Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-02-14
SHARING HORSE THIEVES.
An Ak on a Hinge Was Deadly and It Bear
Trap Worked to Charm.

An Ak on a Hinge Was Deadly and Bear
Trap Worked TO Charm.
Nowadays when you comp pare man to
horse thief, you wish to degrade sim.
Thirty wears ago first class horse thief
sycited a certain amount OF admiration
and respect. In these days of rapid
transit, telegraph, telephone and police,
ons can scarcely realize the success which
horse thieves won before the war. They
were the dread and scOurge of the tar
mer and gillager. They were better o.
yanized than any other class of criminals,
and not only stole wish nerve, but with
system. In 1856 there was gang with
Headquarters IN Ohio, which numbered
al least fifty members, and which had
AGENTS in almost every state N the union.
Ihave seen legal documents to prove that
horses stolen in New Hampshire found
their way to Georgia, and that horses
stolen in Kentucky were traced to points
in Maine 1t was no haphazard business.
Spies were sent out to locate horses and
then men followed to steal them. When
a horse was taken he was sent to Ger
tain agent-a farmer or livery man
kept a certain ength of time, disguised
if necessary and then forwarded to a
second agent still fdrtf er away. In this
manner, says New York Sun writer, he
wac passed out of the state and hundreds
of miles beyond and not one was re-
covered where five were successfully
carried off While the crime was made a
very serious one under the law of almost
every state, it was never looked upon by
participants az being anything ompared
TO burglary, highway robbery or arsou.
This accounts for the fact that N IN who
were honest IN all else were caught pass
INK along stolen horses.
The years 1857 we're the palmy days
of the horse thief. In 1858 a general
movement was made against the fcaterni-
ty all over the country, breaking up and
scattering organizations, and the begin
ming of the war finished the business,
Except in the far West the horse thief
now acts ependently and alone, and it
is rare that one gets safely off with his
prize. During the two years / have
named, my father had a farm in Central
Indiana. | was 10 years OLE, and my
health was SO poor that l could do no
work Between 1858 and 1857 we lost six
horses by thieves, not one of which was
recovered. Oue day Sheriff who was on
the rali of thief visited our place and
sooner gone than we began to
PLAN AND SCHEME.
We had al that time seven good horses,
and among them was span of grays
which had taken n State fair premium.
The Sheriff said we would have to stable
them In a bed room IN the house TO keep
them, and the impending peril set my
brains to work. Father had large mer-
camille business in the village three miles
away and the farm was III my charge all
day. We had good barns and the best of
locks aud we also had a couple of watch
doSs, but our horses had been stolen just
the same. Indeed, when the last horse
went the thief coaxed away the best dog
The stable door was double lock ed, put he
had used skeleton keys.
On the third day after the sheriff's visit
couple of strangers drove up in bug
81. Oue OF them came in and introduced
himself a. the agent of a Cincinnati
lightning rod company, and asked the
privilege Of inspecting the rods which
hHd been put on the horse barn the year
before, He said they were his com bany's
ZOOS but did not seem to be properly at
nA7d This was Que day in May, and the
span or grays were in the stable. Tha
strangers seemed honest and straight, but
Toe sheriff had warned me to look out for
ad corners, and therefore had my eyes
open he not OILY looked at the rods,
Uu' Inspected the st bles and examined
i-" doors aud locks. Several thugs oc-
CURED 20 satisfy me that he had come to
sPy oa' the situation, and after the pair
oaa driven away l began preparations tor
visitor There was what might be called
a'tslou.e to the stable. As you opened
.As loor there was a space of about 9xl2
rec. before you reached the first stall.
go. piece Of green hickory six feet long
ala shaved it down to the size of an axe
n'51le' One end was pushed into hole
o''td in grit of the stable, and by
means or q piece OF cothesline | dr rev
.'7 other end back until the wood would
'n1 40 more. In front Of this bow
sweep / rugged a cord running
o.- lne vestibule. 1t ran up a
-'.'ion and then down to the end of
sweep where rugged a catch. When
the TRAP WAS SET
cord vas about four feet inside the
g''' ana across the way to tae stalls.
i"- cord ran across knee high, and a
.Ia'e pressure against it pulled down
-.- and let the bow spring back This
was arranged at hight Of five feet
re h3or, and after few expert
~-'- j was satisfied that it would work
HN. From the erd of the bow, as il
A. back ran string over the hen
ana PIG pen to my chamber win
-"' feet aEar. ] there fastened it
'siN aud rjog of the bell would
.aa' the bow had been sprung The
lar. i