The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1877-06-28
MOOnShiners Caught.
SUCCESSFUL RAID ON THE ILLICIT DIsTILLERs
OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

SUCCESSFUL RAID on THE ILLICIT DIsTILLERs
OF SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA.
Special Dispatch to Phia. Times.
Pittsburgh, June 24-Colector Davis
and his men are meeting with great success
in their raid on illicit distillers in the
mountains. The manner in which he dis
covered that illicit distiling was being done
was from finding keg of whisky which
was not stamped. In the early part of last
week Agent Grimeson, Government Store
keeper Haddon and Deputy Collector
Houseman started out to hunt up tho stills
Through tho statements of boy they
learned of the exact location of n still kept
by family named Dean, about sixteen
miles from Uniontown and near the West
Virginia line. Messrs Grimeson and
Houseman went up to the door of the still
house. Mr.. Haddou being left with the
wagon, when they were confronted, as they
state, by three men armed with rifles, and
presently another band of armed men ap-
peared. The officers therefore considered
it judicious to retreat. They came to the
city and explained the case to Collector
Davis, who Immediately laid the facts be-
fore the department at Washington and
asked for means to prosecute the investiga-
ton further and break up the gang. He
received in reply instructions to stop the
illicit distilling al any cost. He proceeded
to organize band of fifteen men of known
courage and reliability, armed them with
Spencer rifles, ard on Friday afternoon
they started for the scene, At Uniontown
the force took wagons and drove to the
place where Crimson and Houseman had
been repulsed
FRUITS OF THE RAID.
The result of their investigation was the
capture of four stills and seven men. The
latter were brought to the city Saturday
n ight and confined in the Central police
station over Sunday. Their names are
Edward Dean, Andrew j. Dean, Thomas B.
Dean, James NJ. Sullivan, Hiram Savage,
silas Savage and Elisha Dean. They are
all rather hard-looking and dressed in
homespun clothing, very much the worse
for wear and dirt, They maintain that
they are innocent and insist that they
know nothing of the attack on Messrs.
Emerson and Houseman. and think there
was none, In that region nearly every
male inhabtant who is old enough is the
owner of a squirrel rifle, VIII ich he carrys
with him almost invariably when trudging
about, as the inhabitants of that district
are compelled to depend in a measure on
game for food. The officers, the prisoners
think, saw two or three men with these
rifles and became frightened. The Deans
further say that the still owned by them is
an old and valueless one. Their story is
th at some three or four years ago a New
Yorker set up the still and operated it in
distilling winter green. He went away
owing the Deans for board and rent, and
they have kept the still since as security.
Two or three years ago the shed over the
still was burned, tina still warped, the
worm broken and other damage done to it
which has never been repaired. The Off
GERS say, though, that they found one of
the stills warm and quantity of mash
ready to be used, Thomas Dean acknowl-
edges there are a good many stills in his
neight orhood, but he claims they are only
used in the distillation of winter green
The officers are still investigating, and
with success, as the following telegram
received by Collector Davis this evening
shows:
Uniontown, June "a.
We captured distillery in fulOperation
yielding about forty-five gallons day.
The distiller, Patrick Gleason. attempted
to make his escape, but was caught. We
seized two additional stills and arrested
two more prisoners.
THOMAS J. GRIMESON.
This makes seven stills and twelve or
thirteen men captured SO far. Others will
likely be taken.