Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Firewood theft

He gave an explanation to what motivated him to steal the firewood. If it is true, I could see why he was desperate. His young wife died in a car accident just three weeks after he got out of the army, leaving him with two kids under the age of five. Couldn't find a job, medical bills took all their savings, forced air furnace broke down and could not afford a replacement, but someone gave him an old wood stove. He needed firewood immediately, but no money to buy any.

This guy was in a streak of bad luck. My wife wanted to adopt the whole bunch.

For me what saved his arse was he addressed me as "Sir" and my wife "Maam." Was X military and had a Bush/Cheney bumper sticker on his old pickup.

I am not going take his dignity... I am putting him to work tomorrow and let him decide what his time is worth to work off two pickup loads of firewood.

My father told me of an incident back during the depression in the early 30's.

My grandfather had eight kids to feed, shelter and clothe. He rented a small farm, was a carpenter, gravedigger, sold and delivered firewood, anything to make a dollar. A big garden, milk cow, chickens, a pig or two. Sugar? That was a special treat, grandpa made cane molasses for sweetener. Lots of hard work, the kids had to pitch in, too.

Grandpa had put up ear corn in a crib to feed the critters that winter. Thought it was disappearing somehow, he caught a neighbor filling a gunny sack at 2:00 am. Grandpa didn't say a word, just stood there and watched him fill his sack, tears streaming down the neighbor's face. Not a word was exchanged. The neighbor walked off into the night, crying, with his sack.

Grandpa could of knuckled his head, but he knew that it wasn't animal feed being stolen. The neighbor had a houseful of kids to feed, too. He was taking it to feed his family.

a lot of the time military families have life insurance that stays with them even if they leave the service. wonder if they had any coverage?

i'd say now is a damn good time for him to buy some if he doesn't have any. those kids on their own with no money is even worse.

If, for no other reason, this were just a story it shows what a bunch of good hearted folks are round here. I have seen many gifts to folks by folks that likely never met. Gifts of gun parts for deserving nimrods. Offers of help when someone lists a rifle or such for sale because of a time of need and then more than just several offer to loan or flat out give the needed money to the person in need. Pretty good stuff. Yep, I get the wet eye from that. I have been on both sides of the deal and while it feels better to give it is amazingly nice to have someone, especially a stranger offer a hand.

If it were me and someone snatched some wood I had cut, I would have been pissed off and if I were to have found a note as in the above story, I'd be pissed at my initial reaction. The guy took something that wasn't theirs and then came back to stand up for the offense. I don't approve of theft but I do respect someone standing up for their mistake. Makes one think. A lot of what if's come into play.

What if you'd have caught the fellow redhanded, would you believe them if they said the story given? Would you (no pun intended) give them the wood?
What if it was a scruffy fellow and not a vet but the situation was the same?
What if it was a person of another race and the situation was the same?
What if he had an Obama sticker on the truck and the situation was other wise the same? Makes one think. Makes me think what an ass I would have likely made of my self and how bad I'd feel after realizing if it were my daughter that was hungry or cold, I know what I would have done if I was in that fellows position...
Be safe and keep warm
Patty

well at least that part is ok...just a horrible thing to go through and especially with kids. the guy needs a break.

hell, maybe we can somehow help fix the furnace