Chicken Thieves

The articles have been combined and reorganized but the original language of the reporters has been retained.  That's my excuse for why this is a bit repetitive in places and not the most excellent prose.  An earlier version of this piece appeared in the Historical Society of Porter County's Muse News newsletter, in 1996.  I have tacked on an article from eight months later in its entirety. And now I've added on two more, from later that Spring, as I likewise didn't feel like editing them into this old piece of mine but felt like putting a little more about chicken thieves on-line.

For the past several months farmers living in the vicinity of Valparaiso, Hobart, Wheeler and other towns have been the victims of large thefts of chickens, and for this reason Lake County Sheriff "Hut" Olds detailed these two deputies to scour the region for the gang of thieves.  Mr. Collver has not only been anxious but active in an effort to stop the stealing of chickens and other personal property in Lake, Porter and Laporte counties of late, and, believing the parties headed out from the Calumet regions, he has been casting a watchful eye.

A farmer, up early, who saw the men repairing a tire on the chicken truck, thought it was a bootlegging outfit and telephoned the sheriff.

Shortly before the capture, the officers received word from W. A. Morris, who has a farm on the Yellowstone trail, midway between Hanna and Wanatah, reporting that thieves had entered his place at 1 a. m., and also that of his neighbor, William Warner, and had taken between 175 and 200 chickens.

Members of the Morris family were awakened by the robbers, but before they could ascertain anything, the thieves had accomplished their work.  It is the belief of Mr. Morris that the robbers used some kind of dope to prevent the chickens from making a noise.  The use of dope to make it easy to catch the chickens was admitted by the men, according to the sheriff.  A watch dog belonging to the Morris family is also believed to have been given something to prevent any warning by him.

Col. Collver, in company with Mr. Boyer, had been out all Thursday night preceding the arrest patrolling numerous roads and at 4 a. m., as they were going east, they noticed the large Jeffrey truck coming down the road from the east.  They were in a Ford.  Suspecting the truck, Mr. Collver in a minute concluded he would investigate.  They stopped at a cross-roads in front of it, placing their car in such a manner that the truck couldn't pass.  As it drew nearer they noticed four men were riding it. Without attracting un-necessary suspicion they halted the truck.

Deputy Sheriff Boyer remained in their machine while Sheriff Collver engaged the driver in a general conversation and asked the road to Chesterton.  Two of the men were in the seat and each of the others were standing on the steps making it difficult to cover all four if the sheriff had drawn a gun.  Mr. Collver engaged the party in conversation long enough to be convinced that they had chickens.  Finally all four crowded in front of Collver, and he drew his gun commanding them to hold-up their hands.

Sheriff Boyer covered the men while Sheriff Collver made the search.  The men were heavily armed.  On the driver a 45 calibre colt automatic was found, and a German revolver was hidden on another.  Both guns and black jacks were taken by the sheriff and turned over to Boyer.  The men were placed under arrest, and ordered to turn around.  In the meantime a touring party from Ohio passed and thought they witnessed a hold-up.  Some workmen from Gary were also returning to their homes and, the arrest being made in Porter county, one of the party was asked to go to the Geo. Arnold house and telephone to Valpo to the sheriff, which was done.

The truck was a double decker and covered with a canvas.  A search of the truck disclosed a false bottom in which were found over two hundred chickens, hidden in specially arranged compartments and all in gunny sacks.  An automobile spotlight, a stolen bicycle pump and pliers, belonging to Edward Pietch, who is employed on the Warner place, were also found among the loot.  A pair of bolt clippers found in the truck was used by the thieves to cut the padlocks of the coops.  They always took the padlocks with them following the theft.

The officers also found in the truck about a dozen folding chairs with the initials "W. H. S." on them.  It is believed these were taken from the Wheeler High School.  A canvas on the truck, to cover the chickens, is also believed to have been stolen.

Sheriff Pennington and Deputy Forney soon reached the captured thieves, and they, with Messrs. Collver and Boyer, took the thieves and plunder to Valpo and lodged the four men in jail.
 
The men confessed to Sheriff William Pennington and his deputies.  They gave their names as C. H. Forbes, Whiting, Homer Meyers/Myer/Myers, Whiting, Frank and John Heistand/Hastand/Hiestand/Hersland, West Hammond, Illinois.  [It is often entertaining reading the various ways newspapers had of misspelling names.  West Hammond is now Calumet City.]  The truck had an Illinois license plate bearing the numbers 81-513.  A vehicle tax plate bore the number 32.

At Valparaiso several of the stolen chickens were identified by farmers who had lost chickens.  Mr. and Mrs. Morris and Mrs. Warner drove to Valparaiso early Friday to look over the chickens.  A crippled chicken, which came to the home of Mr. Morris some time ago, was identified by Mr. Morris as one taken from his place.  Mrs. Warner was also positive that a number of her chickens were in the lot by the punch marks on them.  Arthur Brown, of near Wheeler, had 70 chickens taken from his hen house, and they were identified by Mrs. Brown as her chickens, after the truck load of fouls had been seized by the sheriff.

Mr. Hagen has recovered his tires and robe, the stolen articles having been located in Hammond.

The men were held in jail at Valparaiso pending trial on larceny charges.  They were arraigned in the Porter circuit court, Monday by Deputy prosecutor Clarence D. Wood.  Homer Meyer[?], aged 37, who entered his plea of guilty before Judge H. H. Loring received a sentence Monday (not Tuesday) of from 1 to 14 years in the state penitentiary at Michigan City.  John and Frank Heistand[?], aged 21 and 29, were given sentences of from 1 to 14 years in the state institution at Jeffersonville.  The men pleaded guilty to the charges of larceny, were fined $50 and costs, and disfranchised for five years in addition to the sentences.

The three were prosecuted for robbery on the Otto Hagen place.  C. H. Forbes, another of the party, claimed he was not mixed up in the theft of chickens at the Otto Hagen and Ray Crisman farms a couple of nights previous.  Young Forbes was not arraigned before Judge Loring, but goes to LaPorte county for his trial to be prosecuted for robberies on the Morris and Warner farms, near Wanatah.  The quartet were charged with larceny.  Two of them are married.  Sheriff Pennington is making arrangements to start the chicken thieves away to begin their sentences.

The court room was crowded with farmers who have become indignant over the robberies of their heneries.  They have indicated that appeal will be made  to the county commissioners of Porter county for some kind of protection.

From "nearly a hundred" to "all but twelve" of the chickens were found smothered to death when they were unpacked.  This would not hinder the thieves, as that made no difference to the Chicago trade, the men said.  They would have cleaned the dead ones with the live ones and sent them all to buyers.  The dead chickens will be consigned to the ground, instead of being taken into Hammond or Chicago and served in restaurants or sold to foreigners.

The work of the two deputy sheriffs is responsible for the cleaning out the gang of chicken thieves who have been menacing the community in that section for some time.

The robberies known to have been committed by the men are those at the Otto Hagen, Ray Crisman, Michael Foreman and Harmon Hardesty homes in Union township, Engberg Brothers, Ira M. Biggs, Chas Lindall and W. E. Cites, W. A. Morris and William Warner, in Laporte county.

It is said the farmers of Porter county have been offering a reward of $100 for the capture and conviction of the thieves, and of course the local deputies are now figuring on what they are going to buy with the hundred, which of course they are entitled to.

Mr. Morris stated that more than a thousand chickens have been stolen from his neighborhood in "the past month" or "the last six months."  Most of the chickens missed were from farms between Hanna and Wanatah, where farmers have been aroused over the continued depredations.

Alva White had about 125 chickens stolen, Ed Warner lost 175, Joe Heinold lost about 200, and a number of others have been robbed in the same way.

It is said that the thieves drop coops in bushes near the spot they intend working, and then when they are ready for these coops, they have them right on hand. They use some kind of a drug, which causes the chickens to keel over and drop off their roosts. They can then be picked up, put in the coops, and carried off, without the usual squawk. After being out in the open air, the foul is revived, and as good as though nothing had happened.

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Published 17th August, 1999. Last updated 1st May, 2008.