvin. postoffice in
spector, fell the burden of ferreting
out the gang. Mr.. Elvin Immediately
| applied himself to the task of locat-
ing the headquarters of the gang, and
| set himself to the problem of solving
| the most important question of what
was being done with the loot.
| Postal inspectors have way of
reasoning always, that it does no
good to capture inferior members of
| a gang, because the depredations will
| go on regardles of the loss of man
now and then by death or capture.
| They reason, however, that when the
| leader is caught, and the system is
broken up, that the lesser lights in
the organization are then put out of
| business.
In getting on the trail of the post
| office robbers, the postoffice depart
ment did much studying.
| They watched the statistics of all
the offices in the larger cities, and
made careful comparisons of the
stamp sales over various periods. They
reasoned that if all of the stamps
| which were being stolen, were being
used. that this ought to diminish the
normal sale of stamps at the other of.
fees.
! With this idea the sale of stamps
| in Wichita was carefully observed,
and the detectives believed that for
the matter of stamped matter sent
out, there was not enough stamps sold
from the Wichita office.
| When this suspicion was confirm
ed, the detectives began making a
study of the underworld in Wichita
/ Every criminal knows, and every
/ detective knows, that the actual COM
mission of theft is the simple part of
the work but that the real work con-
sists in disposing of the loot in such
a manner as to avoid detection. II
is in diSpoSing of plunder in sufficient
lnrronfifxy n mako IFS connection nr0f-
table that tasks the ingenuity of rob-
bers. The postoffice department knows
that its most effective warfare is not
against the yeggs that do the actual
violence to the primitive defense q
many of the marks" throughout the
country, especially in the sparsely set
tied districts; but that the best way
to fight depredations is to make it
impossible to dispose of goods that are
stolen.
Watched Wichita Mail.
The inspectors working on the mys-
!, teries of the robbed offices therefore
did not spend their time in trailing
the yeggs who travel about the coun-
try doing the actual work, but they
worked on what they regarded as the
rmen higher up
The postoffice inspectors made a
study of users of large quantities of
stamps in Wichita, and informed
themselves of the amount of mail sent
out Dy various COHCoInS.
Among the largest users of the
mails in Wichita is Prof. H. Samuels,
; who has a large correspondence with
patients to whom he sells medicine for
treatment of disease through the
| eyes.
Inspector Elvin is said to have made
a study of the number of stamps used
by this business office, and to have com
pared this with the source of supply which
was accounted for by postoffice informa-
ton. BY skillful detective work it is
stated that the postoffice official connect.
ed this concern with Mr.. Naftzger of the
Fourth National bank
From Mr.. Naftzger the postoffice in.
spector kept on tracing the history of this
large quantities of stamps until he con.
nected Chief of Police Burt with sucI
property. From Chief Burt to John Gala
han it is said to have been easier to con
meet the chain of transactions
The men arrested are Dan Carney, vii
; liam Carson and Blank Ryan, taken a
Wymore Neb., Frank Williams Srnitl
| Wilson and one other arrested at Mays
j VILE, Kan, and John Callahan, RAY Tenn
pleton and Edward Earl who were caugh
in Wichita by the federal officers
| Callahan, Templeton, Earl Wilson
and Eickenrod were arraigned .befor
| Commissioner Franix1 Campbell at
| O'Clock this afternoon. Their bond wa
fixed and their cases continued
I
i Weather Indications.
RI Chicago, Sept. forecast for Kan