And as life has become more sophisticated, so have the crimes. Not everyone could afford a horse back then, naturally limiting the type of people who would join a group like this. In 1841, 42 of 76 original members began a new organization, the Society in Dedham for Apprehending and Prosecuting Thieves. The horse thief incarcerated, from The Female Prisoner, 1839. During the 1920s, the vigilante spirit that once drove the organization ultimately turned ugly, in no small part because of the Ku Klux Klan, which was seeing a revival nationwide around this time, with Indiana one of its most prominent strongholds. So was just about every other president of his era. In neighboring Dutchess County, Woody Klose, president of the Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves, credits his group with keeping the horse theft rate low. RED HOOK For a posse, they sure laughed a lot. Minced-ham sandwiches, clam chowder and oyster stew., Meetings adjourned. [4], When they discovered that the Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves was claiming to be the oldest such society in the nation, they sent a letter demanding the Massachusetts group cease and desist making such a claim. It read:"Horse Thieves! To keep that tradition, even if its with a wink and a nod, these days. Dozens of horses and their owners became victims in the scheme. Later in the war, still a Confederate, Grenfell forgot his grudge and rejoined Morgan's command. This collection contains three minute books. [21] Hampe initially thought the call was a joke, but eventually informed the caller that the Society's jurisdiction is limited to within 20 miles of the Norfolk County Courthouse. Its become a fun society, Schneider said. "[40] Riders were required to weigh at least 200 pounds. An individual could not spend $50 to $100 to recover a $25 horse and capture the thief. "We haven't had any issues in at least the last 100 years, and I'll put that up against any police department.". Since its founding there have been more than 10,000 members including heads of state, Supreme [15] In 1814, the organization changed its name from the Detecting Society in Dedham to The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves. The husband and wife team of Harold and Debi Metcalfe became passionate about the issue because they were victims of horse thievery themselves. It makes you feel good because you can go back to minutes from seven or eight generations ago and find the same names as people attending our meetings today.. When Tom Smith was arrested and confined-in the Ottumwa jail, Isaac Watson, E. M. Bill, and A. M. Giltner visited him and obtained a full confession. This is not a club; its a society. They got a bonus if they trailed a horse thief out of Dutchess County and brought the bandit back home, Klose said. TIL there is a Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves that has been active since 1796 and is the oldest such organization in the US . Fear of the often unknown thief, the direction of travel, and the many possible outcomes in a confrontation, required several people, a society, be involved in responding to the crime. The society was formed at the Upper Red Hook Inn of Stephen Holmes on October 10, 1796. Come out and have some fun. For example, many states would pass laws effectively giving the societies the power to arrest and fight certain types of crimesomething that became attractive in a number of states where the populace tended to be more spread out. [4] They were also paid a bonus if they left the county. Horse theft, as a crime in general, often included removing the animal from the area to be used or sold without fear of being discovered. The Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves is the oldest horse thief apprehension society in the United States. So the task has fallen onto local libraries and archives, which have broad collections of information on the organization and its local affiliates, and amateur researchers like Craig, who see their role as saving history that otherwise would not be saved due to the discomfort it creates. It's no big commitment," Laibach said. There's still a lot of confusion and anxiety about it.. [2] Each year it features a horse-related speaker and offers a $500 scholarship to a student who wishes to study "an equine field. Riders were appointed to be on call to pursue any thief that stole a members horse and the roster changed every year at the annual meeting, set for the second Tuesday in October, when dues were paid. "It's the only county that has horses in every village, city, hamlet. So, its worth asking: Why do we know so much about the Wild West from popular culturefrom the Alamo to the OK Corralyet know so little about so-called horse detectives? The Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves gathered to mark 225 years of successful posse work. [21] By 1920,[38] and as late as 1956,[39] it met at Memorial Hall. This includes the areas of West Roxbury, Westwood, Needham and anywhere else in Massachusetts Schneider said. They paid farm families to replace stolen horses. In a way, these organizations were akin to a combination of neighborhood watch and vigilante organization, with perhaps a touch of both the Pinkerton National Detective Agency and the Wild West. "We look forward to assisting her in the future, especially as they gain a few hundred acres and a bunch of mustangs in Red Hook," he said in an email. Are Philadelphia and Boston really the most neighborly cities in America? [1][21], In the early 1900s, the committee of Riders were elected based on their weight, "so that when a thief is captured his captors can sit on him to prevent him from escaping. Here are 22 essential L.A. spots for every tourist, Column: We cant afford another writers strike. On a Friday night in May of 1908, two horses were stolen from Judge James McCabe's stable and a buggy and harness from Lawrence Wilson in the five points area northwest of Williamsport. Ive always had the feeling they didnt hang them around here like they did in the Wild West, Duck said. On June 4, 1810, thirteen men met at Marsh's tavern on Court Street to form The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves. To learn more about Lucky Orphans Horse Rescue:luckyorphans.org. Among them was James Alger,a 54-year-old Dedham musician, whose hulking frame could barely contain his enthusiasm for the group. Our official meeting is held annually in Red Hook NY (the upstate 12571 Red Hook not to be confused with Red Hook in Brooklyn, NY) on the first Tuesday of October. Outside Milhet's horse stable . And with the state of modern law enforcement, Klose said, we dont take things into our own hands any more.. horse thieves and plunderers."14 At that time, however, Gren fell had grown weary of service on Jeb Stuart's staff and was teetering on the verge of conversion to Botts's Unionist principles. The Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves gathered to mark 225 years of successful posse work. The prankster wasnt hanged or even horsewhipped. As you might guess by the fact that Im writing about the National Horse Thief Detective Association in the past tense, the organization is no longer with us, having faded from view starting in the 1930s. They found Idaho, fortunately, and in 2003, Stolen Horse International became a nonprofit. [44] Being elected a Rider is "a position of signal honor. Given the typical modus operandi of this crime, therefore, apprehension required pursuit, if the animal was to be recovered. : If you email me asking about doing a guest post or posting a backlink, you forfeit ownership of your site to me. But even in an age when the smartphone is seen as indispensable as a horse once was perhaps because of the age of the smartphone they still arrive, every first Tuesday in October. Attorney George Brattain, whose grandfather served as a juror in the case, noted to The Indy Channel that the saga became something Hoosiers simply didnt want to talk about after the fact. Section 45-12-35 - Reward for detection or apprehension of perpetrators of felonies or cattle, horse, or swine thieves (a) For the purposes of this Code section, the term "conviction" means a final judgment of conviction entered upon a verdict of guilty or upon a plea of guilty. PURPOSE Our purpose was announced in the fol The Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves meets every first Tuesday in October. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The NHTDA was as much a civic organization as a law enforcement agency largely composed of white . Most people may use cars these days, but plenty of folks still have horses. Unable to afford full-time posses, the farming villages formed societies--not unlike volunteer fire departments--to trail horse thieves. "[4] Today it is a tax exempt non-profit social organization[8] that continues to meet "just in case. [2] In 2003, it had a membership of 63 and the president, Woody Klose, had served for 21 years. Rather than riding off with the horses, Mancuso said the modern thieves simply walked the horses down the road to the veterinarian for an examination, presented the horse as their own and, when questioned by the New York state troopers Mancuso had called, produced the vet's bill, which was seen as proof of ownership. Clearly theyre cut from the same cloth, right? The Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thieves is the oldest horse thief apprehension society in the United States. A formal vote of the Society on October 10, 1814, explicitly adopted the title "The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves" but clerks still confused matters by utilizing an . The society was formed at the Upper Red Hook Inn of Stephen Holmes on October 10, 1796. [1], The clerk of the society reported at the annual meeting that though the animal was not recovered, it was not for a lack of trying: "It is only fair to the Riders of this Society to state that the owner of the horse even consulted mediums in his efforts to find the horse. Baright, the president, extended membership to Mancuso as thanks for her speech, and noted that "the past thievery does not apply to our organization," as it took place years ago. Please follow the link on the page below and become a backer of this kind of coverage. The Society in Dedham for Apprehending Horse Thieves. [11]:407 Thirteen men[5] first met on June 4, 1810, at Marshs Tavern at 19 Court Street and opened a subscription list,[12][13] noting that, The great number of horses stolen from amongst us and in our vicinity is truly alarming, and calls for the attention of every well-disposed Citizen. Applications for membership in the Society must be approved by a majority vote by current members and a "controversial nomination years ago of Ayatollah Khamenei of Iran was not seconded. Two things make Newtown Historic Association's horse company collection unique. [22] One member, whose "hulking frame could barely contain his enthusiasm for the group," told a reporter that the annual meeting was "the greatest event in the history of Dedham, ever. The 225th annual meeting of the Red Hook Society for the Apprehension and Detention of Horse Thievesgathered in Chris and Claudine Klose's picture-perfect Red Hook barn this week,tongues firmly planted in their cheeks, to celebrate their remarkable success. To slow down. The first organization of this character was proposed at a meeting held at Luray, Mo., in Sept., 1863. Parts 1 & 2 tell the story itself, and Parts 3 & 4 are an exploration to determine how the story originated, and what possible basis the legend may have in documented local history. [2] A member from the Society in Dedham then attended the Red Hook Society's 225th annual meeting to concede the point.[2]. The reason for their meeting and establishing the organization was "the great number of horses stolen from amongst us and in our vicinity." The Society continues to this day. Opinions are mixed as to how far they gotretrospectives of the association often imply that local chapters were easier for the KKK to mold than the national group, which was based in Indianabut the situation nonetheless colored the later perception of the association. [18], The last time the Society investigated a horse theft was in 1909, although though a number of pranks between members set off false alarms after that. Another year, a society member stole the group presidents old gray horse as a joke. The scheme of the accused thief, Fallon Blackwood, worked like this: The student would offer owners a free home for their aging horses, but instead of actually helping them out, she would actually sell them to slaughter. One Man's Crusade. Its hard enough to find a horse, let alone get it into a restaurant, Snyder said. George Kerr of Washington Township was inducted into the Washington Township Horse Thief Detective Association in 1891. Hearing the phrase horse detective association makes one think of a bad script thats fallen into the hands of BoJack Horseman at some point, but as unusual as it sounds, it reflects a general need of the early U.S. 22 reviews #21 of 52 Restaurants in Dedham $$ - $$$ American Bar Pub. Over time, these groups became more prominent and gained wider exposure and authority. [1][21] Attendance steadily increased at the annual meeting and beginning in the 1970s the organization met at Moseley's on the Charles. So, no, horse thefts look nothing like they did in, say, 1890. I think the Klan left such a stink in Indiana, he said. * Anonymous donor 2017 for the 2nd $500 Scholarship. When thieves burgled John Umstat of Carversville, he submitted a claim for stolen . This long-running organization, based in Dedham, Massachusetts, is shockingly still active, and counts numerous former presidents among its membershipalong with a lot of other people. Lets Rock n Roll: Music from the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, etc. After all,it was established June 4, 1810. Copyright 2015-2023 Tedium: The Dull Side of the Internet. * Tell us Stories. Our formation occurred in 1796 and official annual meetings have carried on with intention. An extant 1870s membership roster includes many familiar Franklin family names such as Pond, Ray, Russ, and Rusegue. Facing a highly organized and difficult-to-prosecute situation with horse thieves, the association was born in the late 1840s as a response to a challenging problem. [2][3][20][41], The organization represented New England at the 1964 New York World's Fair.
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