The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-03-20
BAyKEn' 5 GREED,
HIS UNDOING
!, Anxious to Make Money That He
Acted as Fence in Traffic
Of Stolen Postage
Stamps.
gEGGMEN's PLUMBER
Kansas Gang Of Bank and Postoffice
Robbers is Broken up by
the Conviction Of the
Banker.

WICHITA, Kan. March 2o.-The
government has put an end to the
market for stolen stamps in Wichita
In the fight to wipe out this illegal
traffic, 1t has been necessary for a
jury to convict not only the ..yeeg.
men who cracked the postoffice safe.
but former bank president, and the
testimony of former chief OF police,
who confessed to having taken part
In the transactions. was used to Sc,
cure conviction.
Levi s. Naftzger, former president
Of the Fourth National Bank of Wichi.
ta was found guilty by federal jury
F Of unlawful traffic in stolen STAMPS
with intent to defraud the govern
ment
The trial of Naftzger was begun
Thursday. He was indicted by the
grand jury last September, along
with John Callahan. leader of the
callahan band of bank and postof-
fee robbers, and Frank S. Burt, for
mer chief of police. Naftzger was
charged with four transactions in stol-
en- postage stamps, aggregating $1,000
He was found guilty on one count
which charged that he bought $3.50
worth of stolen postage stamps from
Chief Burt on July 6, 1910, and sold
them the next day to Prof. II. Samu-
els for $4a0.
When the clerk read, Not guilty in
first. not guilty in the second count,
guilty in the third count, not guilty
/ in the fourth count the financier
sprang to his feet and said:
What is that. guilty on just one OF
the four?'
District Attorney H.sJ. Bone said
the verdict ends the government.
prosecutions in the stamp cases. 1t de
veloped during the trial that the gov
ernment's case depended on the testi-
nony of former Police Chief F. S.
Bnrt
Naftzger, in an unguarded moment
lold postoffice Inspector John Elvin
where he got large quantities of stamps
ne mad sold at a discount. He impli
Gated Burt. Burt made confession to
ne governments inspector involving
Callahan.
saiiahan, desiring to place himself
IN a, position to demand immunity,
gave up Roy Templeton and Edward
Earl postoffice robbers, and the
Stamps stolen from the Hope and
burdict tKans.) offices. The govern
ment elected to use Burt's testimony,
promising to Burt that he would not
De sent to prison.
Durt swore he received the stolen
stamps from Callahan, who got them
from Templeton and Earl. These
sssinps found their way to Naftzger
VINO sold them twice in the name of
.ie oank and twice as private indivi-
aual The expose of the stamp fence
u.ose Naftzger from the national bank
aI'er 4 being associated with 1t more
lhan twenty years.
!, as the head of the biggest bank in
:, 'ae southwest he became a power in
.i'e financial world, being stockholder
iaa director In many of the wholesale
i'iu retail establishments in Wichita.
!. ohe OF the most damaging admis
I ',o'is While on the witness stand was
la' It was his greed for money that
,suseu :, him to traffic in stamps offer
. 70 MIN at IS cents on the dollar.
nattzger's offense is punishable by
nhe OF not more than $1,000 or by
y in the penitentiary of
y, ~ longer than five years. or by both.
.uuge Pollock will pass sentence dur
Is the present term of the court.
'he convicted former banker is 81
ears old and has two daughters and