Not a single horse missing

For 158 years, the Waseca County Horse Thief Detectives have gathered to assess their accomplishments. And every year they’ve been able to report proudly, “not a single horse has been unrecovered.” 

This was the case again in 2022 when the “Oldest Protective Society West of the Mississippi” held its annual meeting in Waseca’s Northeast Park at noon on Monday, July 4. It’s been a tradition for them to have a potluck lunch before the meeting. This year featured smoked chicken as the main course.

President Scott Roemhildt claims that there have been a total of 4,000 members throughout the organization’s history. “It’s hard to pinpoint how many active members there are,” he admits. “That’s because we do lifetime memberships. Once you become a member, you’re a lifetime member.”

The group reportedly first formed in 1862 when a new settler in Waseca fell victim to horse thieves. An account of the incident states, “Although the thieves were caught and convicted of larceny, they broke jail and escaped. The theft, escape, and expenses involved in their arrest and trial outraged local citizens.”

From that day forward, local “detectives” vowed “not to let history repeat itself.”

The group formed officially on February 16, 1864. Members helped put an end to horse stealing not only in Waseca County, but also some nearby communities.

Members have met regularly ever since. In the past, they met monthly. After a few years, the members determined that they only needed to meet quarterly since the horse theft problems in the county had dwindled.

“In 1880, they switched to yearly meetings,” Roemhildt states. “We’ve met annually ever since.”

Some members have had family within the organization since its inception.

The Horse Thief Detectives hold their meetings according to Robert’s Rules of Order. They take care of old business from the past year, talk about new business for this year, and–most importantly–make sure none of the members’ horses were stolen.

Among this year’s new business was selecting parades the group would appear in, determining  the amount of money to be donated to Minnesota’s Law Enforcement Memorial Association, accepting a member’s donation to match that contribution, and electing officers. Nine riders act as the posse which investigates any horse thefts reported to the group. Jack Howell was elected as the captain of the riders for this year.

After the meeting, the group took part in some fun activities including a pie-eating contest, a bubble gum bubble-blowing contest, and the sack toss.

Many of Waseca County’s Horse Thief Detectives members have been in it for years. Some memberships span generations, with a few families that have been part of it since its inception.

“What’s nice is that members of the Horse Thief Detectives have family ties,” says Dale Riecke, one of the group’s riders. “Our family has been here since 1864. We weren’t part of the original group, but we’ve been involved since near the beginning.”

 “I’ve been part of this since 1988,” says organization president Roemhild. “Former County Sheriff Mert Schwarz recruited me. I was involved with his posse and with the horses, so it made sense for me to join.”

While horse thefts may be less common than ever, the members of the Waseca County Horse Thief Detectives remain vigilant and are always looking for members. “It only costs $3 to be a lifetime member,” says Secretary Theresa Riecke. “We welcome everyone that is interested in joining…except for horse thieves.”