Stolen Calf

"Tom, Tom, the Piper's Son; Stole a [Calf] and Away He Run"

"Shortly after midnight, February 2, our night watchman, who was making his rounds, noticed two men carrying something away from our barn. When the men saw the watchman's light approaching, they dropped the calf they had stolen from the barn, and fled. Louie, the watchman, sped after them, but the thieves eluded him and hid in a neighbor's shed. In running through the crusted snow, one of the fugitives, who wore cloth-top shoes, had his sole cut off, and as the culprit with his soleless shoe ran, he soon left a trail of blood, which, together with the lost leather gave the police a clue which led to the arrest of both men. Retribution was swift. In less than a week the transgressors were locked up and they are now serving a sentence of one to three years each at Waupun. The calf is none the worse for his experience. The thieves might better have selected a scrub animal worth $15 or $20, instead of selecting an animal worth $250."

--excerpted from the Free Press, Vol. 36, No. 7, February 15, 1929.

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