The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-12-22
sIND-oUs SOUR MASH.
The Way They Make Whisky for
Home Consumption in
Kentucky.

| TAINs OF KBNIUCKY-THE DESCENDANT
OF DANIEL BOONE AND TEE 90. NSIIrUENIs
OF HENRY CLAY AT HOME.
| Editorial Correspondence of the Sentinel.l
ON BOARD A STEAMER ON THB OHI.', Dec
Is, lS75.-A representative OF the Sent incl,
vending bis way upon a little steamer mp
the Ohio, restlessly gnawed the end of pen
Gil. with the ruling passion rather predomi-
uant, and cast about him for some topic
upon which lie might indulge his propensity
10 write, and finally fell upon the idea that
it would be a good thing to interview a
farmer or two upon the tobacco crops OF
Kentucky. Mason aud Bracken counties
are famous for the quality of tobacco
grown upon their rocky hill
sides, and 1t is wonderful what
rich mines of wealth are contsined on the
shallow surface of these hills, the like OF
which in Indiana would be deemed entirely
worthless. Taking advantage of lull in
the conversation OF couple of gentlemen,
the modest representative of the Sentinel
suggested that gathered tobacco fields indi-
Gated that there wss likely good crop this
season. Kentucky gentlemen are always
polite and affable, and it was not long before
all the facts touching the light leaf, the
heavy tobacco and all the varieties were dis
posed OF safely Ia the barn; also, the amount
probably frost bitten, and the probable
price next spring, and where the best market
MOulu 10 lOl kud5Ou l6hls
CROOKED WHISKY IN THE MOUNTAINS.
1t incidentally cropped out that our
interviewed was citizen of Bracken aud
was just returning from Covington, where
be had been serving as United States grand
juror, where he had been summoned by the
court to look into the subject OF crooked
whisky in the northern mountainous dis
tricts OF Kentucky. The interviewer had
heard of such things in the papers, and was
really anxious to know IL the same sort of
crookedness was going on away up In the
mountain districts, where the people never go
away from home more than once in q life time
and where they still vote for Mr.. Clay, and
have their periodical gatherings on Saturdays
for shooting matches. where Daniel Boone
shot his first, thirtieth or three hundred and
fifty-second bear. IL was but q short time
before the whole story was narrated. The
grand jury was In session q week, and forty
indictments or more were found. The dis
trict attorney, Wharton, by name, il my
memory serves me, from Louisville, does
not fancy that other district attorneys all
over the country should be reaping all the
glory and he lie supinely upon his back,
in the very region where whisky had its
origin, where whisky "as Is whisky" Is
still made. So he determined to bring
things to focus, and threw out a drag
net, by marshal aud deputy, and the result
was that he got on the track OF decidedly
rich thing, that will
GIVE THE COURT OCCUPATION
eight or ten months at least, and If the gov
ernment carries out the prosecutions, 1t will
require larger force of men to execute the
laws than ever Victor Emanuel employed
in ierreting out the brigsnds of Italy. In
dictments were found against parties all
over the district. But the Sentinel repre-
sentative was more deeply interested In a
single county-the county of Letcher, away
up the other side OF nowhere. Ii had long
been suspected that all the corn and rye
grown up there was not fed to the hogs nor
made into Kentucky hoe-cske. But there
could meyer be found marshal who was
willing to venture up into that re-
gion to inquire into the facts
They have up there squirrel guns
and such things. They don't crack loud,
but when one goes off the bullet lodges In |
something alive every time. fortunately |
for the district attorney he caught fellow |
who had moved away from there after be |
had been Ku-Kluxed five or six times, and |
he was brought down to Gown gton and put |
upon the witness stand. He was chary OF
speech, and kept looking over his shoulder
scanned everybody as IL measuring the pos
sibility Of their being Ku-Kluxer from that
region hearing him. But the truth came TO |
the surface-whisky wss made In Letcher |
county. He knew of one man who made 1t |
on Jones creek. The facts all came
kitchen: he made at least fifteen
or twenty gallons month, of the genuine
stuff, without leave or license from the gov
eminent. But the witness was pressed |
closer, and he knew of another man who |
did likewise-and still another, and SO
THE TRUE INwARDNEss OF 1T WAS REACHED,
and it was discovered that seventeen stills
In Letcber county, within region of fifteen |
miles, were making whisky. They did not
run 1t off on railroads with false invoices as
coal oil or lime. They did not send it to
some rsscslly rectiferro spoil, but they kept
it at home to peddle and drink. Thus ever
since the taxing of whisky-msking was
thought of, aud years before, these private
distilIeries for home consumption have gone
on with none to modest or make
them afraid. They have heard
up there of Grant and Bristow,
and It has somehow got abroad
among them that license is necessary but
it does not disturb them In the least. The
district attorney has real mountain trout
on his hooks, but he will have happy
time in getting the delinquents into his
clutches. One can well imagine what the
evidence would be II it were possible to get
the distillers and their customers into
court. There would be no reading of
CIPHER dispatches: no feeling OF rsscally
gaugers and iuspectors-lt would retner De
after this fashion: "Bill Mason made the
stuff regular every winter, and peddled it
out by the Jug full hisseif; L got two quarts
every Saturday myself; traded five SPUR
rels and two coon skins q many time for
a half gallon, and 1t was good Ticker too, and
just femme say, IL anybody comes foolin'
round about Bill Mason
THE DEVIL WILL BIZ TO FAY.
A school teacher was talking something |
about that ar once and he hain't been heard
of since" The district attorney won't inter-
fere with Letcher county crooked whisky.
If MARSHAL was heard Of within fifty miles
of Jones creek, there would be thousand
new bullets moulded a. once, and stranger