| General Non-Fiction posted June 19, 2024 |
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A true story of dumb cattle rustlers.
There Is A God
by prettybluebirds
Share Your Story Contest Winner
On May 16th, nineteen-ninety-six, my husband, Des, and I owned and operated a dairy farm. That long-ago day began like any other. We woke at five, milked the cows, then headed for the house and breakfast. Reo, our hired man, always joined us in time for pancakes and sausage.
After breakfast, Des and Reo headed for another farm to feed the young cattle we kept there. We locked the feeder steers and replacement heifers in the barn at night for their protection. Nobody lived on that farm, so we figured the animals would be safer in the barn rather than outside in the pasture. Boy, were we ever wrong.
I had just finished loading the dishes into the dishwasher when Des charged through the door, looking like the wrath of God. What appeared to be blood caked his boots, and his hands were filthy with manure and blood. I could feel the anger radiating off him.
"Call the sheriff's office, then give me the phone," Des said as he wiped his hands with paper towels. "Some low-life bastards broke into the barn last night and butchered several of the cattle. It's an absolute nightmare in there. They slaughtered the animals inside the barn and left the guts where they lay. Some animals were injured when they panicked and tried to jump over the gates. If I could get my hands on those son-of-a-bitches right now, I would kill them." Des explained the situation to the sheriff, and we both returned to the barn to wait for the law.
The sheriff was as angry as we were over the incident. The torture and fear inflicted on helpless animals upset us the most. One heifer had broken her leg trying to escape. Her chances of survival were small. Other animals suffered cuts and abrasions. All the cattle were terrified and stood huddled in the corner of the pen. It would take days for them to recover from the trauma.
The sheriff shook his head and said, "Our chances of catching the jerks are slim. They had bags wrapped around their feet, and they wore gloves. We can take a cast of the tire tracks, but as I said, the chances of catching them are almost zero. All I can say is we will do our best. In my book, people who can do something like this are some of the lowest forms of life.
Des drove me home, took the loader tractor, and returned to clean up the mess and care for the injured animals.
A couple of hours later, Des returned home with a huge smile lighting up his face. I couldn't imagine what he was so happy about after the way the day began, but when he told me what happened, I laughed, too.
"You won't believe this," Des said. "Reo and I were forking the guts into the loader bucket when I spotted what looked like a feed sack. I pulled it out of the shit, and I'll be damned if it wasn't a jacket. Here's the best part that's hard to believe: I went through the pockets and found a driver's license, what looked like a house key, and fifty dollars cash. What kind of thief is that dumb?"
I delivered the jacket with the incriminating evidence to the sheriff, and within the hour, two patrol cars headed for the address found on the driver's license. The sheriff called later and gave us an update.
"When we arrived at the suspect's home, we first noticed several dogs in the yard chewing on large bones.," the sheriff said. "We approached with caution, but the cattle thieves must have figured the gig was up because they let us in and surrendered quietly. The suspects were in the process of cutting and packaging the beef. We found three hides, complete with heads, behind the house. You will have to identify them."
Des and I arrived at the sheriff's office and identified the remains of our cattle. I will never forget the conversation between my husband and the sheriff.
Des said, "I'm going to donate the stolen beef to the sheriff's office because your team did a great job apprehending those miserable scumbags."
The sheriff laughed, saying, "If all cases were as simple to solve, I would have an easy life. I thank you for the meat. I love a good steak. Do you know what crossed my mind when your wife handed me that coat?"
"No, what?" Des replied.
"The first thought that entered my mind was, I'll be darned, there really is a God. My second thought was that sometimes God has a sense of humor."
On May 16th, nineteen-ninety-six, my husband, Des, and I owned and operated a dairy farm. That long-ago day began like any other. We woke at five, milked the cows, then headed for the house and breakfast. Reo, our hired man, always joined us in time for pancakes and sausage.
After breakfast, Des and Reo headed for another farm to feed the young cattle we kept there. We locked the feeder steers and replacement heifers in the barn at night for their protection. Nobody lived on that farm, so we figured the animals would be safer in the barn rather than outside in the pasture. Boy, were we ever wrong.
I had just finished loading the dishes into the dishwasher when Des charged through the door, looking like the wrath of God. What appeared to be blood caked his boots, and his hands were filthy with manure and blood. I could feel the anger radiating off him.
"Call the sheriff's office, then give me the phone," Des said as he wiped his hands with paper towels. "Some low-life bastards broke into the barn last night and butchered several of the cattle. It's an absolute nightmare in there. They slaughtered the animals inside the barn and left the guts where they lay. Some animals were injured when they panicked and tried to jump over the gates. If I could get my hands on those son-of-a-bitches right now, I would kill them." Des explained the situation to the sheriff, and we both returned to the barn to wait for the law.
The sheriff was as angry as we were over the incident. The torture and fear inflicted on helpless animals upset us the most. One heifer had broken her leg trying to escape. Her chances of survival were small. Other animals suffered cuts and abrasions. All the cattle were terrified and stood huddled in the corner of the pen. It would take days for them to recover from the trauma.
The sheriff shook his head and said, "Our chances of catching the jerks are slim. They had bags wrapped around their feet, and they wore gloves. We can take a cast of the tire tracks, but as I said, the chances of catching them are almost zero. All I can say is we will do our best. In my book, people who can do something like this are some of the lowest forms of life.
Des drove me home, took the loader tractor, and returned to clean up the mess and care for the injured animals.
A couple of hours later, Des returned home with a huge smile lighting up his face. I couldn't imagine what he was so happy about after the way the day began, but when he told me what happened, I laughed, too.
"You won't believe this," Des said. "Reo and I were forking the guts into the loader bucket when I spotted what looked like a feed sack. I pulled it out of the shit, and I'll be damned if it wasn't a jacket. Here's the best part that's hard to believe: I went through the pockets and found a driver's license, what looked like a house key, and fifty dollars cash. What kind of thief is that dumb?"
I delivered the jacket with the incriminating evidence to the sheriff, and within the hour, two patrol cars headed for the address found on the driver's license. The sheriff called later and gave us an update.
"When we arrived at the suspect's home, we first noticed several dogs in the yard chewing on large bones.," the sheriff said. "We approached with caution, but the cattle thieves must have figured the gig was up because they let us in and surrendered quietly. The suspects were in the process of cutting and packaging the beef. We found three hides, complete with heads, behind the house. You will have to identify them."
Des and I arrived at the sheriff's office and identified the remains of our cattle. I will never forget the conversation between my husband and the sheriff.
Des said, "I'm going to donate the stolen beef to the sheriff's office because your team did a great job apprehending those miserable scumbags."
The sheriff laughed, saying, "If all cases were as simple to solve, I would have an easy life. I thank you for the meat. I love a good steak. Do you know what crossed my mind when your wife handed me that coat?"
"No, what?" Des replied.
"The first thought that entered my mind was, I'll be darned, there really is a God. My second thought was that sometimes God has a sense of humor."
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#5 June 2024 |
The photo shows my husband and me in the nineties.
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