The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1874-09-04
Killed 6Y RdttSeSndHeS.
A HOUSE FULL OF THE REPTILES BURNED
WITH THE CORPSE OF ITS OWNER.

A dstifler named Jones, who lived with
his family near the lower bench of the Big
Smoky Mountain, had been annoyed good
deal by the revenue rangers last fall. and
determined to change his location and bust
ness to more secluded spot.
To carry out this purpose lie selected the
head of a deep gorge some four miles dis
tant, walled in with cliffs, where during
the winter, assisted by some of his friends,
he erected log building. AS soon as the
cold weather was over and the spring fairly
opened the still and other things necessary
were moved to the place, and the work of
violating the revenue law was resumed.
Several ''runs" were made, and Jones began
to congratulate himself that he had at last
found a refuge beyond the prying eyes of
the Government hirelings, where he could
pursue his avocation in peace.
The still house being some distance from
where his family lived, Jones rarely visited
them more than once in a fortnight. Every
thing went Oh well enough until about four
weeks ago, when he failed to appear at the
accustomed time.
Nothing was though of this for a day or
two, but when another week elapsed with
out the return of Jones, the family became
alarmed, and they thought that he had
been captured by revenue jayhawks and
carried to Knoxville OF some other place
where violators of the law are occasionally
convicted and punished. The alarm was
| given through the sparsely settled neigh
| borhood. A small number of men gather
cd, and accompanied by Mrs. Jones and
her son, youth of ten of twelve years of
age, they started up the gorge in the di-
rection of the still house.
On reaching the building they found the
| door closed and fastened, and no sign of
Jones or any one else could be seen. Mrs.
Jones called the name of her husband sew
eral times no response, however, came
back TO relieve her anxiety. But upon at
| tempting to force an entrance they were
greeted with those peculiar notes of warn
ing which the ear of tue Eas: Tennessee
mountaineer never fails to recognize. The
door was at once broken down, and sight
| met them that caused all to start with
| fright and horror.
The folm of the distiller lay upon the
floor, with eyes starting from their sockets,
the features horribly distorted, and body
swollen to twice its usual proportions,
while the whole interior of the building
was alive with rattlesnakes, some i'll coil
and ready for battle, but the larger pro-
portion stupid and inert, as though they
had been imbibing literally of the illicit
fruit of the still. The mother and son fled
horror stricken from the place. A consul
tation was had, and as it was impossible
to rescue the body of poor Jones without
incurring fearful risk, it was determined
to reclose the entrance and other apertures
and fire the building, which was done. The
. party stayed until the house was entirely
consumed, and nothing remained but the
now useless still and the calcEed bones of
the miserable distiller.
1t is supposed that Jones had built his
| manufactory close upon den of the deadly
reptiles in the overhanging cliff, and that
attracted by the heat, or possibly the fumes
of the whisky, they found their way into
| the building in large numbers after lie had
closed the door and lain down to sleep.-
Athens (IeRn.) Post.