SquirrelsaurusR
45 Cal.
- Joined
- Mar 20, 2004
- Messages
- 683
- Reaction score
- 1
Got this in an email today:
Dear Friends,
PLEASE PASS ON THE GOOD NEWS
This afternoon (April 8) I received some very good news. EXODUS HAS BEEN
FOUND!!!! I received a call from the Delaware, Ohio County Sheriff's
Department about 2:30 pm today informing me that they had found Exodus (a
full scale replica 12 lb Mt. Howitzer which had been stolen on or around
March 26).
According to the Sheriff's Deputy, it had been stolen by a high school boy
and his Dad. The Sheriff's Dept. got wind of who had taken Exodus when the
boy was bragging around the school about what had happened when they fired
it. (From the looks of Exodus, I am sure that they over loaded it and that
it is a good thing that it has an 2.25 inch bore rather than the full 4.62
inch bore The extra cast iron may very well have saved their lives.)
Apparently, the firing of Exodus scared they thieves enough that they tried
to sell it to another person. The Sheriff's Department was already closing
in on the thieves and when confronted the thieves told them where to find
Exodus.
Upon securing Exodus, the Sheriff's Department contacted me and asked if I
wanted to come and get Exodus. I left work immediately, picked up my
trailer, and went to bring Exodus home.
I have been told that the thieves videotaped their firing of Exodus and I
will be very interested to see the video, if it does exist. But based on
the looks and conditions of Exodus, I would guess that when they fired it
they barrel blew off of the carriage and the carriage rotated around the
axle.
When I saw Exodus, its barrel was laying upside down with one trunnion
wedged under the one cap square and the other trunnion laying on the side of
the carriage with the other cap square dangling from its keeper chain. The
force also broke four repaired spokes on one wheel and damaged at least two
more spokes. There is also damage to the trail and to the axle. There may
be more damage but this is all the damage that a quick visual inspection has
found. I am sure that I will find more damage as I start to make repairs.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all
of you in Delaware County and the reenacting community at large who helped
spread the word about the theft of Exodus and who expressed their concern
over the theft and offered their support. I knew that those of us who
reenact in a given region are a close family, I now know that that family
extends throughout the United States.
God Bless America and all those who continue to wear the blue and the grey.
I remain your most humbled and obedient servant,
Sgt. Rick Helwig
Gunner/Artificer
5th Ohio Light Artillery
Dear Friends,
PLEASE PASS ON THE GOOD NEWS
This afternoon (April 8) I received some very good news. EXODUS HAS BEEN
FOUND!!!! I received a call from the Delaware, Ohio County Sheriff's
Department about 2:30 pm today informing me that they had found Exodus (a
full scale replica 12 lb Mt. Howitzer which had been stolen on or around
March 26).
According to the Sheriff's Deputy, it had been stolen by a high school boy
and his Dad. The Sheriff's Dept. got wind of who had taken Exodus when the
boy was bragging around the school about what had happened when they fired
it. (From the looks of Exodus, I am sure that they over loaded it and that
it is a good thing that it has an 2.25 inch bore rather than the full 4.62
inch bore The extra cast iron may very well have saved their lives.)
Apparently, the firing of Exodus scared they thieves enough that they tried
to sell it to another person. The Sheriff's Department was already closing
in on the thieves and when confronted the thieves told them where to find
Exodus.
Upon securing Exodus, the Sheriff's Department contacted me and asked if I
wanted to come and get Exodus. I left work immediately, picked up my
trailer, and went to bring Exodus home.
I have been told that the thieves videotaped their firing of Exodus and I
will be very interested to see the video, if it does exist. But based on
the looks and conditions of Exodus, I would guess that when they fired it
they barrel blew off of the carriage and the carriage rotated around the
axle.
When I saw Exodus, its barrel was laying upside down with one trunnion
wedged under the one cap square and the other trunnion laying on the side of
the carriage with the other cap square dangling from its keeper chain. The
force also broke four repaired spokes on one wheel and damaged at least two
more spokes. There is also damage to the trail and to the axle. There may
be more damage but this is all the damage that a quick visual inspection has
found. I am sure that I will find more damage as I start to make repairs.
Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all
of you in Delaware County and the reenacting community at large who helped
spread the word about the theft of Exodus and who expressed their concern
over the theft and offered their support. I knew that those of us who
reenact in a given region are a close family, I now know that that family
extends throughout the United States.
God Bless America and all those who continue to wear the blue and the grey.
I remain your most humbled and obedient servant,
Sgt. Rick Helwig
Gunner/Artificer
5th Ohio Light Artillery