Met My Horse Thief of a Great Uncle.

[HoustonTXMuscle]

They say that if everyone traces their ancestry back far enough that they can find a Horse Thief in the family. In my case, I didn't have to try real hard. Did a couple of searches using my Father's name plus Horse Thief. Found out that one of my Great-Grandfather's Brother was a Pony Express Rider in the Mid-West in the 1800s. He was hanged in Kansas for stealing one of the horses.

Account from a book on the old west:

"Mel had a pony run between Fort Kearny, Nebraska and Thirty-two-mile Creek. Once while "laying off" between trips, a thief made off with his favorite horse. Scarcely had the miscreant gotten away when Mel discovered the loss. Hastily saddling another steed, "Mel" gave pursuit, and though handicapped, because the outlaw had the pick of the stable, his superior horsemanship, even on an inferior mount, soon told. After a chase of several miles, he forced the fellow so hard that he abandoned the stolen animal at a place called Loup Fork, and sneaked away. Recovering the horse, Mel then returned to his station, found a mail bag awaiting him, and was off on his run without further delay. With him and his fellow employees, running down a horse thief was but a trifling incident and an annoyance merely because of the bother and delay which it necessitated. Mel was later hanged at Seneca, Kansas despite his services to the Pony Express."

[paolo59]

LOL Aint history fun! I love it!!!

[FlaIronMind]

LOL Aint history fun! I love it!!!

x 2.

Great story my friend.

[Old-Time-Lifter]

And in Nebraska of all places.

My Dad's best friend was the son of a well known horse thief, my Dad was the son of the county Sheriff. True Story... lol

[jdmt37]

That stuff's fascinating.

[paolo59]

A lot of folks think "History" is a dead thing. Oh no...I beg to differ! It's the most alive and vibrant thing you could ever come face to face with. Those old, musty, long gone bodies under 6 feet of earth teach a lesson. They are as alive today as they ever were. They were once snot nosed kids bouncing on their mother's knee, and look just what they grew up to be! LMAO I hear a story like that OP, and it makes me come alive!!!

[IronCharles]

My father's family gave shelter to Billy the Kid when he was running from the law in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. And my mother is related to Pat Garrett, who killed him in the same town.

[dungeonmistress]

My husband's mother's side are Parkers - as in Bonnie Parker, of Bonnie and Clyde fame.

[jdmt37]

I need to do some research on it, but it's rumored that my family's related to the Hatfields?