Connecticut western news., 1910-11-24
HEM THIEVES CAUGHT.
RAILROAD BRAKEMEN
 PLEAD GUILTY TO THEFT

william MOTION anu Frank west,
 SeIf-Confesed Chicken Thieves, Face
 Three-Year Prison Terms for Steal
 ing Charlie Dutcher's Poultry.
 By the arrest of William N. Morrow and Frank P. West, brakemen on the O. N. E. night freight train, the author ities believe they have broken up, or at least discouraged, gang of chicken thieves and garden burglars who have been robbing hen roosts and vegetable patches along the line of the railroad for months.
 Farmers and others living near the line. have complained repeatedly of depredations committed at night on their property, particularly in the way of chicken stealing aud the surreptitious harvesting of their potatoes. corn and other vegetables, There seemed to be no clue to the perpetrators until some body began to notice the frequent scatter ing of chicken feathers, heads, claws, etc, along the railroad tracks, between Canaan and Norfolk, which gave rise to the suspicion that somebody on the trains was making systematic business of stealing chickens. This suspicion was fostered by the information, quietly circulated that the railroad company's detectives were spotting and wedding out certain employees involved in the theft of freight of various kinds.
 Last Friday nor ming when Charles Butcher, o l the old Wm. Adam farm east of the O. N E. crossing in Canaan, discovered that seven of his best hens had been abstracted from his hennery during the night. and their heads were fonnd lying across the track close by. He called up Constable Rhoades who promptly got into communication with Railroad Detective Young and together they proceeded to overhaul the freight train. On searching the caboose they found the chickens. one of which was already cooked, and another dressed. and ready for cooking.
 Morrow and West were placed under arrest in Hartford, and when the facts were made known to the railroad officials the men were promptly paid off and dis charged from the service of the road. The prisoners were brought to Canaan in the afternoon and given a hearing before Judge Ford in the evening. Both pleaded guilty and admitted that they broke the look of the Butcher hen-house in order to gain entrance, but argued that they had been drinking and con sidered the exploit merely in the light of bit of mischiev evous>foo1ishness.
 Judge Ford decli ned to see it that way, however, and bound the men over for trial in the sum of $500 each. Vests son, Charles E, West, who is 8 railroad man in Hartford, came out Saturday and put up q cash bond for his father, who was thereupon released, Morrow was unable to secure bail up to Sunday, when he was taken to jail in Litchfield. His mother, however, came here Mon- day prepared to bail her son out, but as the matter had passed out of Judge Ford's hands. she was obliged to go to Litchfield and deposit cash bond with the jailer, thus gaining her sons freedom until the cases come up for trial.
 The maximum penalty for chicken stealing is three years in the state prison.
 It is believed by the authorities that these fellows have stolen from 50 to 75 chickens in the same vicinity in the last six months.
 Both men are married and have families living in Hartford. Up to the time of Gheir apprehension "with the goods on them" they had been con- sidered men of good character, and were admittedly frst-class railroad men SO far as their performance of duty was concerned. While away from home they were accustomed to live in the caboose which has all the requisites for cooking and light housekeeping, afford ing ample facilities for the preparations of such forage as they could gather while the train was standing still.