Chicken Thieves

About Chicken Thieves. Lots of that going on back in those days. No one had any cash. You couldn't "buy a job". So to sell the roosters was a way to get school books and clothes. The cream checks barely bought a few groceries. Thieves could sneak into the chicken house at night and get one at a time without waking the others up. If the chickens were disturbed they would all begin to squack loudly enough to "wake the dead".

If the thieves took only a few the loss might not even be noticed the next day. We were far enough off any road to be safe from thieves until we moved from the Fancher place to the Powell place west of St. Francis. Salesmen knew that no one had money and were willing to take chickens in payment. People in general were suspicious of salesmen and often gave them a bad time.

One night some "brave" thieves came to Aunt Georgia's chicken house and they turned their car lights right towards the house while they helped themselves to some chickens. They had the advantage and felt brave because they knew that Uncle Lute wouldn't put his family at risk by going out to stop them. I don't remember hearing about how many they took. I will write to Margaret and ask her about it. She will remember about it. She is only a few months younger than I am and has a great memory.

-- Submitted by Alice (Crabtree) Gregory

Note: Lute & Georgia (Bartlett) Stafford were Margaret (Stafford) Hightower's parents - They lived in Parks, Nebraska and ran a grocery store and cream station there.