At Halloween time 100 years ago, boys in Glen Ellyn seemed to be more interested in doing pranks than in collecting treats. By 1920 they were competing to see who could do the wildest prank, which led to this interesting story.
One morning after Halloween, the town awoke to discover a cow tied up on the roof of Congregational Church. Not today’s Congregational Church but the one from that era with a gabled roof. No youngster ever admitted to doing this prank, but here’s what apparently happened.
A couple of boys borrowed a cow from a nearby farm. These boys knew that cows are willing to walk up steps, but typically refuse to go down steps. Under cover of darkness, they took this poor cow up to the belfry and out onto the roof where they tied it up.
The next morning nobody could figure out how to get the cow to come down. After two days, fire department personnel finally rigged up a sling and used it to being the cow down. Meanwhile, since cows need to be milked twice a day, someone had to handle that chore while perched precariously on the church roof.
Afterward, most people in town agreed that this Halloween prank was the all-time best one.
