Daily Kennebec journal., 1903-08-24
HORSE STEALING.
Capt. Morse Says Not So Much
As Used To Be.
Ex- City Marshal Tells Interesting
"reminiscences.
Horse Thief Who Was Caught Because
Saddle Was Hard!

police guard room, the other day, and
took a long puff at his cigar, that
there isn't so much horse stealing as
used to be Tine was, and that was in
my day as marshal, when we expected
to have q considerable amount of that
kind of cussedness to deal with in the
course of II year. In those days we
didn't have so many telephones, as
there are today and it wasn't so easy
getting out word, rs it is now. TO be
sure, there were some telephones and
the telegraph was then in quite extern
siyc use. but it didn't hit the part of
the country where horse thieves made
for.
."'ris different nowadays. The phone
reaches al around through the coun-
try and there are few settlements but
which has its long distance talking
machine
"Perhaps it is these changed condi
tions which have knocked the horse
stealing business out. Anyway the
fact is th"re isn't 50 much of it as
there used to be, and that's about all
there is to it,
With that the veteran criminal
catcher took another long, sclf-satis-
fed pull at the cigar and half closed
his eyes in meditation. For a few
minutes he remained so and then he
said:
'Rcmember one case in which a
horse was stolen and When the word
was brought to me, | made arrange
! mcnts to go after it. At first there
! wasn't a single thing TO indicate in
h1 Iirp1tinI1 tho y,icr loft tho nitV We
did q good hunt, however, and at last
| located Il man who said that he saw 4
team answering the description of the
one which had been stolen, cross the
! bridge and proceed in the direction Of
. Waldoboro. Arranging to have some
postal cards printed and sent Out-for
we used that means of sending out
+ word that a horse had been stolen, just
as we do noW-I started
"As fast as the horse which we had
! could travel, another officer and !
visited Waldoboro, ThOmaston, Union,
+ Thorndike and several other places in
/ that vicinity. Hunt as we would,
! question every one we met on hte road,
i or in village, it was impossible TO get
! any further trace of the lost rig. At
last. becoming convinced that the horse
had nGt come that way, | pointed back
for Augusta.
/ "When we got back here, there was
/ information to the effect that the team
: had been seen M in Somerset county
. ANA up there | put. SKoWhegan, Mer-
, Ger ana Strong We're given Il thorough
search, but the missing horse and out
fit failed to materialiZe. It was no
! use, So | came back home.
! "Well now, where do you s'pose that
! horse was found? 1t was in South
! Paris. ana YOU see what chase I'd
] had for il in the wrong directions.
! Just shows how slight defect in a clue
will send Il man miles and miles out OF
| his way
again did the former marshal give
! himself UP to the enjoyment of the
weed, but he was in reminiscent
! mood and couldn't refrain from telling
more of his experiences with horse
/ thieves. which condition was duly APP
preciated by the officers and reporters
present, who were enjoying every word
OF it. In Il few minutes he had another
. experience to relate.
about The most amusing thing that
! ever occurred to me in connection with
one of these cases. remarked he.
was one time when a horse was
stolen out here on the Belfast road. The
man who took the animal was the hired
man nj the farm, where it was stolen
\ He arose early in the morning. went tC
the stable, laid a lot of bags upon the
barn floor. to deaden the sound Of the
horses hoOfs, lead the animal out
4 tnV-arlc Jln1-
fast. When the farmer arose he
missed the animal and came, posi-
haste to Augusta to tell me about it.
well. I made Il hurried start and
soon was ON the track Of the man ant
the horse. In this particular job | hat
almost a certainty of where my mar
would so. because of the conditions o.
the country
"As T went along I kept hearing o
him and the progress which he wa:
making Found where he breakfaste'
: himself and baited his horse. From al
, that | could learn he was not actin:
= in suspicious manner and was dom:
; the proper thing to fool people, ever
| though the only saddle which he ha'
} was Il meal bag held on the animal
;. back with piece of rope.
I "In due course of time, | overtoo
= my man. He was walking up hi
leading the horse. Driving up besid
him. ! said:
"'Where did you get that horse?'
stole him out of a stable way
back here said he, an l spose you
an officer after me-
Il assured him that | was and ne eS
l. claimed:
l. by thunder. if I'd had anothe
<, hours start, an this darn saddle hadh
IL been so hard, you nor no other darhe
d officer'd ever caught me-
II II loaded him into my sleigh ant
y leading the horse, came back to Al
= Gusta, where he was tried and proper
g. ly punished
70 Once more did Captain Morse devo
If himself to the cigar, and as he fnishe
II his smoke, dropped the putt hito
m cuspidor, he remembered anoth'
: chase of a horse thief. which While u
thief wasn't captured, had some I
- teresting features and resulted in II
returning of the horse to It's rightI'
d owner.
"One holiday, if my memory serv'
me right said he lit was MeIfioii'