In an all-too-familiar MO, thieves made off with an antique weathervane, stealing it from the cupola of a resident’s barn roof some time between September 16 and September 18 and replacing it with a decoy.
The owner said his wife apparently scared the thieves away the first time they attempted to steal it, but apparently they came back when no one was home. “I noticed that the horse seemed to have a leg broken off,” said the owner, and when he climbed up on the roof to investigate, discovered the phony vane.
The similar, inexpensive weathervane was missing its front leg so that it could be mounted on top of the pole. The replacement also had been painted green over the original gold paint to simulate a copper patina. It had been welded around the neck and had puttylike auto repair filler on the body. BB marks on the horse may have already been there as they were painted over. Roughly the same size as the original, the decoy was made of a tinlike material.
The real stolen vane is a copper running horse with traces of either gold leaf or yellow paint underneath the horse’s belly. The residence dates to 1867 and the owner surmises that the vane was placed on the barn, which came with the house, around 1900. The horse measures 41 inches between the front hoof and the tip of the tail.
Anyone with information concerning the weathervane’s whereabouts should contact Officer Robert Meagher of the Norwell Police Department at 781-659-7979. Incident number is 11-395-OF.
