Volume 18 , Issue 6

1918 Salina Police Chief Shot War Pigeon That Stopped For A Visit

If you were back in 1918, Salina, Kansas, you might have read about the "Salina Police Chief That Shot A War Pigeon Stopped For A Visit," as seen in The Topeka Daily Capital, in Topeka, Kansas, dated 16 August 1918, Friday, page 2.

Found on Newspapers.com

Salina, KS, Aug. 15 (1918) (Special) -- Because a carrier pigeon from Camp Funston loafed on its job of carrying a message from Salina to the army cantonment, it was suffered the supreme penalty - It was shot. Several of the pigeons that were being trained at Funston for war work in France, were brought to Salina and given their liberty that they could carry a message to Funston, but they never returned. They stopped by the wayside, at Abilene, and made up with a flock of the common, ordinary pigeons. They became a nuisance at a certain residence in Abilene, and the chief of police was appealed to kill the birds.

He went to the scene and shot several of the pigeons, one of which dropped into the yard of Burel Burdick. Upon picking it up he found the army tag on its left foot and reported the matter to the officers at Funston. Lieutenant Richards, who had charge of training the pigeons at Funston, went to Abilene and made an investigation. He stated that it was a great crime to kill a carrier pigeon during war time in the United States, but that in this case, under the circumstances, the chief of police could not be charged with the crime. The lieutenant stated, however, that people should be very careful about killing pigeons during war time, as the carriers frequently visit with the common bird, when they have not been fully trained, and the carriers were easily taken for the common variety.

Lieutenant Richards had trained hundreds of pigeons at Funston that were then working in France, and had a number under training.
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