# Sometimes a stick is as good as a gun



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

This morning a neighbor asked me to bring my tow dolly to the 24 hour gas station we use to tow his car home because it died on his way home from second shift.

I told him both my knees were screaming at me and I was moving slow four point walking with my usual cuff crutch third leg and my old hickory wood cane on my primary hand so it would take me some time to drop the dolly with electric winch on the hitch on the Tahoe but I would be there. Luckily I had the dolly foot jacked high enough with the day glow vertical line up pennant shaft in place to line the hitch on the first back up, 

After loading up his car, we went into the store to have a cup of coffee, rest my knees in one of the formica booth tables they have for the lunch deli and visit with Kenny the New Deli Indian American grandson of a guy I used to work with.

While sitting there a guy came in and grabbed a beer suitcase pack and tried to run with it and as he ran by , my neighbor took my hickory cane from where I had it leaning on the table and hooked the thief's feet with it as I palmed my minimag and he and Kenny tackle pinned him and Kenny called it in.

When the law arrived I had my minimag back in my pocket and one of the cops asked me what happened and I said he ran past us with beer long after last call for sales and I guessed he tripped over my cane, i really didn't know because I was eating a ham and cheese sandwich from the cooler case and drinking a cup of coffee and resting after helping load a dead car on a tow dolly.

My neighbor told them he grabbed my cane and hooked him like a bad act at a vaudeville show.

On our ride home my neighbor called me a cop out for not telling what happened and I told him I wasn't actually involved, we weren't checked for our weapons, I had minimal mention in the incident report and since he was driving my Tahoe, he could drop me here at home and take my rig andhis car to his house and bring it back after he decides to drop it at his place or our mechanics.

Sometimes a stick is as good as a gun LOL


----------



## gilberte (Sep 25, 2004)

Great story! Sometimes it's best to stay under the radar, unless your statement is really needed.


----------



## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Good job!


----------



## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Good teaching story.


----------



## Snowfan (Nov 6, 2011)

Would knee replacement help the knee pain issue?


----------



## doc- (Jun 26, 2015)

gilberte said:


> Great story! Sometimes it's best to stay under the radar, unless your statement is really needed.


We Sicilians don't like Jehovah's Witnesses....In fact, we don't like ANY witnesses.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

it all depends on the cop

you give them enough story till they are satisfied they have to put in the report what you say

remember in some places , hooking or tackling a thief is as much a crime as steeling the beer , he can sue if he is hurt in civil court in many places..

yup he tripped on the disabled guys cane.

sometimes a stick works , but better to have both

one of these days I am going to get a wood hog cane they seem more sturdy then the ones at the pharmacy.

on weather change days , I hurt , walk like an old man , thing is I only really would need it for about the first 100 feet after getting out of the truck then I can straiten out and loosen up.


----------



## Shrek (May 1, 2002)

Snowfan,
Knee replacement might work, but everyone I know with them say they still have knee pain only in different areas of the knee and have to replace them every 10 years or so, so I plan to hang onto my original parts as long as possible and just have the 3 hole day surgery every 15 years or so to have the calcium build ups removed as long as I can since it's rare when both knees scream at me at the same time.

GCP,
My hickory cane is a linseed oil sealed 1960s model like the livestock folks used to keep in the gun racks of their trucks to prod uncooperative horses, mules or cattle through the trailer slats while loading that I bought from a tool handle seller at the flea market. The only change I have done to it is when the rubber cane tip started to bald out , I replaced it with a larger footprint crutch tip since it's a crutch shaft diameter..

He didn't hurt him too bad yanking his feet out and the thief was lucky he didn't club him with it. As you say since he ran right by the table where we were sitting, the cop doing the report may have just put down that he tripped, since in reality he did and he finished his grab and run shoplifting report in under 10 minutes.


----------



## GREENCOUNTYPETE (Jul 25, 2006)

my mom just had knee #2 done 2 weeks ago 

she had the first knee done in April 

she is very happy with it other than disliking stairs mom and dad are talking about a remodel to add first floor laundry right in their bathroom.


----------

