The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-09-03

BURNED WITH THE CORPSE OF ITS
OWNER.
From the Athens (Tenn.) Post
A distiller named Jones, who lived
with his family near the lower bench Of
the Big Smoky Mountain, has been an
noyed good deal by the revenue ran
gers last fall, and determined to change
bis location and business to more Sc
cluded spot.
To carry out this purpose he selected
the head of deep gorge some four
miles distant, 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 be had al last
found refuge beyond the prying eyes OF
the government hirelngs, where he
could pursue his avocaton in peace.
The still house being some distance
from where his family lived, Jones
rarely visited them more than once in a
fortnight. Everything went on well
enough until about four weeks ago
when he failed to appear at the accus-
toned time.
Nothing was thought of this for day
| or two, but when another week elasped
without the return of Jones, lhe family
became alarmed, and they thought that
he had been captured by revenue jay
hawks and carried to Knoxville or some
other place where violators cf the law
are occasionally convicted and punished
The alarm was given through the spar
sely settled neigbborhood. A small
number of men gathered, and accom-
panied by Mrs. Jones and her son, a
youth of ten OF twelve years Of age, they
started up the gorge in the direction 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 several times: no response,
however came back to relieve her anx.
iety. But upon attempting to force an
entrance they were greeted with those
peculiar notes Of warning which the ear
Of the East 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 form of the distiller lay upon the
floor, with eyes starting from their sock
cts, the features horribly distorted, and
body swollen to twice its usual proper
tions, while the whole interior of the
building was alive with rattlesnakes,
some in coil and ready for battle, but
the larger proportion stupid and inert,
as though they had been imbibing liber-
ally of the illicit fruit of the still. The
mother and son fed horror-striken from
the place. A consultation was had, and
as it was impossible to rescue the body
Of poor Jones without fearful risk, it was
determined to reclose the entrance and
other apertures and fire the building,
which was done. The party stayed un-
til the house was entirely consumed, and
nothing remained but the now useless
still and the calcined bones Of the miser-
able dlstiler.
1t is supposed that Jones had built
his mandatory close upon a den of the
deadly reptiles in the overhanging cliff,
and that attracted by the heat, or pos
sibly the fumes of the whiskey, they
found their way into the building in
large numbers after he had closed the
door and lain down to sleep.
THE Southern difficulties have be-
come so serious that the President is
being urged to call special session Of
Congress for the protection of the col
ored citizens in the South. Some of
the Presidents friends think such a step
would be a wise and judicious move
ment on his part, not only in political
sense, but that it would serve to intimi-
date the perpetrators from future out
RACES.