“A special canary department”

Here’s a light item from the July 11, 1937, Daily Oklahoman, about a yellow desperado and the policeman who captured his man …errr,  his bird.

Promise of Reform Brings Release of Canary Prisoner

The police department’s prize prisoner, a yellow canary, seized on charges of obstructing duties of an officer went home Saturday minus a few feathers, chirping weakly and looking very ashamed about the whole escapade.

Booked Friday night as Mary (or John) Doe, the flying desperado was released Saturday to Mrs. Denver Burkett, 830 Northwest Fifth street, who said his name is really Jimmy and promised there would be no more of this unrestrained flitting about the house.

Mrs. Burkett identified Jimmy by the absence of two tail feathers which, she said, he lost in a forced landing behind the ice box last March.

Jack Barnett, station captain, who captured Jimmy after he annoyed officers by crying “cheep, cheep” through the station window and battering the screen with his bill, demanded an explanation of his presence there.

“Well,” Mrs. Burkett apologized, “the ice man left the door open Friday morning and he flew right out.”

Police received 20 calls Saturday from people looking for their lost canaries.

“Holy smokes,” complained Barnett, “at that rate people must lose 7,300 canaries a year. If this keeps up we’ll have to have a special canary department.”

Mary Phillips

mphillips@opubco.com

Thank you for joining our conversation on The Archivist. We encourage your discussion but ask that you stay within the bounds of our commenting and posting policy.