Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

INGHAM COUNTY NOTES

235

spent the price of the horse, and that was no mean figure, he never
recovered his stolen property.
"The Johnson swamp was then as wild and lonely a spot as could
be found in central Michigan. At all times of the year, except the
very hottest months of summer, it was surrounded by a zone of
water which was waist deep. Its bushes in many places were so
thick that a person in the midst of them could see but a few feet
ahead. Berry pickers often searched for hours before reaching
dry land.
"During the term of the Ingham County Circuit Court, which
was held early in 1851, a large portion of the cases were criminal
and had come from the township of Onondaga. Those legal
giants, Austin Blair and Henry H. Shaw, were arrayed against
each other in contests, the earnestness and bitterness of which
must make them long memorable. Then it transpired that this
accumulation of criminals from one township was not accidental.
According to the confession of Peter Waggoner, he belonged to a
gang organized for purposes of robbery and theft. But the trials
ended without a single conviction. They were not, however,
without their result. They broke up the organization that had
so terrorized the community. They furnished local history that
has been narrated with zest for more than fifty years."
As the years rolled on horse thieving continued, and occasionally
an animal was taken that was never again heard from, the general belief being that some gang was operating and the horses
were securely hidden in the impenetrable swamps of southern
Michigan and northern Indiana, until the time came when it was
considered safe to dispose of them.
One of the most interesting incidents connected with the series
of horse thieving in southern Michigan occurred in Mason in
October, 1885. The first the public knew of this event was when
John C. Squiers, of this city, then deputy sheriff of Ingham
county, issued the following notice:
"Stolen. $60.00 Reward!
Span large bay work horses and lumber wagon.
"From pasture of Ira Adams, 212 miles southwast of Mason,
Mich., on the evening of October 1, 1885, one pair work horses,
viz: One four-year old bay horse with no white hairs, weight 1,400
pounds. About 17 hands high, black mane and tail.