Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 October 1889 — A HORSETHIEF CLUB. [ARTICLE]

A HORSETHIEF CLUB.

A Clergyman Tells the Story of His Connection with It. / A reporter for the San Francisco Examiner bad an. interview with Rev. Lawrence Grassman, who bad just returned from Japan. The reverend gentleman gave the reporter an account of his connection with a horsethief club in Nebraska. “Yes, indeed; I used to be one of the members of such a Club. I belonged to one for two years.’ I always did like a good horse, and when I first located in Omaha, I purchased a rather good animal I had just got fairly settled down when one day a man by the name of Strong called and asked me if I didn't want to join the Horse Thief Club. When I asked him the purpose of the organization he said it was a club to protect horse owners from the depredation of horse thieves. Yet the club went by its peculiar name, which expressed just the opposite idea it was intended to. He said as I had a horse I had better get in and join, and if my horse was stolen the club would send men after the thieves and recover the property. All this would cost me $1 a month.”

“I asked him if the taxes I paid to the authorities would not give me the same right. ‘Hardly,’ he said. His idea of the local authorities was very low. He said he never vet heard of a sheriff in Nebraska catching a horse thief, and that he believed that half the officers of the law in Nebraska were in with the thieves. Hence the necessity of a ocal club to protecthorse owners. Well continued the Rev. Grassman. I cone uded that my horse was worth protecting; I was duly initiated one night, the club meeting in an old barn. At first I thought I had fallen in with a pretty hard crowd, but when they began to talk I concluded that I had met asetofmen who had considerable good horse sense. They were rough men and wore old clothes,but they were good types of the honest, hardy frontiersman. They treated me with a rough, sincere courtesy, and during the meeting a motion was made to excuse me from active service on the 'Overtaking Committee,’ “To make a long story short, one night my beautiful bay horse was stolen and a special session of the club was oalled. I was considerably excited, of course, and was early at the meeting. The club had a short session and appointed William Strong and two otb< men as on ‘Overtaking Committee’ > trail the thieves. They mounted U; nr fast horses in about five minutes and, with revolvers strapped on, setoff in the dead of night on a smart gallop. In about ten days they returned and brought my horse back. That night the committee made their report. As near as I can remember it was as follows: • 'We, the committee, report that we ‘overtook’ the man who stole the horse. William Strong, Chairman.’ “Then they adjourned, and next day I had a talk with Strong. The conversation was about like this: “ ‘Where did you find my horse?’ “ ‘Down in Kansas; just across the line.’ “ ‘Did you find the thief?’ ... “ ‘We overtook him.’ “•‘Why didn’t you bring him bacit?’ “ ‘I said he was overtook.’ “-‘What do you mean by overtook?’ ‘Overtook -with tribulation, I guess he had liffM luck:’ “ ‘Did you talk with him about the sin of stealing?’ “ ‘Talked some.’ “ ‘What did he talk?’ “ ‘He t iked back.’ “ ‘What did he say?’ “ ‘Nothin’; he just sassed the committee. ’ ‘Did he talk long?’ “ ‘He quit sooner than we did.’ “ ‘Did you ask him to come back?’ “ ‘Naw.” I “ ‘You should have brought him hack and had him punished. Had you no idea 61 'arrestinghim?’'' “ ‘We hadn’t no requisition.’ | “‘So you allowed him to go away after this crime?” “‘Not by a jugful. No man goes away after he’s caught hoss stealin.” “Why not?’ “ ‘Cos he’s dead,’ parson—deader’n nits.’ “ ‘Do vou mean to say you killed him?’ “ ‘We plugged hi,m six times, parson, aud lie curled up alongside the road apd died right there. I hated to tell yer this ’cos you’re a preacher. ?T kept a figbtin. 1 yer off, but yer kept j cornin’ at me, and so now yer know j that the $lO yer put up helped pay ! the expenses of the overtakers; but j yer can bet high that there is no ex- \ pense to the undertakers. We all ( agreed to keep the killin’ back from ! yer, but yer pumped me and.. yer_ got tho inside of the"deal, didn’t yer?” “ Why, my dear sir, did you shed this man's biood?’ “ ’Loss he stole yer hoss. Wo run onto him early one morning, just beyond the Kansas line. When we rode up he was just gettin’ through breakfast He didn't like the look of us, I guess, for he up and snaps a gun at us CTrtStg 88 I rode up. Guess tins rainy night, had dampened the c ips, for she i didn’t go, but when I slung my ' Colt ! to the fore and plugged him a couple q£ times she wept, she did. J <ck and Andy plugged him' some, tot):' "We just left him layin' there in the road, and recoverin’ yer boss, come home. His rel lives are the proper pussons ■ to bury him* hut folks;that iiu'i no ki« to a boss thief oughten to monkey with his remains.”' The reverend story teller gave tiro recital will! an inimitable /drawl, and took off the queer frontier speech’ to the iifo. “I really felt sorry,’’ he continued, “that the man wii csLde lira horse was killed, for horse stealing is 'a sin that I always felt like forgiving a man for. ~ The sin of covetousness never touches ! my soul- except when-1 see- a- sleek, spirited horse. I can look on heaps of gold and feel no envy of the owner, on precious stones and be indifferenteven the - charms of hjvety women hardly move me—but tho sight of a fine, high stopping horse about fourteen bands high and a good chest, with clean legs and a springy motion when he walks, sets me aflame'with a dispoai-

tion to own him. lam kept back by s sense that 1 must not disgrace my family by stealing him, so, when I find a man who has no self control, no education, no moral training, I know that no has stolen horses and pity him for the possession of a passion that is morally his master. My good common sense tells me that if I should take another man’s horse I would be discovered and imprisoned. But if I ever got an idea that I could secure it without detection and my crime never be heard of I should—well, I should advise-rift* 1 : owner to keep his stable door fastened. Of course this Is not for publication for if such candid talk got into print my congregation in Ohio would say I was lacking in orthodoxy and the regular clerical dignity. You must recol* lect that clergymen while away from home dp not as a rule act as dignifiedly as when they are in their parish, and I am no exception to the rule.