Stolen Conestoga wagon returned to owner

[ozymandius]

(Mussey, GA Sat, Jan 3, 2004) An off-duty peace officer's vigilance led to the return of a Conestoga wagon stolen from a newcomer to Mussey on Friday. Mussey Police Cpl. Chuck Heldon took notice when he saw youngsters on Nagy Lane driving an expensive-looking wagon pulled by oxen close to midnight on Saturday, about four hours after 24-year-old Uther Magnesson's wagon was stolen from his front yard.

Heldon questioned the children about their flashy transportation, including the 14 year old who said he bought it for $25, and searched city police records for a report of a stolen wagon that matched its description. He was unable to find an owner.

Friday morning, the off-duty officer was sitting in a barbershop when he read an article in The Mussey Minstrel about a Gilmer, Georgia grandmother, Bessie Frey, pleading for the return of the covered wagon she bought two weeks earlier for Uther, who suffers from an absence of legs. "I remembered the kids and, with the newspaper article, it all came together," said the 30-year veteran of law enforcement.

Heldon went to the Van Dyke Homes subdivision and found the wagon with oxen behind one of the apartments. Heldon contacted Uther, who correctly identified the wagon's brand name, Range Flyer. "I was overjoyed," Uther said. "I love that wagon team." Uther also relies on the wagon because he is unable to walk or drive and is looking for a job. It has a special hitch for his wheelchair.

(Copyright 2004 by Oz News. All Rights Reserved.)