WALDRON, IN — Around 100 FBI agents swarmed an elderly man’s house in rural Indiana. The Federal government has set up a command post with trucks and military-style tents. The feds showed up to sort through his lifetime collection of world artifacts that he had gathered over the course of his 91 years. The agents claim they want to make sure he “acquired the items properly” — effectively making him prove his innocence — even though the man has not been accused of breaking any laws.Don Miller, 91, has led a remarkable life filled with world travels and research. He never had any children, and instead spent his years devoted to science, history, and travel. He has visited over 200 countries, and began collecting cultural artifacts nearly 8 decades ago.
Over time he has built an impressive collection comprised of thousands of relics. He has objects from China, Haiti, Australia, Russia, New Guinea, Italy, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Greece, Peru, Russia, among other countries. His North American artifacts include objects from the native tribes that once populated the continent.
Mr. Miller has been proud to show off his collection to folks. The locals liken his collection to a museum. He’d give people permission to invite friends along to tour his house.
His passion has never been a secret. Unfortunately, his openness brought him the unwanted attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Dozens of federal agents set up camp around his house, in a monumental effort to determine if Mr. Miller had ever broken a law, statute, or treaty. Several mobile command centers were brought in along with archeologists, anthropologists, and a legion of bureaucrats. The staging of the FBI at the Miller home has been ongoing this week and will last an unknown duration. The use of taxpayer resources to incriminate the old man is truly immense.
When neighbor Andi Essex heard the FBI was raiding Miller’s home, she grew upset. “Why? Why? Leave him alone! He's done so much for people,” she said according to WISH-TV.
A plumber who once toured Miller’s house recalled the collection: “It was pretty neat stuff. I was really interested in looking at all of it… He had a head with an arrowhead stuck in it, like a skull and all kinds of Indian artifacts from arrowheads to hatchets to peace pipes to just anything.”
The FBI experts who were brought in to snoop through Miller’s home were stunned. “I’m frankly overwhelmed I’ve never seen a collection like this in my entire life,” said Dr. Larry Zimmerman.
“The exact number of artifacts in the collection is unknown at this time but it’s believed to be in the thousands,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Robert Jones. “The monetary value of the entire collection and of its individual pieces is yet to be determined however the cultural value of these artifacts is immeasurable.”
Miller’s fascinating life included working for the U.S. Army during World War 2, and being part of the secret team of researchers that test-fired the world’s first atomic bomb. As the Rushville Republican reported, after the 1945 armistice, being surrounded by some of the brightest minds in the country with “no more war to fight,” Miller set up his own makeshift college within the Army. He graded papers for famed physicist Enrico Fermi.
But that was decades ago. Mr. Miller, now a kindly old gentleman, was described as being “very cooperative.” But he insists “absolutely” that he acquired everything legally.
The FBI’s implication, however, is that Mr. Miller is a lawbreaker, and they are preying on his trust and cooperation until they can actually produce evidence in order to prove it.
