Chicken Thieves in Haigler

Al and Cal were buddies, they were also chicken thieves.

Two old Germans in the town of Haigler, Nebraska each kept a flock of laying hens. One was Reinhold Keller who happened to be Al’s grandfather and the other one was John Zweygardt (known as Little John, as Big John lived a few miles in Kansas.)

Al and Cal on a certain night would steal a few hens from one and put them in the other one’s chicken house. After a few days had gone by they would reverse the act; of course they never got the same chickens.

When the two old gents would meet at the post office one would say “Mine Gott, I am missing some hens das morgen,” the one that had too many would never admit it. I guess the one with too many would enjoy collecting extra eggs for a few days until the role was reversed.

One night the local town marshal, John Corder, stopped the boys and asked what they were up to that night. He was told we are stealing chickens to which John replied, “no one steals chickens any more.”

Cal reached in the sack and pulled out a hen which started squawking and said, “we do!" John shook his head and drove off.

Years later over a six pack or three of beer Al and Cal decided they were doing the old fellows a good turn by keeping their flocks from getting inbred.

-- Submitted by Cal Freehling

PS: Cal says this is a true story and is told with permission from Al. He says they pulled many "stunts", some of which cannot be published until they both die!. haha

More About the Shoe Repairmen

Just talked to Mom (Sophia Zuege) on the phone. Got this bit of information from her. Ed Egley worked for her father, Reinholt Keller. She said that he walked on crutches. Told a story about him being very superstitious. One time when putting up the horses, a black cat walked across the barn door opening and he refused to walk out the door to go to the house for supper. He walked out a back door and all the way around the barn on his crutches. She said she has a photo of Reinholt (Grandpa Keller), Roy Clark and Ed Egley and she will take it up to Floy Ruggles and see if they can post it for us.

I vaguely remember Eddie Heye, I can remember him scooting down the sidewalk in Haigler on a Saturday night using his blocks of wood and his scooter. It seems to me that his legs ended at the knee. Several years ago I was talking to Calvin Freehling and I asked him who the person was that used to go down the street using blocks of wood and a scooter and he told me he was a shoe cobbler named Eddie Heye and that he left Haigler and went to Wray and opened a shoe shop there.

Really apprecialte all the work you are putting into the Haigler Blog. Keep up the good work. I am a computer illiterate but will enjoy going to the sight and reading the material that people contribute.

Thank You

Al Zuege