B4—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, November 8,1980
Rustlers
(Continued from Page B 2)
the state’s Department of
Agriculture’s “hotline”, to
alert officials and determine
what auctions in the area
would be likely places to
search
By Thursday evening,
Baker and a neighbor had
traveled to four Penn
sylvania livestock sales
barns, and gotten what he
termed “excellent
cooperation” from three of
them.
But a fourth Lancaster
sales facility, preparing for
a dairy sale the next day,
refused him admittance.
Baker remembers vividly
that the auction’s
representative appeared
visibly nervous, lighting one
cigarette after another as he
argued about letting Baker
and his friend into the
building.
Returning to the same
barn that night, a fnend of
Baker’s simply walked in
and looked over the cattle
tied there. There was no sign
of Betsy or Patches.
them as proof of identity and ownership.
Ze/u>:
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Manager
Ray Kuhns
67 Roland Ave
Chambersburg, PA 17201
717-264-3814
Distributors
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Donald Everitt
Mifllmtown
717-436-2561
W.F. Caring Co.
Honesdale
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it Hdo aaj
tor the Baker family that
Friday at the Timomum
Maryland State Fair As
Baker went out the kitchen
door to head for the fair, on a
whim he picked up the two
registry papers and stuffed
them into his pocket,
figuring the thief might
return m search of the
certificates
Midday, as the Ayrshire
judge prepared to pick a
grand champion, fair of
ficials came to Baker with
word that his cattle probably
had been found. Two
animals matching the
“hotline” description were
being held at the Baltimore
Livestock Exchange, known
locally as the West Friend
ship auction, in Howard
County.
Upon arriving at the
auction, Baker was asked to
identify all the markings on
the cows, as proof of his
ownership. Knowing that he
could not have reproduced
every marking on the two
cows, Baker pulled from his
pocket the two papers, which
earned photographs of the
animals.
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calls went out to the
state police piir- contact to
both the Howard and Carroll
counties’ state attorneys
That evening, a fntau
trucked the cattle back to the
Baker farm. However,
because the two cows were
actually impounded state’s
evidence, Baker got them
back only because the
Humane Society had no
facilities for milking the
pair He was told that, under
no circumstances, could he
dispose of either until the
case was settled.
Both were, in Baker’s
words, “in bad shape,” due
to not having been milked for
48 hours. But, while the cows
were now back home, there
was still no sign of the
missing calf.
Within several hours,
Maryland state police
arrested Calvin Ambrose at
his job with the Baltimore
Sun papers. Ambrose lived
at a New Freedom RD farm,
just a few miles from the
Baker farm. An employee of
the auction had recognized
him when he unloaded the
two cattle at the Howard
County sales barn.
Baker learned that Am-
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301-895-5567
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brose had kept a pet lion
on the farm He speculates
that either the animal, or
something with its scent,
was perhaps used during the
theft He ties this possibility
to the strange jumpiness of
the dairy herd, to the calf
remaining in the hutch
which refused to come out
and nurse until dragged out,
and the farm dogs which
hours after the robbery
finally crept out of the barn
on their bellies, seemingly
frightened.
The Bakers also wonder if
their baby calf may have
gone for lion food. He adds
quickly, of course, that it’s
sheer speculation and has
never been proven.
Trial was scheduled for
just before Christmas, 1979,
at Carroll County circuit
court in Westminster. But
the legal proceedings were
delayed, smce Ambrose had
checked himself mto a
Maryland State hosptial.
In April, the trial came up
in the Westminster cour
thouse. Several witnesses
were m the courtroom,
ready to testify if necessary.
Among them were state
police, a representative of
the ag department’s
“hotline”, auction officials,
and of course, Baker, armed
with a sheet of - registry
papers, transfers and DHIA
records.
Calvin Ambrose pled
guilty to the charges.
He was ordered to reim
burse the Baker’s for all
costs mvolved in the theft,
including trucking, vet bills
and the cost of the con
siderable lost production
from Patches and Betsy.
(Turn to Page B 5)
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