v
GOVERNMENT DETECTIVES DE3TR0TIN0 MASH CAPTURED IN RAID
ON MOONSHINERS.
(Copyright, 1902, by Clifford Smythe.)
rrlHB man "Ho pitches his cabin In
I some mountain wild, collects a
Dana oi iouowers ana maKes his
living by methods that fall under
v. .
iut i-vuBurg ul government and
society, is In all reality a more picturesque It was necessary for us to pass through
character than the Rob Roy and the Dcone' nearly thirty miles of moonshine territory,
cf popular fiction. He Is regarded with and ln a country, where travelers of any
superstitious terror by his neighbors. His kind being scarce, every stranger receives
daring exploits become the theme of won- a degree of scrutiny that is difficult to
dertng gossip, while his success In eluding avoid. Carrying rifles, also, after
capture wins him the homage due to a the bunting season Is over is a hard mat
hero, ter to explain to the inquisitive. Dan, the
While such conditions and the outlaws deputy marshal, tucked his, therefore, un
that make them are rapidly disappearing der bis coat and volunteered the informa
from the United States, there are a few llon to the ,ew people who were met on the
sections of the country where they still road that the writer, who exhibited an un
exist, wild regions that are the bane of the Balnly camera box on bis back, jvas -the
United States marshal, and where the surveyor of a new railroad line and was
moonshiner is king. taking pictures for bis company. This sp
in' o one of the most notorious of these parently allayed suspicion and the raiders
districts, thirty miles from the town of eeemed to have a fair chance to Talk
Hlnton, in the counties of Mercer and quietly in on the moonshiners at their ' fork
Raleigh, West Virginia, Dan Cunningham, and capture the entire party,
prince of government detectives, invited By evening, however, this hope was 41s
the writer to accompany him on a three pelled. We bad scarcely reached Flat Top
days' raid. For some time past the out- when trom the surrounding mountains sig
laws In this far-off region, known as the nal guns were fired and beacons lit. Not
Flat Top country, had escaped the active Boul waa een and these evidences of an
attention of the marshal's office at Charles- aroused community were anything but re
ton. As a consequence the manufacture of assuring. Until midnight we spurred our
ZtoZZpJ
by the best officer in the service became in-
evltable.
iik.u a. t .
. . , , .
Method of Mooa.hl-I...
Moonshlnlng 1. an art that glories in a
nomenclature and a process of its own, but
briefly, it is the illicit method by which
i A ... ...
vr ryo ib luruea mio wnisxy. xne
nmnn.t.lnn. - 1 11 . . . .
uuuunuiuoi mm me scene oi nis ia-
bors some spot conveniently near a run-
nlng Stream and secure from ntl1 In.
vmc ijul vuuTvjuiouiijr utsav a run -
nlns stream and anrnro fmm nntaMa in.
tpnalAti Q .. V. . 1 . 1 1 . . .
uuvu t iui. im usually louna at
the bottom of a steep ravine bidden by a
thick erowth of laurel bushes, although
sometimes a cave In a hillside is selected
If the approach is sufficiently precipitous to
Insure against unforseen Invasion by tbs
ever-dreaded government officer. A stone
furnace, a copper still, a copper or tin
"worm," the "mash" tub. and the barrel
or hogshead to receive the whisky constI
tute the moonshiner's plant or distillery.
When everything la In readiness the corn
or the rye is put into the mash tubs and
cooked by scalding water being poured
over It. After It is thoroughly cooked it
Is given another Immersion and allowed to
stand for a period of from three to four
days, during which it passe, through the
process of fermentation. The result is a
light .ort of beer, or sour mash. This la
then poured into th. copper still and boiled,
Thl. .till 1. a closed vessel with an aver-
age capacity of from 100 to 200 gallon.. It.
manufacture Is prohibited br law. Into the
top of the still inserted th. worm, a hoi-
low tube with a .erie. of convolution, and
open at both ends. As the mash bolls in
the still It turns to vapor which finds It.
way Into tb. worm. The latter is either
submerged In cold w.t.r. or els. water
from th. adjoining .tream U poured over
It Thl. contact with the cold congeal,
the vapor In.ld. and It run. out in liquid
form Into the receiving hogshead. The first
run from the .till U called "rtngling." and
produces a low wine. Thl. low wine Is
boiled again ln the .till, passing through
the worm into he hogshead a. before,
Thi. second run is called "doubling." and
the product 1. the high wine or whisky. At
th. tlm. when th. three raider, heard of
Country Where the Moonshiner is King
I'M " t-
,
the still near Flat Top, the moonshiners
were said to be ready to make their first
run that is, turn the beer into singling.
or low wine.
, . ..
Hide Has Its Danarers.
hnriAi nvor a man that aliinart 11a mni
than once in the intense darkness. Noth-
,n or- weirdly Impm-
eive than this stealthy approach in the
DiacK suence or tne night, through a hos-
tu- country hampered r'M the8obBtacle.
that the roughest section of the Allegha-
nies could present. No bouses were passed
until within a mile of the place where the
. . .
moonsniners were at work. Here a strange
. i . , . , . .
ueciacio came inio view mai causea eacn
of us an Involuntary shudder. The bouse
of one of the mnnmhlnnn waa hnrnlna-
ui um mu iiivuiuiiiar snuaaer. l no nouse
of mm nf th mnnmhinan waa hurnino
VT.i ..... i . 1 1. 1 . a . i
iuui waa yibiuib, uui a idudu cvuia
be heard, except the roar of the flame, and
the occasional plunge of a hissing log to
the wreck-strewn ground beneath. What
tragedy waa marked br thU conflagration;
what midnight orgy or deadly mountain
feud. none of the raider, hurrying bj with
blanched faces looming through the circle
of flr cou,d fathom. It was a mountain
nomo on and possibly an entire family
01 these strange people slumbered beneath
tb ashes. The mystery of it, undoubtedly
connected ln some way with the raid, will
P'bably never be solved. More than one
tragedy occurs in those wild mountains
D1 never whisper of t reaches the world
outside.
Dmm Smelled the Still.
Br wh-t in.tinpt n.n mnM n th. nm
imit.f XI mn.Mn.,.. i.n Jk VJ T C
w" dLnes,
to ntata Everv now 7th. h
get on hlsknee. and .min. .til .nI 2
frosen twi for 7 !?... HI
of these Insnectlon.8; Tiui w
and announced that we were within gunshot
of the place nolntina- at the 3 tlm.
down a d"rk weclce it the hXm
which could heard th.
1. '
"Have your gun. ready boy. Get th.
drop on the flr.f m.n you If ,w nee J
to, fir. on him." '
That precipice seemed interminable. In-
atead of a short declivity it -a. .ftir-.rf
found to be about 800 feet in helht . lr.
of toe and a tangle of laurel thick.! a.
the bottom was reached, th. anow-covered
banks of the stream could be faintly dls-
tinguished in th. starlight, and then a mas.
of dark object, from which a thin coEmn
"mm
WELL CONCEALED ENTRANCE TO STILL
JUBT TO RIGHT OF ROCK.
I l
TYPICAL MOONSHINER'S CABIN.
-
S S'aKlS
OT a r ".JW
overflowing with .h:!,-.- -.- ..i
... .". , . , . ,
which were a few glowing
"""" , ' .lne "d worm
moonsbiner was in
ThA niwR 1 m 1 ! r v vat ,.au.inAj
' " uu or
111016 Of t b nnBT tnlirhfr K. lllrlrlm. n V.
, "- -" m
urusn nearby. With whispered Instructions,
therefore, to hold up the first man encoun-
-- iui ubuvi,
therefore, to hold up the first man encoun-
tered the raiders IPnnritlt IKs mamU.
. r - - viuiub
f68,,10 dawn' taking different directions
ln tbe,r rcn "P and down the ravine.
For Ion time nothing came of thl.
effort. But as I neared the rendesvou. at
the still I heard a rustle, a stealthy tread
ln the laurel thicket ahead of me. The
desperado was coming directly toward me.
I Kt ny gun ready and then hesitated, a.
I remembered that I had not been told the
correct form of address to use on such occa-
along. "Stand, ln the king's name!" sounded
well. "Under which king, Beionian, apeak
or dleT" bad also done good service In
Plato.', day. But though excellent In them-
aelves. neither of these adjurations sp-
peared particularly appropriate ' to moon-
.hlner. ln West Virginia. Fearful, there-
fore' ot U'V1 Porance of moonshine
et1uette, I determined to say nothing. I
W.U,d lmp,jr 8et tne droD on
h'?er- WUh mj un rea,y calmly
Walte(1- Th lauel Jred. then parted-
Di the burly form of Dan' e detective.
,t0od before nM'
-ctlo- of th. Mash.
a. ..... . , '
h.n n " wept down the surrounding
Cunn'ngn,m detroy.d the plant that
beh.nTthem6"" t0
7w Z. l tbou,and al,on
tne brook th, WW POUred lDt0
1? at J itPre,",t!d,. Ta,Ue
fhat lei u. mirm llht'. I lowed a path
LA- .t v. .utI!ht. t0 hou .tbat w
."7.. -7- " U,J. . er" " Dar-
" A . X ""u,ne- th.
thU, wl d communUr IJHr .n,. .
trlh.1 nL. Tm. ih.m
th, ffcotTblt rctur moVI t0
TuittmJmnTJm ""i
iiy oi uiiiy aettiea ner. ana in tlm. spread
SHOWN
OLD MILL USED BY MOONSHINERS TO GRIND CORN FOR MAK
ING MASH.
.77 T""' ThTW"l" "
. S-T rMDMW ?.1
,n,the8e renote corner, of West Virginia.
was not at nome when
the raider, entered hi. cabin. HI. wife, a
wild-eyed woman dividing her attention be-
tween a splnnlg wheel and a child who was
dvlDS of whooping cough, persistently de-
n i - .. ..
Lens, of course, was not at home when
mj unowieage or ner nusband
ilia,iukn..l. T"l 1. I . . ...
" wuuU, rruuaoi iae primitive cabin
had never held so many strangers before
and it. mistress with har hslf-.t.m.
unti ueiu bu ii
and its mlstrMa i
nhlMpan n 1 1 1 .i A i .
v. 1 1 ti k i u g auuui uer, regaraea tne
unwelcome Intruders with the gaxe of some
female wolf at bay, until the detective
asked some questions about her dying child
and tried to aoothe its cough. This show
Interest had a humanizing effect on the
woman, although it failed to elicit any in-
formation regarding the absent husband.
A. we left the house the woman crept out
after us and commenced calling the cows,
a favorite signal among these people to
moonshiners lurking in the brush that they
are In danger.
T.. .,. ..
xe.r. oi war.
For the next tw0 days and night, we
acoured the adjacent country and sue-
ceeded in capturing three of the gang.
More than onc n the chase we were at
th" f ambushed moonshiners, and
tno 'm ' these outlaw. I. unerring. We
day. vainly trying to capture
tn ,eder- for the last thirty years be
ba" b"d master hand in most of the
moonshlnlng In the neighborhood and hi.
'nT ., n,. l V m' JLTr. .
,Dg up tbe ODen outlawry that flourishes
in this part of tbe country. More thsn
on. deputy marshal and revenue officer has
" h,m o hi. lair, and
Ully ba' confidently announced be will
B"er Uken alW""
For lbe iut tenty-flv. year, the govera-
ment through it. marshals and revenue
mce" baa bee waging war on moonshin-
,D. and undoubtedly the latter I. less
prevalent than at the time when tbe first
If U" "l.10 ab0,"h U Wa" '
Oovrnor Atkinson of West Virginia, who
th fnt 10 make effectual bcaawa'
f tbU cU"' f OU"aw"' the flr,t m"'
shsl to enforce the, present revenue policy
cf the government, declares that during
four years of warfare between moonshiner
and official in the southern states nearly
6,000 stills were seised and S.000 moonshin
ers captured. This waa accomplished at a
sacrifice of twenty-nine government officers
murdered and sixty-three seriously
wounded. The saving in revenues to tus
government by the capture of these distil
leries Governor Atkinson places at $7,042,600
annually. From these figures the extent
and seriousness of moonshlnlng can be es
timated, although today. Judging by Gov
ernor Atkinson's thrilling reminiscences,
the moonshiner Is not so formidable as be
used to be. Indeed, with the continuance
of the present official activity, by another
generation the moonshiner with all his
strange social environment may become as
much a matter of fiction as the Highlander
of Scotland or the outlaws of Robin Hood's
England. Meantime many a brave deputy
marshal may bits the dust amid the soli
tudes of these southern bills, many a dar
ing outlaw apread the terror and tame of
his deeds over a country that he dominates
with the authority of a chieftain of old.
CLIFFORD SMYTHE.
Pointed Paragraphs
, Cb.c.go News: Short friend, often make
long accounts.
Man's loose actions often get him In
a tight place.
Consistency is often but another name
for contrariness.
When a man ia spoiling for a fight he Is
naiurany too fresh.
fittl fl h JM1B tm ltl I
Selfishness Is the result of a misdirected
'
'arch for happiness
A Dractlcal nun la nnm whn r.,r,u. ...
V. . 1 . . i , .
yimum w& lawnii.
Fireproof buildings are provided with
fire escapes Just the same.
Possibilities of genius are few when com
pared with Impossibilities
hK.tmA
th , argument Is one of the thlnga
man ,u,'ck1' drop..
r tuo1 man believe, that a woman
Delleve" everything he tell. her.
' A "nail boy with an armful of snowballs
cn make a strong man tremble
The gas bill may be a light affliction
but getting it receipted is a heavy one
Women defend the wearin. of mm...
economic grounds- there 1. 1... mmi.i
H, . , . ' "" waist,
,"' ". ' "a woman, purse gets
, , Iot ' "P1" other traab
Contentment should be measured by the
n""bwt ot fou are willing to do
wltnout-
Toadstools are often mistaken for mush-
rooms and gall is sometime, mistaken tor
enlus.
Lo and the White Man
Washington Star: "Js your hair cutT"
"It is," answered tbe Indian.
"Have you washed all tbe paint off your
face and instead anointed yourself with bay
rum T"
"I have."
"Hav. yen cultivated habit, of thrift and
.aved up
loaey T"
"I have."
"8ur rou'M "' UD money?"
"Yes."
"Wel1- coa Yo 'or the
next te ,n 'I'Wtlou. I will now teac
you bow to play poker."
