Credit: Greg Locke
Frank McCarthy was the first person in Newfoundland to be
charged for jigging cod for his own table.

Horse Thieves

On a fine summer day, when all the men of Tilting were out fishing, and all the women were at work on the shore, about 30 Newfoundland ponies wandered down the road towards the town of Joe Batt's Arm.

The Tilting ponies made the five-mile trip regularly. They went in a group. They grazed by the side of the road along the way. When they got to Joe Batt's Arm they went around visiting the ponies that lived there. They went that way to mate and run wild with the dozens of ponies that lived at the end of the road.

But on this particular day, there was a trap waiting for the animals. Charles Decker was waiting for them. And the young man had not come empty-handed. He had some bait—a pretty mare tied to a long leash. Charles didn't really want to catch the Tilting ponies. He wasn't sure if it was right. But Charles had a young family to support. As town manager he had to do his job.