From the Archives (1924): Two Years for Cattle Rustling
Two Years for Cattle Rustling
Originally Published January 4, 1924 – Served overseas; secured military medal and one bar; tried to earn a thousand dollars reward for “bull-dogging” a buffalo at the recent buffalo stampede staged in the Wainwright park for the Ince Moving Picture Corporation; and perpetrated the largest cattle theft in northern Alberta, now sentenced to two years, less one day, at Fort Saskatchewan jail.
Such is the somewhat unique record of John Alexander Sparrow, of Sedgewick, a single man on whose behalf before Mr. Justice Walsh, military men and well known citizens of Edmonton appeared today to give evidence that he had been a good soldier, and was a man against whom there was no previous charge, in his private life.
The judge, taking these facts into consideration, told Sparrow that they alone had saved him from a long term in penitentiary.
In Broad Daylight
Sparrow’s confession, as given voluntarily to Inspector Piper, officer commanding “A” division of Alberta Provincial Police, sets the man down as one of the most straightforward and simple law breakers that ever faced trial. His offence was committed in broad daylight, and every move in the game was conducted by Sparrow with an openness that was as naive in its conception as it was complete in its success.
The story, as told by Sparrow, is that he was employed by the Mance Farming company, a large corporation engaged in ranching operations on an extensive scale, in the Viking district, during the harvest season, and that on being paid off, in October, he alleged that he had not been given what was, to his information, the going wage for the work he had been doing.
Here, according to the words of the confession, “I decided to take their cattle.” With a partner, also an ex-employee of the Mance company, Sparrow secured two saddle horses and a pack horse, and set out for an outlying part of the Mance ranch, where they knew there were some cattle. They reached the ranch at dusk one evening in November, and the following afternoon they let down the fence posts and drove fifty-five head of stock off the place, heading them south toward Forestburg.
Shipped Cattle to Edmonton
With the stolen cattle, the men made a leisurely progress to Forestburg, and on arrival, waited around a day or two until they could get two cars in which to load the cattle. Eleven head, which they found branded, they had previously turned loose. The remainder, under the eye of the brand inspector and of the agent of the United Grain Growers’ company at that point, were shipped to Edmonton.
Sparrow left word for the cheque to be sent to him, under his own name, at Sedgewick, and when the cheque which was for $651, arrived, he went to Hardisty, cashed it, and paid over half to his partner, who promptly disappeared.
Tried Bull-Dogging
At Hardisty, Sparrow heard that the Ince Corporation were offering a thousand dollars to any man who would successfully “bull-dog” a buffalo for them. He phoned the Ince officials at Wainwright and went there on the following day, but failed to ride the buffalo, because there wasn’t a horse fast enough to keep up with the huge bulls, once they commenced to run. Sparrow was paid $30 for his time.
In Wainwright, he was informed that the police were looking for him, so he went to A. P. P. Constable Moses of that town, gave his named, and was placed under arrest. When faced with the theft of the cattle, Sparrow’s confession to Inspector Piper was as frank as was the theft, and this, with the testimony given as to his previous good character, saved him from the penitentiary term.
