Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-04-06
A GAME CHICKEN IN COURT.
Suit for ats Possession Leads 10 ahe
Discovery OF a Theft and the Death
of a Chicken Thief.

On last Christmas night some marauder
entered the wood yard Of Mr.. h. H.
Thomas, near Gas House Hill, and captured
some forty odd chickens, with which he
escaped. Mention Of this raid was made In
the MORNING NEWS at the time, and also
the fact that among the chickens stolen was
a very fine game rooster, which had been
loaned Mr.. Thomas. No clue to the theft
was obtained until some time last week,
when Mr.. Thomas accidentally discovered a
game rooster in the yard of a citizen, which
bore such striking resemblance to the one
stolen as to induce him to make certain in
quiries. The party who had loaned him the
chicken was called upon and informed of
the discovery, and accompanied him to the
place, when he positively identified the
rooster as his property. Mr.. Thomas then
made a demand upon the citizen in whose
yard it was found, which was refused, the
citizen stating that he had received the
rooster from another party, whose name he
gave. This party was then called on, who
declined to acknowledge the claim, and
asserted that the rooster belonged to him.
Mr.. Thomas then proceeded to Magistrate
Molina's Office and had a possessory war
rant issued for the rooster, and the feathered
game fighter was brought into court a few
days since, when an examination was enter
ed into. Magistrate Molina was satisfied
that the trail of the thief who had stolen
the other chickens had at last been struck,
and hence no publicity to the case
was given. The rooster was fully
identified, as the one stolen from
Mr.. Thomas yard, by three different wit
nesses. The testimony showed that the
rooster had come into the possession of the
defendant in the following manner A gen
tleman, some time since, left a fine rooster
In the care of a colored man named Richard
Greene, who has a place on Hutchinson's
Island. A few weeks since he sent word
to Greene to bring the chicken
over to him. Greene appeared and deiiv-
cred a chicken which the party referred to
presumed was the one he had left with that
individual, and turned the rooster over to
his friend, the defendant in the case. When
the rooster was produced in court he recog-
nized 1t as the one he had received
from Greene, and the plaintiffs witnesses
were positive it was one left with Mr..
Thomas, whilst Greene swore that it was
the one given him to care for.
The testimony was sufficient In the mind
of the Magistrate to justify him in awarding
the chicken to the plaintiff, and to hold
Greene on the charge of larceny, as it was
believed he had stolen the lot of chickens
from Mr.. Thomas on Christmas night.
Meanwhile, Constable Endres had under.
taken to "wOrk up" the case, and after a
searching investigation, learned that the
game chicken had been purchased by
Greene, who had endeavored to palm it off
as the one originally left with him. Greene
was notified of the discovery and advised to
save himself trouble by not further at
tempting to conceal the truth. Greene,
on reflection, thought it best to own up,
and informed the Magistrate that he had
bought the chicken on Christmas night for
ten cents from Ennis Rain, colored, who
had a number of chickens in a bag at the
time. Greene was then discharged, and Con
stable Endres commenced a search for
Rain and found that he had been an inmate
of the Georgia Infirmary for some time and
had died on the Oath of March last.
The thief being dead, there was no fur
ther necessity for prosecution, and thus
ended the game chicken case, which occa-
stoned considerable litigation and a vast
amount of talk.