Pickpockets Ply Their Trade At Coshocton County Fair

October 1917--While Coshocton fair goers admired Loretta the Spider Girl and a 3,300 pound steer, pickpockets worked the crowds.

Residents of West Lafayette, who traveled in by train, reported multiple thefts. According to the Morning Tribune, Henry Foots had $40 in bills, plus a $10 check, stolen from a pocketbook. Another West Lafayette man had $48 stolen while helping to carry a man who was "seemingly having a fit". Also, a man from Uhrichsville was relieved of $15.

The Coshocton Fair In 1917

October 1917--The Coshocton Fair had a couple unusual attractions in 1917.

As advertised in the Coshocton Morning Tribune, you could see an "extraordinary attraction" by seeing Loretta, The Spider Girl. She was one of "the most wonderful human beings on exhibition". The ad claimed that the 18 year old Loretta weighed a mere 11 pounds.

If Loretta wasn't to your liking, you could see the world's largest living steer which weighed in at a whopping 3,300 pounds. The steer was called "an educational sight for all".

I wondered if the fair steer might be the famous Old Ben, the two ton behemoth from Kokomo, Indiana. But alas, Ben died in 1910.