The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1906-10-26
fighting HORSE THIEVES
MEETING HELD TO PERFECT THE
CONSTITUTION.
ALL TOWNS MUST BE ORGANIZED

Nine Horses Have Been Stolen In This
Section Within the Past Few Weeks.
Must Organize to the osehud-Only
Members to be Protected.
About twenty-five farmers attended
the meeting of the North Nebraska
Live Stock Owners Protective asso-
citation held in the city hall at Nor
folk Saturday afternoon for the pur-
pose of amending the constitution so
that subordinate associations may be
provided with a treasurer and keep
their own funds. The matter was dis
Cussed at some length and the asso-
citation finally referred the question to
a committee and adjourned to meet
next Saturday.
The meeting came about because
other towns in this territory have been
organizing and have raised the point
that they ought to have their own
treasury and keep their own funds
Some of the members put forth the
idea that there ought to be one cen
trail organization to receive all funds
and take care of the business. Others,
however, were strongly in favor OF
allowing the local organizations in va
rious places to maintain thcir own of
ficers and to transact their own indi-
vidual business but, in case they were
the victims Of horsethiefs work,
tney would call on the central associa-
ton and every association would i'm
medately be notified and would start
TO hunting down the thief.
1t was thought that the committee
would probably arrange for the local
association control of funds, etc.
Must Organize Clear to Rosebud.
an order to capture these horse
thieves who have been working in
northern Nebraska, we must have an
tihorsethief associations as far north
west as the Rosebud reservation, and
they must all be alive to the work"
said George w. Losey, formerly sher-
if of Madison county, who attended
the meeting Saturday and took an &C
tive part in favor of giving all author
ity to local associations.
unless we do that" he said 1--WE
will fail to get the thieves. If we do
that, we will capture them. The
horsethieves from this section invari-
ably work to the northwest. Most of
the horsethieves that | trailed when
was sheriff. went to the northwest.
Horses are becoming more and more
valuable each year, and the result Is
that the thieves are growing holder.
Begin Hunting Forty Miles Away.
If we are to succeed, we must begin
to hunt for the thieves forty miles
from the point where the horse is
stolen. These thieves will drive a
team or ride a horse from forty to
sixty miles the first night, so that we
must begin looking in a circle forty
miles out, and from there on further
away"
During Mr.. Losey's term Of office,
q thief one night stole a horse from
Battle Creek and rode to st. Edward
The thermometer was twenty-seven be-
low zero. The next night the thief
rode to Central City, where he was
caught. Another thief was caught in
Iowa by an accident He stole horse
in Norfolk. On the train Losey men.
toned to a friend that he was looking
for horsethief Another passenger
overheard the remark and declared
that he saw the horse in question sold
to a sheriff near Essex, Iowa. Losey
traled the man, got his thief and
forced the sheriff to give up the horse,
though the sheriff had bought the an
imal after receiving letter telling of
the theft.
A team Of horses stolen at Madison
last year. with three blind eyes in the
two horses, was driven forty miles to
Neigh and sold at an auction sale.
That team was captured through the
news announcement in The News.
Only Members Protected.
Farmers of Norfolk and the north
,ern part of the state want to distinctly
understand that only members of the
association in good standing will be
protected. No effort will be made by
the association to capture thieves who
modest any but members. This is only
fair to those who are in, because 9TH
erwise the association would not sue
coed.
At least nine horses have been stol.
en- within the past few weeks: Two
from Norfolk, five from Pender, two
from Wayne and one from Verdigre.
Wakefield farmers are organizing
the Logan Valley protective associa-
ton. Hoskins farmers are enthusiast
ic and some of them attended the
Norfolk meeting Saturday. Madison
is organizing. Other towns ought to
lnninl,lX follow