The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1878-09-14
AMONG THE INCONSISTENCIES.
The Origin of rhe Moonsh,ne Whisky---How
the Liquor Is Made--Its Taste---Where 1t is
Hiddon---Eate of the Revenue spies.
From the y. \. sun.

the Liquor is Made--Its Taste---Where 1t Ii
Hiddon---Fate of the Revenue spies,
From the " Y. sun
The conflict between the federal and the
state courts in South Carolina over the shoot
ing of Ladd by United States Marshal under
the supposltion that he was Redmond, noted
Illicit distillcr has again drawn public aten-
ItiOn to the mOOnshincrs. These men live III
the mountains of west North Carolina, north
west South Carolina east Tennessee and north
east Georgia. The country is wild the soil
IeXccilont, and there is Il fair sprinkling OF
herders and farmers The people are rcasona-
Iby honest and paSsaby Industrious but they
lack thorough knowledge OF farming. They
seldom manure the ground. Moving ma
chimes and CultivalOrS are not seen. Farmers
plough and reap but cut their grain with
Islcklc, and use plough 50 light that II can "
lifted to the shoulder with one hand rs the
roads are rough anG The mountain streams ire
lquenly brdgclcss their products do not reach
Il market. There are neither railroads nor tel
graphs Silver is scarce and greenbacks more
than scarce. EaSy-going trappers and hunters
turn farm hands a few days in each year, and
take tieirpay in produce. Houses are poorly
! furnished. Chairs with COWskn bottoms are
a luxury, and guests at first class hotels usually
sit upon rough board benches while taking
floor to the ceiling, and are wound by pulling
Il cord llOmcspun garments are worn, and
the hum Of the Spinning-whccl Is heard in
nearly every house Most Of the travel is on
horseback. Women ride as sEiliully rs men.
The writer drove forty miles and did not meet
"A vehicle. The country i not network OF
Iturnpikcs Thousands upon thousands of I'M
fenced acres lie between the roads, over which
branded cattle roam at will. These lands are
ridged with mountains and scanned with rocky
ldefilcs Purling brooks and dashiDg water.
falls fill the air with music.
The inhabitants are sclisustainng, They
export but little and import less They live on
hog and hominy and drink corn whisky the
same rs Il northern farmer drinks cider. They
call it sweet mash" Before the war every
man either made his own whisky or sent his
corn to the still and got his sweet mash in re-
turn, less the distlller's percentage, the same
as "A northern farmer runs his apples to "A cider
press or his grain 10 the grist mil. Whisky
was rs free a. water 1t was found in every
house Preachers, dcacons, church trustees
and Cheir wives and daughters, hushwackerS
and slaves drank it rs EngiShmcn drink beer
or Frenchmen red WINE. No one thought of
dccaiming against it, With possibly u few
exceptions it was rated next TO hog and homi-
ny, and could be bought for fifteen or twenty
cents n gallon.
At the close of the war the honest mountain
GERS heard that they must pay tax of 81 per
gallon on their iavoritc beverage. They were
| thundcrstruCk. The tax seemed to them par
tiCularly unjust The same rate on beer in
| Germany or red wine in France would create
"A revolution. The mountaincers however,
had had enough fighting. They protested and.
questioned the right of the federal govern
ment To impose so eXhOrbitant Il rate upon
what they regarded rs IA necessary of life.
State rights were asserted, and they refused 10
pay the demand As they were unreprescntcd
in congress when the law was passed, they
quote the example set by our forcfathers when
the British parliament imposed tax on tea
An army of government officials floCked 10
the mountains. One by one well known stills
were destroyed. Their owners could not pay
the tax for most of them distilled whisky only
for home consumption, and the mounaineers
would not pay two dollars and quarter gal
Ion for what they had been getting for twenty
cents Ii they ,Oted corn TO the stills they
were obliged to allow the distiller his percent
age and pay two dollars gallon for the dis
tillatiOn. The whole country was Impoycr.
ished, and IA farmer with two dollars capital
was regarded with envy. There was not mon
lcy enough in the mountains TO buy a homes
tead for freedman What was 70 be done?
The whisky must be had. Many thought that
they could not live without it,
i In all agricultural districts there are men
who have natural dislike 10 farming They
Twill hunt fish, drive stage, burn lime, or do
any labor except till the soil These men
came 10 the front They began 10 di-til wills
ky surrcptitiously, and were upheld by the
community. Ninetcnths were rDllicking
Young fellows, who spent much Of their time
: squirrel shooting and patting and dancing
ljubas. The other tenth were grcyhaiTci vet.
crans with hawk-likc eyes and beak.. No fox
or deer was more wary or knew the mountains
better. Little stills came up like mGshfygfa.
The work was done in lonely dell- and xili
mountain gorges. On moonlight uigafs he
rough taverns were deserted, and tie os,l
mountain air was ladcncd will the l,lsf u
sweet mash. The boys were busy Tlry ar.
ricd corn 10 the stills on their barks. AMI %
turned with dcmijohns Of liquor. which n4s
/ poured into pickle bottles or WLa'svrr va
handy, and distributed among The f.Fulrs
Occasionally a little money was received ff.f
| pay was generally taken In produce Ourr AZ
old hog was given in payment for a yailSa u
whisky, and change received 10 piys a.
most of the work was done in the light u Ne
e moon, the boys were dubbed moOn-hin.rs and
sweet mash was known A. meonshiue whisky
a barrel Of the stuff kept it, dstillcr ia prov
D ender for month.
II From that time 10 the present there has ben
bnt little variation IN the process 81 distila'iDn
r In some cases seven or eight men club o.
: ge,her and make a barrel or more night
2 This is struggled into countrytowns and yIl
I lagos and the boys receive cash for H. Moon.
/ shine whisky Is plentiful in such place A.