The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-03-01
,ArtAsTA, Ga, Feb. II. 1877

sArtASTA, Ga, Feb; II, 1877
Tie unprovoksd killing of Lieutenant
Mcintyre, of the Second Infantry, and
private Sutherland by the illicit distilleTs
has caused the intenses. excitement In
military circles here. The busllwhacking
voliey that killed those men was Che first
that has ever been fred by the distillcrs
against regular United Statess sTppps.
Time and again they have riddled the
deputies, but heretofore they have always
scattered in conflisioh upon the approach
Of the blue coats.
This aaudacious attack, SO unexpected
and so deplorable I'M rs results, will lias.
ten into immediate execution plan that
has long been ripening in revenue circles
to make a grand raid through the in
vested belt and sweep il clean. AS this
systematic crusade is apt TO be protracted
and full OF desperate work IL has occurred
well to furnish some facts concerning the
strip Of country that is held by the illicit
distillers and touching the habits Of these
lawless men themselves.
- 'FHEiILnIcIT DisTILLERs..< -
doeb. Il: auy section was c.cr 80 t,o.-
oughly infested with Illicit dealers rs is
the mountainous region running through
North Georgia and the western end OF
both the Car0linaB ct the present time
Italy. in the palmiest days OF brigandage,
never liad lone-half as many MEN who
were defying Justice. They haunt every
hillside during the night time and peo-
pie the friendly shadows of every vale
during tho day. The; have regular
camps, with sentinels thrown out to halt
all passers by and throttle the revenue
spies, The mountains a,e filed with
cayea and "hnrrpws,,'l in which the
wre,cllee men hide when pusspis be-
comes too hot and the pursi,ers are of
overwhelming strength. II IN impossible
To calculate n 10 the number of these
Illicit distillcrs; there are thousands of
item; they swarm amid the almost i'm
!'enetrable Businesses of the Blue Ridge
chain "f mn'untains in countless bands.
Bryond ille reach nf railroads. way he.
You'd even the dc'uitnry niretc., Of "ile
wagon roads, "iwheredthey cHn be reached
by hnrsemen "r pedestrians only through
certain hidde.i paths, they plant thci-
primitive stills" in natural or artificial
",npggerits,"i and SOM lave Yefonkcd"
wh'>kev gushing from every rock. They
live ns wild and restless life M The trap.
pers "f the upper Rocky Mountains.
They are all well armed and of course
good hunters. A more athletic. hardy
and sc!i.reliant people can be found nG.
where Tie mountains abound will
game of all sort, even up to bear and
pantliers. The distiIlers are about the
only inhabitants of these inaccessible
parts, and hold them inviolnte by sort
OF Alexander Sr!'sirk .ille. ~
HOW VISITORS ARE TREATED.
Occasional parties of hunter, from the
cities stray into these mauntains, and as
sDon as theS make it perfectly clear that
they are in nc wise connected with the
revenue service, are received with the
most cordial hospitality. Guides are
furnished them and the best game hnunts
are freely pointed out. They are hand.
Somely entertained by the outlaws, aud
are RECALLED with what is peculiarly ex-
hilarating to~~sas Soatherper-nam
home made ryo whis!sey 'tflat was distilled
in \ mountain cleft, under tie winking
stare, s::a .:Gs never beer; sastsssa BY one
Of Uncle Sam's revenue stamps. But o
man who looks like revenue informer,
or has nos Llear titles to being good,
square man." had better not venture into
this wilderness. Our brawny rustics feel
no more hesitation in "shuckihg" reve.
nue. infornler or any man who looks like
one than yon would have in kicking n
pebble from your path. They are law
unto themselves up there. Not long
since the State Genlogist, with force Of
some ten men, carried in three wagons.
struck enc az these mountain "aests,J
and without suspecting that his iabors
were being carefully Hpfed from be.
hind every bush went quietly to work.
The distillers stood It fer some time, and
then coming out In some force they noti.
fed the astonished scientist that he must
get up and travel. After some argument
he succeeded in convincing them Of his
thoroughly pacific designs, and was then
not only permitted to proceed, but was
almost o arwhelmed with various sorts
Of "rocks" that the esimple-hearted noun.
taineers would bring to his camp.
EXTENT OF OPERATIONS.
Some idea of the extent of one ofthese
squads" may be had when we state that
the revenue officers, with c company of
troops to back them, frequently destroy
from forty To- fifty stills and from 10000
to 10000 gallons of crooked whiskey,
besides capturing anywhere from twenty
to eighty distillers at one single raid!
uO BtclI uutk "a atisCiLutbttslluE IL uOne,
however, in q much quieter and more un-
obsrusiyo way than this. In the vast
area Of the section of the three States re-
ferred to tho settlement is very sparse,
and the people as o class exceedingly
poor. Tho enormous profit OF dIstillibg,
without the ceremony Of a stamp" haa
tempted great numbers Of these squalid
people to engage in the business. As
consequence there are little stills. tucked,
away ehhgsy Under tAE tdaes tit!ani esssIis essi
banks Of nearly every creek or branch,
Hundreds OF families have, their woru
at work someWhere, the wife OF dauRhter,l
usually q Stinned ON eouIe adjacent hill
top,to1ann5nneeIby o hopt or vhistle the
coming cfstrangers, and the father man.
aging the Hstill' with his rifle thrown
into tteibSsla of his arm ready % make
it speak" 10 any new conner this aide of
= 1iuv 11ht. T'he wafsiey thGs made is
carefully packed away In old.fashioned
wagons, ffeguehtly heirg hidden under
load Of chickens and eggs, aud carted off
to neighboring town or to the city of
Atlanta, where II 10 quietly and surrepti-
W po5kiais okiais OF OF TtiE Iii /. BUSINESS. '.09i'
The origin Of this Illicit business is
giveh,as foIloA55 by d &ilegialaeoF ifsoth !one
Of The counties asvkieh u iss p9st prac-
ticed: When the strife over secession
began il was discovered that there were q
large number OF Union nen III the noun
tain districts. of Georgia, Ten Bessee and
the Carolipas, These men clunE to their,
faith evenF afierS the States seeded.
rrhara tfsa,.f ,yFl,s-