Morning journal and courier., 1889-09-17
HORSE STEALING. Some Stories of she Days When It Was
 Thriving.

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 IFrom the Boston Commercial Bulletin.]
 The years 1857.S were the palmy days of the horse thief. In 1858 general move ment was made against the fraternity all over the country, breaking up and scattering organizations, and the beginning of the war finished the business. Except in the far west, the horse thief acts dependently and alone, and it is rare one gets safely off with his prize. During the two years l have named, my father had farm in Central In diana. Twas fifteen years old,l and my health was so poor that could do no work. Between 1858 and 1857 we lost six horses by thieves, not one of which was recovered. One day sheriff who was on the trail of a thief visited our place and gave me some pointers, and he was no sooner gone than l began to plan and scheme. We had at that time seven good horses, and among them was 8 span of grays which had taken Q state fair premium. The sheriff said we would have to stable them in bedroom in the house to keep them, and the impending peril set my wits to work We had good barns and the best of looks and we also had @ couple of watch dogs, but our horses had been stolen just the same. On the third day after the sheriff's visit a couple of strangers drove up in buggy. One of them came in and in troduced himself as the agent of Cinoin- nati lightning rod company. and asked the pElf1ioSo oL AubpcCtAhS eAo AON51 "AAoA h~SA been put on the horse barn the year before. He said they were his company's rods, but did not seem to be properly fixed. This was one day in May, and the span of grays were in the stable. The strangers seemed honest and straight, but the sheriff had warned me to look out for all corners, and l had my eyes open. He not only looked at the rods, the doors and locks. Several things occurred to satisfy me that he had coma to spy out the situation, and after the pair had driven away I began preparations for visitor. There was what might be called vestibule to the stables. AS you opened the door there was a space of about 9x12 feet before you reached the first stall. I got piece of green hickory six feet long and shaved 1t down to the size of an ax handle. One cad was pushed into a hole bored in girt of the stable, and by means of clothesline drew the other end back until the wood would stand no moro. In front of this bow or sweep rigged a cord running Aeross the vestibule. It ran up partition and then down to the end of the sweep, where I rigged catch. When the trap was set the cord was about four feet inside the door and across the way to the stalls. The cord ran across knee high, and moderate and let the bow spring back. This bow was arranged at height of five feet from the floor, and after few experiments was sat- isfed that it would work all right. From the end of the bow, as it was bent back, ran a string over the hen house to my chamber window, 200 feet away. I there fastened it to bell and ring of the bell would mean that the bow had been sprung. The hired man slept near by and both of us had ire- arms. Four nights passed without an alarm. On the fifth night it was dark and rainy, and I felt 50 sure that somebody would come that I did not undress. Neither did the hired man. We sat roaming. when at quarter of twelve the bell suddenly rang. We seized our guns, ran down and awoke father, and lighted the lantern, and in four or five min utes the three of us were at the barn. The stable door was wide open, and on the ground outside lay the body of a man. He had picked the locks and entered, and had struck the cord and sprung the sweep. It had caught his throat, and he was as dead as a herring. He was 6 man abovt thirty, we'll dressed and had $60 in his wallet. From letters found on him there was no doubt that he was one of the agents of an organized gang. No one could identify the dead man, and after an inquest he was buried in the corner of the village graveyard