The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-30
MIR. REEVES AND DRIsTOw.
A straight story Told About Himself by
n Crooked MAN.


IT don't think he should aspire to the
Presidency. I have had some dealings
with him. During the years immedi
ately following the close Of the late war
I was engaged in the Illicit distillation
Of apple brandy. Several attempts had
been made to arrest me, but owing to
the intense Southern feeling in that sec
tion OF the country 1t was unsafe for q
Government official to attempt an ar
rest. ran my still right straight along
until the month Of February, 1867.
more settled and the supremacy Of the
National Government acknowledged.
I was informed that q posse OF officers
were on my track, and / fled to the
mountains, from whence / could see
my house and its surroundings. From
my hiding place l saw the Government
officers dodging around my house, and
with the assistance OF some OF my
family I eluded them, and, mounting a
horse, I went to Mount Sterling, thence
to Lexington, where | took the cars and
went to Louisville. Arriving in that
city / at once gave myself up to the
proper authorities, and was liberated on
bail. Mr.. BristOw was the prosecuting
attorney at the time, and upon seeing
him I at once 'knep tChere to grease my
machinery.' Pending my trial l had
several conferences with the Govern
ment officials, and was out on several
'sprees' with Mr.. Bristow." This latter
statement was afterward modified by Mr..
Reeves, who said. in reply to question,
"Well, not exactly sprees, either, but
we were ont together several times /,
once, in particular, remember, to hear
an Indiana politician make a speech. u
II had my trial about a week before the
men arrested in my section had arrived
at Louisville. l arose in court and
pleaded guilty and urged in extenua-
ton that was an illiterate man could
scarcely read or write, and that l lived
in section Of country where there
were but few newspapers, and IL the law
had been changed and been trans
gressed we were ignorant OF the fact
I sat down and Mr.. Bristow made the
usual buster and squirt OF a prosecutor,
and once or twice with so much earnest
ness that l, an unsophisticated
man. thought he had broken faith with
me and that would be convicted. But
it was on easy matter for prosecuting
attorney to throw important papers
under the table. My case was dis
missed, and paid tritling cost Of some
twenty or twenty-five dollars. | met
the boat at the wharf having on board
the parties arrested in Fleming and
auJOlnlnS couutles, Will Ine WlIHeoooo,
and exhibited to the Marshal paper
from Mr.. Bristow that shielded me.
That paper was burned along with a lot
Of other papers some time ago by
burglars who broke into my house,
and who were on the hunt for $1,000 1
had just received. / tell you was in
a tight place, and only the liberal use
Of money helped me out. l had to go
down deep into my pocket in arranging
for this trial, and 1t not only cost me
the price of one hundred fat hogs at 50
per cact.,' but a doggcd sight more. I
never told living soul how much it
did cost me to get out Of that trouble,
and never shall. suppose, Of course,
the United States Marshal and the
smaller fry shared the spoils with Bris-
tow, but how the division was made, or
in what proportion, do not know"