Horse Play In Mt. Vernon
In a period of history when horses were a family's prized possession, horse theft was considered a very serious crime. Mt. Vernon was not immune to this problem. In 1887, George Bowers had his prized mare stolen, as did Nels Hustad. As years went by, more families had horses stolen, and the crime spree continued unsolved. Eventually, a former Mt. Vernon harness maker, C. J. Agrelius, was apprehended for the crimes. He would steal the horses and take them to his home in North-western Illinois. Agrelius was sent to Madison for a trial. When the thief was interrogated, he confessed to stealing many horses, including one from Robert La Follette. He also revealed his secrets for disguising the stolen horses. One trick was to slice a potato, heat it and place it on the horse's forehead, thus branding off some of the hair. This changed the steed's black head to one with white on it, making the horse less recognizable to its owner. Agrelius was found guilty and sentenced to prison in Waupon. The "Primrose Anti Horse Thief Association," was formed in 1891, as a result of Agrelius's crimes. After the formation of this association no horse thefts were again committed.