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Story
December 1, 1853
Canton Weekly Register
Canton, Fulton County, Illinois
What is this article about?
An ingenious man, needing a Thanksgiving turkey, ties red yarn to a neighbor's bird at night and the next day tricks the neighbor into returning it as a stray by identifying the mark. He leaves with the turkey triumphantly.
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OCR Quality
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Full Text
A Thanksgiving Turkey.
An ingenious contriver of ways and means, some twenty years ago, being in want of a turkey wherewith to be thankful according to law, on the last Thursday in November, set his wits to work to procure one, without labor, love, or money. Turkeys, as everybody knows, are fond of apples and apple trees for their couch, and our hero, going in the stillness of the night, singled out a fine, fat turkey-gobbler from a tree-full belonging to one of his neighbors. While reconnoitering the roost, he heard the feathered bipeds say distinctly, "quit! quit!! quit!!" But considering these as words of course, he did not regard them a feather, but taking a bit of red yarn from his pocket, he made it fast to the leg of his intended prize, and retired without further alarming the brood, or at all disturbing their owner.
The next day he went to his neighbor's house with the following interrogatory: "You havn't seen no stray gobler here, have ye?" The neighbor answered that he had not, but there might possibly be one among his turkeys, and asked the other if he should know the turkey on seeing him.
"O, yes. yes," said the witty man of invention, "I should know him very well, by a bit of red yarn he had around his right leg."
Accordingly the whole flock of turkeys were assembled, and the man, deeply regretting his loss, and declaring he would not have taken a silver dollar for the bird, began to examine the whole lot.
"Gobble, gobble, gobble," said the indignant turkey, taller than the rest by a head.
"Ah! that's he," said the man, springing up as he spoke, "that's the very identical turkey; can't you see he's got the mark on?"
"Well, so he has, sure enough," said the honest neighbor, taking two quids of pig-tail in two minutes: "and yet I'll be darned and roasted alive if that don't look as much like a gobler of mine as two white beans. Howsomever, as the critter belongs to you, why, you must take him, that's all."
He said no more, but caught the turkey and handed him over-as he supposed-to the rightful owner. The latter thanked him for his trouble, and after inviting him to come and take a thanksgiving supper with him, and telling him he should be as welcome to a bit of the turkey as though it were his own, he marched off triumphantly, with his prize under his arm and a laugh in his sleeve.
An ingenious contriver of ways and means, some twenty years ago, being in want of a turkey wherewith to be thankful according to law, on the last Thursday in November, set his wits to work to procure one, without labor, love, or money. Turkeys, as everybody knows, are fond of apples and apple trees for their couch, and our hero, going in the stillness of the night, singled out a fine, fat turkey-gobbler from a tree-full belonging to one of his neighbors. While reconnoitering the roost, he heard the feathered bipeds say distinctly, "quit! quit!! quit!!" But considering these as words of course, he did not regard them a feather, but taking a bit of red yarn from his pocket, he made it fast to the leg of his intended prize, and retired without further alarming the brood, or at all disturbing their owner.
The next day he went to his neighbor's house with the following interrogatory: "You havn't seen no stray gobler here, have ye?" The neighbor answered that he had not, but there might possibly be one among his turkeys, and asked the other if he should know the turkey on seeing him.
"O, yes. yes," said the witty man of invention, "I should know him very well, by a bit of red yarn he had around his right leg."
Accordingly the whole flock of turkeys were assembled, and the man, deeply regretting his loss, and declaring he would not have taken a silver dollar for the bird, began to examine the whole lot.
"Gobble, gobble, gobble," said the indignant turkey, taller than the rest by a head.
"Ah! that's he," said the man, springing up as he spoke, "that's the very identical turkey; can't you see he's got the mark on?"
"Well, so he has, sure enough," said the honest neighbor, taking two quids of pig-tail in two minutes: "and yet I'll be darned and roasted alive if that don't look as much like a gobler of mine as two white beans. Howsomever, as the critter belongs to you, why, you must take him, that's all."
He said no more, but caught the turkey and handed him over-as he supposed-to the rightful owner. The latter thanked him for his trouble, and after inviting him to come and take a thanksgiving supper with him, and telling him he should be as welcome to a bit of the turkey as though it were his own, he marched off triumphantly, with his prize under his arm and a laugh in his sleeve.
What sub-type of article is it?
Deception Fraud
Crime Story
What themes does it cover?
Deception
Triumph
What keywords are associated?
Thanksgiving Turkey
Deception Trick
Red Yarn
Neighbor Swindle
Turkey Theft
What entities or persons were involved?
Ingenious Contriver
Neighbor
Where did it happen?
Neighbor's Roost And House
Story Details
Key Persons
Ingenious Contriver
Neighbor
Location
Neighbor's Roost And House
Event Date
Some Twenty Years Ago, On The Last Thursday In November
Story Details
A man ties red yarn to a neighbor's turkey's leg at night and the next day claims it as his stray, tricking the neighbor into handing it over.