Before Huse Edgemon moved to Tennessee in 1927 he bought about six hundred acres as his farm. He built ten outbuildings on the place among which was a potato house about one tenth of a mile along the road from their residence. Times were very difficult in the 1930s and people would pry off his lock and help themselves to the potatoes. He would reinforce the hasp and lock, but the trespassers only came with larger tire tools.

Eventually he came to the end of his patience and built a deadfall on the inside of the potato house door. He erected four vertical tracks, two on each side of the door, and fitted a heavy household door, laying horizontally, to run up and down in the tracks. He drove large nails through the door for the purpose, as he said, "to hold the thief fast once the door fell on him." Sitting on top of the door and chained in place was a T-Model car motor to give added weight to the contrivance. This engine of death was raised into place and attached to a treadle on the floor. When someone went into the potato house and stepped on the treadle the deadfall would come down and pin him to the ground.

Now Huse had a little dog that he called a feist. It followed him everywhere he went. In particular the dog enjoyed going to the potato house, and would make a headlong dash inside to harass any rats or mice that might be lurking about.

One day in a fit of absentmindedness Huse went to the potato house to stoke up the fire. He opened the door and the little dog rushed in, tripping the deadfall. Just as Huse started forward the thing rushed down past him, a nail catching in the brim of his hat, almost breaking his neck.

Having escaped this horror, he never reset the deadfall. Hearing the story and not knowing if the engine of death was set, the thieves from then on got their potatoes from other places.

Submitted by J W Henson

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