Arizona republican., 1921-06-20
CHICKEN STEALING APRECARIOUS BUT
 PROFITABLE TRADE

Chicken stealing in the Salt River valley Is precarious but profitable according to q confession c. C. Casey is alleged to have made 10 Sheriff Montgomery and Deputies Smith and Meeks last night When called into a private room for a conference with the officers. Montgomery said. Casey talked freely and seemed to regard his poultry gathering escapades as something of a joke
 After going broke with a carnival outfit last winter Casey brought his wife and six children to Phoenix and tried to make a living selling a razor honfngpaste on the street cor ners- He told the officers he had to discontinue this because he did not have the $500 required for an annual city license for street vending. Thad to do something to keep my wife >sld children from going hungry he said to have told officers. ESQ ! fixed some sacks on my shoulders and went out and stole eight chickens Later I sold them for s."
 | This was early last February, Casey declared. according to the of ficers. investigation by the sherifrs | office disclosed the fact that today
 Casey has paid out s1.2oo of sI.s5f
 contract price on a 2o-acre ranch
 near St. Johns Indian reservation
 and has paid all except sse.se on .
 Ford truck, which he is alleged te
 have used to haul away stoler
 chickens. Tn addition to this he ha,
 farming implements and furniture The Ereater part of the propert, found at Casey's ranch has been iden.
 tified as stolen. according to officers
 Referring to his attempt to remove
 chickens from coop on Willow
 street last Friday morning shorti,
 after midnight Sheriff Montgomer' asked Casey:
 rwhy is 1t you come into the cit,
 to steal chickens when you have {,
 pass hundreds of roosts out in tn
 country to get from your rancl
 here?"
 .T don't like country chickens. Casey is said to have answered They are too wild and make to much noise City chickens hardi , ever squawk."
 II Then he told of the attempt O the Willow street chickenry- He de
 experiences since entering the bust } meas" He had filled three sacks wit i | the fowls when one recalcitrant he [ gave out . series of frightene ! | squawks. according to his story as re ' lated by the sheriff
 sI First thing | knew . woman wa { | yelling At me to halt" he was quote 2 by officcrs. and ! was sure in tigf 2 place. right in . fence corner. I man ' aged to ret through the fence just q , the woman fired . shotgun at m ' That brought out about everybod
 tn the neighborhood and aIi the dof . started barking. Every place voul . run there would be a whole pack ( dogs and 1t seemed like about ' people took shots at me None { [ them could shoot because all they al ' vas make few holes in my ha ( After the excitement was about ov' 2 came back to get the truck. but sa V someone driving ft away" VI But loss of his truck did not det' Casey from plying his operations. x \ is said to have told officers that fo lowing the Willow street episode 7 borrowed c horse and wagon the ne z night and gathered in <7 chicken ( nine rabbits and two pigeons belonI < ing to c. T. Pryor from a ranch ( '. the Buckeye road. It was foilowil It this raid that Casey was arrested v Deputy sheriff Meeks and Poli' e Officer Lucey.
 6 Casey said he never stole from q e poor: that he chose for victims peor
 who seemed to have plenty of chicl z ems and money