The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-09-10
District Attorney Bone will Ask
Indictment of Naftzger.
HISTORY OF THE CASE.
From Extreme Social Field to
Wandering Robber.
Ex- President and Ex-
Chief of Police Implicated.

Wichita, Kan.,. Sept. 10.-The pro-
prietor of "Callahan's dump" a retired
president of the largest bank in Kan
sas, an ex-chief of police and seven
men alleged to be among the most
dangerous ''yeggs'' in the country, COM
pose an interesting group which will
be presented to the September federal
grand jury, which meets in Wichita
next Monday morning.
1t is the most absorbing topic Wich-
tia speculation has had to feed upon
in many day. Evidence will be pre-
scented to the grand jury by the United
States district attorney, H. ]. Bone. on
which he will ask the indictment of
L. S. Naftzger, until few days ago
president of the Fourth National bank
of Wichita, Frank 8. Burt, until We'd
nesday of last week chief of police OF
Wichita, and John Callahan, ex-con-
Wet and notorious harasser of federal
and state peace officers. Each Will be
accused of receiving and disposing of
property stolen from the United States.
This property is about $1,000 worth of
postage stamps.
Bank President Implicated.
Bound up in this evidence is story
whose devious thread runs from ex-
IRENE to extreme of the social field,
from the wandering, banded robber of
country postofflces to the executive
head of the largest banking house IN
a great and wealthy state, touching as
it winds, the chief peace officer of the
principal city of that state and mail
order physician, whose fear of fed
eral espionage induced him to turn
informer.
For a long time It has been known
to the police authorities that some
where in or about Wichita was a
'sfence" through which large quanti-
ties of stamps stolen from robbed Kan
sas postoffices were being disposed of,
but all efforts to discover 1t had failed.
Professor Samuels Gave 1t Away.
At last it was stumbled upon. Prof.
H. Samuels conducts here an extensive
mail order business in the treatment
of diseases of the eye. All mail order
concerns are legitimately under the
view of the United States postal au-
thorities. one day last month POST
master w, E. Edwards and a postoff1ce
inspector. John A. Elvin, called on
Professor Samuels and made inquiries
about the business he was doing. They
found nothing upon which to base red
eral interference. but they left with
him the impression that they might
call again.
They had scarcely returned to their
office in the federal building when
Samuels appeard.
There's just one thing I didn't tell
have been buying considerable guam
titles of postage stamps at discount.
I wanted to ask you If there is any
thing wrong in that. Ought 1 stop
doing it 2"
"Who's been selling them to your"
Elvin asked.
Stamps Sold at Half Price.
81. S. Naftzger, president of the
Fourth National bank" Samuels an
swered. The postmaster and the in
spector went to the Fourth National
bank. Naftzger took them into his
private office.
s'Where are you getting those post
age stamps you have been selling to
samuels?" Elvin demanded bluntiy.
Naftzger said: "Well, I don't see
why I should not answer that question.
I have been buying them from Frank
Burt, chief of police
Edwards and Elvin went to Burt.
Frank said E1vin, where are
you getting the stamps you've been
selling to Naftzger for the Fourth
National?"
Burt, a skilled hunter of criminals,
made no attempt to evade the Ques-
ton
'I've been getting them from John
Callahan" he said.
How much did Callahan get out
of it?''
Fifty cents on the dollar"
Nine Offices Robbed Since june 1.
Later Naftzger would dispose of
them for from seventy-five to ninety
cents on the dollar. At the latter
price Samuels bought of Naftzger
$1,292 worth.
You know, don't you," Elvin said
to Burt, that since June 1 the post
offices at Kanopolis, Woodbine, Dor
rance, Paradise, Hope, Ransom, Bur-
dick, Thinker and Frederick have
been broken into by yeggs and robbed
of stamps?"
The arrest of Callahan by w. H.
Mackey, United States marshal, fol-
lowed. 1t was peculiarly lacking in
the elements of the spectacular. Chief
Burt drove in his buggy to Gala
hans Dump a tough Joint" on the
edge of the Santa Fe railroad yards.
He brought Callahan back with him
to police headquarters. There Mackey
placed Callahan under arrest. He was
subsequently released on bond, being
at that time and now at liberty also
under five thousand dollar cash
bond deposited by himself Che has
large deposits in Wichita banks) on
appeal to the supreme court from
conviction of the robbery of a bank at
Milan, Kan. For this crime he is now
under sentence of from five to ten
years in the penitentiary at Leaven-
worth Some years ago Callahan was
sentenced to a long term for robbing
bank at Clearwater, Kan. He was
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