Man Trap Caught Chicken Thieves

Man Trap Caught Chicken Thieves AG WORLD 32-5-21 A Virginia farmer was awarded a patent in 1932 for his Chicken Thief Man Trap. In his description, inventor John T. Helbert wrote: "A jaw trap which may be used to capture chicken thieves, being so constructed that the more the victim struggles the closer together the jaws move." Today the antique trap's value is about $1,500, according to Tom Parr, president of the North America Trap Collectors Association, who has his personal collection of traps on display at the association's museum in Galloway, Ohio. The Chicken Thief Man Trap is one of about 4,000 traps - from mousetraps to bear traps. The man trap is 17 by 15 in. and the jaws are offset by 2 in., and includes something animal traps don't need. "A true man trap usually has a lock mechanism built into the jaws to prevent escape," Parr says. "Once something is in it, it locks. It needs a special key or device to unlock it." The trap was usually set near a hen house and covered with dirt or straw. When someone stepped on the trigger assembly, the springs closed the offset jaws, designed not to overly injure a leg. A heavy chain that secured the trap to a fence post or stake held the thief until the landowner returned. Apparently, however, Helbert's trap never really caught on. Only about a dozen were ever made. Parr feels fortunate to have one of them; a friend purchased the trap for him at a Virginia antique store. Parr's museum has two other man traps. One that is 7 ft. long and 70 lbs., appears to be homemade out of old farm parts. Another is from Europe, where traps to catch men were made as early as 1770, when English aristocrats set them on their property to keep hungry peasants from stealing their wild game and fruit. Unlike traps for wild animals, the traps didn't close tight enough to break a leg, but those who were caught likely faced a worse punishment. Parr invites anyone interested in seeing the Chicken Thief Man Trap and thousands of other traps to come to the museum. Call ahead to set up a time. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Tom Parr, North American Trap Collectors Association Museum, Inc., 6106 Bausch Rd., Galloway, Ohio 43119 (ph 614 878-6011; trappersworld@rrohio.com).

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