Omaha daily bee., 1920-11-22
$24,5lO in
Mail Loot
Recovered
$7,480 Found in Possession
Of Fred Poffcnbarger's
Father and Brother
When Arrested.
Collins May Have Rest

PoStal inspectors. VINO, except Tor
the arrest of Keith Collins. have
brought TO a conclusion the invcsti-
cation OF the Burlington mail train
robbey in Council Bluffs on the night
of November Is. yesterday counted
the currency which has been re-
covered from various caches and
hiding places, where it was sccreted
by. the men now under arrest.
The grand total of recovered loot
is S23,460 in currency $l0S0 in
bonds and three diamond brooches
valued at about SIS each, according
to statement made last evening
by w. NJ Noel, postal Inspector
from Scdaia, Mo, who has been in
charge of tn. .eestigation here for
the last four days
Currency Found in Home.
K The currency found at the home
OF #. A. DAILY, 2753 Seventh avenue,
totalcd $l5,620. This was concealed
in jar of lard, can of coffee,
the chicken coop and several other
caches. 1t was taken to the DAILY
home after the robbery by Fred f.
PoffcnSarger, 10, and was his share
\ of the loot divided between him and
Keith Collins, driver of the auto
mobile. after they had double
crossed" their confederatesy the
Phillips brothers.
Young Potfenbargcr later took
$4,000 III currency from the
$4,000 which he first brought to
the Daily home and divided it be-
tween his father, Fred A. Poffen-
barger, 2439 Sixth avenue, and his
brother, Clyde r. Poffenbargcr, 26,
1917 South Ninth streeA OF this
amount $3.50 was recovered Sum
day morning, when the father and
brother were arrested.
Older Brother Arrested.
When the young robber admitted
during examination that he had Civ,
Ell his brother, Clyde, $1,000 on
Monday following the robbery, fed
eral agents arrested the older broth
er. He was found at the home of
his mother-in-law, Mrs. Ollie Jacob
son, 1917 South Ninth street, where
he and his wife make their home
After grilling of several hours,
Clyde told officials he had concealed
the money in the vault of an out
house at his home. Al search was
made and $6,840 was recovered.
Young Fred's next admission was
that Ire had given hiS. fatherv$1 600.
on the same day. The elder Poffen-
barger was arrested and took the
agents to corn field, where, he had
buried part of the money in can.
The remainder was found in trash
can in the rear of the home at 245o
Sixth avenue.
Face Serious Charge. =
The brother and father of the
young mail robber will face the same
charges placed against Mr.. and Mrs.
r. A. DAILY and Fl. A., Reed. that of
concealing property which they
knew had been stolen from the gov
ernment. The penalty for this Of
Tense is as great as that provided Tor
the act"-l robbery%of the mails, a
maximum of 25 years and $4,000
fine.
No statements which have been
made to agents who examined the
p4soners indicate that any more of
the stolen loot is still concealed any
where in the city. All of the stuff
which the youths admitted they pur-
loined from the mail pouches either
has been recovered or-is accounted
for in some other manner.
Keith Collins. former, army avia-
tor living at 1889 Seventh avenue,
who was branded by the youngest
Foffenbarger Saturday night as the
man who drove the automobile used
by him and his accomplices, is be-
iieved to be in possesyion of about
$4,000 in currency, the balance of
the $50,000 shipment known to have
been stolen.
Admit Burning Bonds.
Oryillc Phillips turned over to
postal inspectors two bonds, one a
$50 Liberty loan bond and the other
a $1,000 City of Bordeaux or French
bond. The Phillips brothers and
Fred E. poffenbarger admitted burn
.@ng more than 100000 worth Of
these French bonds and say they
also, destroyed quantities of other
bonds ans securities found in the
pouches. kilograms from insurance
companies indicate that more than
S5,000,O00 worth Of bonds and Sc
curities were in the pouches stolen.
Postal inspectors said last night
that their work in Council Bluffs is
completed, that no other suspects
have been implicated by the con-
T, fessions of the youthful mail rob-
bers and that no more of the loot
known to have been stolen is miss
ing.
Keith Collins Sought.
They will now turn their attention
to the apprehension of Keith Col
Inns, the auto driver. first implicated
by his Omaha sweetheart, Miss Ella
Peterson, l706 South Tenth street,
whose suspicious were troused by
his sudden possession of large quar-
titles of currency. Collin disap-
peared when his fiancc refused to
marry him on short notice and in
sisted on postponing the wedding.
Collins is said to be a man of
very different type from the confed--
crates whom he assisted in the rob-
Defy OF t1t Dun iiRtoli ihdH tidhi'
He is we'll educated, OF refined ap-
pearance and manners and dresses
neatly. He was invited to participate
in the robbery by Fred E. Poffen-
barger, who was only casual ac-
ouaintance, and who played cards
with other friends once or twice at
= the Collins home, 1889 Seventh ave-
nue..
The Phillips brothers. Merle and
Orville, did not know Keith Collins
and his identity was guarded from
them by young Poffenbarger, who
\ planned to- "double-cross" his two
pals by arranging with Collins to
2 drive away with the car after only
part OF the sacks had been loaded