It purportedly happened at least 40 years ago. A WWI cannon was stolen from in front of the Vermont Veterans Home in Bennington and buried under the football field at Dartmouth College. It was hidden by a college student in the 1960s as a prank - or was it? A man who since has died confessed to police he was that college student, said the Rutland Herald. But further investigation at Memorial Stadium produced only an empty ammunition carriage, not a cannon. Add to this the fact no one at the veterans home can remember if the cannon ever existed, let alone stolen. There have been postcards dating back to the early 1900s that show a cannon in front of the home, but neither local history buffs nor the Bennington Historic Preservation Commission can verify its existence. But if the cannon is found under the football field, "we would love to see it returned to where it belongs," said Michelle Burgess, director of therapeutic recreation at the home. The college plans to search around the area where the carriage was found in hopes of solving this mystery. Where's Sherlock Holmes when you need him?