Stolen Cannon, OH - Assistance requested

[paulcalloway]

Please see the email below and the attachments. If you have information that might be helpful in solving this case, please advise.

Does the piece look familiar to anyone?

----- Original Message ----- From: ccvets
To: Cannon-Mania ; ContactUs@bronzecannon.com ; gac3@adelphia.net ; webmaster@cwartillery.org ; mail@civilwarnews.com ; campchase@msn.com ; ccvets
Sent: Wednesday, July 14, 2004 11:32 AM
Subject: Request for help locating stolen cannon



Hello,
I am Mac McKibben, Investigator/Veteran Service Officer for the Clinton County Ohio Veterans' Service Commission. If it is at all possible we would like to disseminate information about a "cold case" of a stolen cannon from our area. Any and all assistance you could offer would be greatly appreciated.

Please see attachments

Regards,
e.e.McKibben
(937)382-3233

[BarryDusel]

Re: Stolen Cannon, OH - Assistance requested

Unfortunately this is happening far too often. A theft is a theft, but I can only hope that this tube was stolen for a collection or to complete a carriage. Otherwise the thought that it was stolen for scrap value ....
Too often there are no Id's kept by the local authority. I'm aware of a cannon that was stolen in my community within the past 20 years. Through a series of circumstances that are too numerous too enumerate no Police reports were ever filed. Mostly because the collector involved replaced the tube with another from his collection. Very few people other then myself and the thief know anything about it. While speaking to a friend that's a LEO I mentioned this theft. Said LEO was adament that these old antigue cannons have no way of being ID'd. Imagine his surprise, I produced a wax rubbing made of the bell and trunnions of said gun tube. Dated 1978 from my collection. @ 2 months ago said stolen gun appeared at a public function. The LEO and myself were together , chiefly to prove my point. I had the rubbing and after inspection his jaw nearly fell off. In the end the higher authorities want nothing to do with this problem. Afterall, to them a cannon is a cannon.
Now, after that long dissertation. As a preservation objective. I'd like to suggest that if there are old tubes/trophies of war in a community. That it may be prudent to start cataloging them. Through photo's, wax rubbings, other research. Too many cemetaries, especially are selling off the old cannon that decorate the veterans plots. In many cases these tubes don't belong to the cemetary. They belong to a GAR post, a VFW, etc. More so, they belong to the men that they stand guard over. These plots are as important to the memory of these "old soldiers" as are the fields of their struggles. While we spend millions to defend the fields of honour, which we should, it takes nothing but perserverance to guard their final resting places and the hometown memorials.