On October 20, 1991, Leo Stohler discovered a decapitated corpse while metal detecting in Hastings, Nebraska, which turned out to be the beloved pet goose of local inventor Gene Fleming. Fleming, known for his unusual lifestyle and eccentric inventions, received the shocking news during a calm morning with his family, as they were preparing for their son's birthday. This violent act upended the peaceful town and highlighted the contrast between the mundane and the macabre in everyday life, leading to an exploration of community and personal loss in the face of tragedy.
Gene Fleming was well known in Hastings. An eccentric inventor, he had turned the profits from his "cattle-oiler" - a metal cylinder covered in insecticide, meant to help cows ward off flies - into Fleming Manufacturing Co., a livestock-equipment company that would employ more than 70 people.
Stohler recognized the body. He found a phone and called his neighbor, Gene Fleming. Ten miles away, Fleming was sipping coffee in his kitchen with his wife, Nadine.
"There's been a murder," Fleming said. "Somebody get me an officer." "Calm down," Peterson said. "Who's been murdered?" "Andy," Fleming said. "My goose."
Outside, he installed a tennis court plus a small model lighthouse for stray cats to live in. He set up a playground of his own inventions: swings and teeter-totters welded to cattle-feeders.
Collection
[
|
...
]