Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-08-20
Communicated
Fruit Stealing.

also upon the growing evil of fruit
stealing among US. Ny object was to
call your attention to those ques,
tons, hoping that You would be able
to Introduce them to the public in
such form as to draw out during
the summer an expression OF public
feeling upon them. But | did not
expect that the Language | used would
apper in the Herald over my own
signature as it did in the issue Of
April Both. Your remarks, | think,
had tendancy to deter rather than
incite an extensive exposure of the
evil.
The law, it is true, means we'll and
perhaps is the very best and most
tangible that could be framed, and in
its application it reminds one of the
French pedlar selling bug powders !:
An old lady was delighted to obtain
SO necessary an article, but on exam
nation found the package contained
no directions for their application
she at once called after the pedlar to
obtain the desired information, and
Frenchman turning around said,
"Why, madam, you mus catch de
pug an git he between your dun and
finger an den cram de powders down
he neck-dey very soon choke him.
You would find it very embarras-
sing to prosecute person you never
saw In The act of orchard stealing
or If SO, it vas in the midnight, and
although you might be fully satisfied
in your own mind as to who it was,
you would fird it difficult to readily
convince a court Your remarks to
the parties, however, were full of
meaning, and it will be well for them,
l think, if they arc regarded. Ny
object in calling your attention
to the subject was to expose the mag
nitude of the evil and to effect uni
ted effort to put it down. | would
put it down by rigid enforcement
of the law if we could without it If
we must. My remarks you publish>
ed have met with but one response
that of Mr.. Darnell, which appear
ed in the Herald Of May 18th, and he
has never had any fruit stolen he is
a happy man and is blessed with
honest neighbors. He gives away
his apples and therefore they are not
stolen. This is the only time | have
ever been accused of being stingy
with my fruit, altho'I would certainly
not give a single apple to him whom |
thought would steal one from me-
Mr.. Darnell evidently does not COM
prehend The greatness Of the evil
and his remedies are in accordance
with his views of the subject they
might do in the case of small boys,
but there is no doubt we have some
larger thieves out our way. inserts
ing poison into apples without label
ing is new, and | think, question
able practice. The pointed nails and
holes large at the bottom and small
at the top might be a little troubles
some at night if placed under the
trees, and they would look very bad
in the daytime when we show perhaps
the very fellow about our orchard
who intends coming again at night
to profit by the items gathered. =
l. have always made a practice of
killing squirrels and other vermin
for undermining my trees and it
would now look very bad of me to go
at it myself on a large scale. The
steel traps would be first rate thing
if we could manage some plan by
which the thief when caught would
be jerked up out of the reach of his
comrades, for then we could take him
right into court and there would be
no mistake about the right one for
the offender | said that hundreds of
bushels had been stolen from single
orchards, and meant all that | said.
Last fall | received intelligence that
my apples were being stolen at an
extravaganza rate, and as soon as ]
thought they would do to gather |
went out, and from what | saw in
the orchard | do not think the re
ports exaggerated. We gathered a
load and according to my own Judge
ment and that OF other competent
persons there was then at least 300
bushels on the trees. We continued
to gather as fast as they would do
and much sooner than some of them
should have been gathered and l25
bushels were all we got. In part
which we call the young orchard, we
thought there was 100 bushels and
we did not get 10. At first thought
it was on account of my absence
from the farm, but on talking with
others they complained as bad as |.
some saying that wagons were driv>
en- up to their orchards and loaded
and driven away. However, as they
do not object, it is but fair to con.
clude that they intend to submit to
the practice, but | am frank to say
that | will not.
In the state of Iowa, some wears
ago, horse stealing was carried on to
such an extent that the people, find>
ing the law no longer a protection,
resorted to shooting, and shot every
horse thief they could catch. wheth-
err in the act Of stealing or ALTERS
wards; some from our own county,
it is said, were among the NUMBER
The remedy proved effectual and to
the present day horse thief will
look every way before he will run to
Iowa. | have no doubt the same
remedy would prove equally effectu,
al with apple thieves if it were adopt
ed here.
Early in the worlds history apples
were made speciality and death was
the penalty for stealing them. 1t
was mean thing when Adam stole
those apples, all the meaner because
the devil made him believe he would
never die for it, and ever since that
day it has been devilish mean thing
to steal apples. Indeed there is no
words suitable for me to use which
will begin to express the contempt
which | fell toward the low lived.
sneaking villain, who in this enlight-
i