Br'er Rabbit still off in briar patch

By George Mathis

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The statue of Br'er Rabbit reported stolen from The Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton is still missing.

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office The Br'er Rabbit statue was stolen from the Uncle Remus Museum in Eatonton.

Putnam County Sheriff’s Office Br'er Rabbit statue is about three feet tall and weighs 250 pounds.

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A museum worker said Monday that the trickster rabbit, and the tricksters who stole him, are "still off in the briar patch."

Eatonton police said no new clues have turned up since the 3-foot statue was stolen from the grounds of the museum the night of Aug.7.

Putnam County Sheriff Howard R. Sills said the statue is made of iron and weighs about 250 pounds. The statue's granite base remains.

Sills said "The statue is a much loved historical article in Putnam County and we would very much like to recover it as soon as possible."

Those with information on the theft are asked to contact the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office at 706-485-8557.

Georgia author Joel Chandler Harris crafted his famous series of stories featuring Br'er Rabbit and other animal characters in the 1870s.

Born into poverty in Putnam County, Harris began working for The Atlanta Constitution in 1876 and began to publish the famous Uncle Remus stories.

His Atlanta home, The Wren's Nest, remains a landmark in the West End neighborhood.