The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-12-11
A NEW RODERICK DIIU.
I!ow the Revenue Men Escape.

a strange picturesque story comes to
us from the mountains of Towns county.
The authority that we have at present
is the official report Of the deputy in
charge of the squad which was interested.
1t appears that few nights ago deputy
marshal, of Marshal Fitzsimon's forces,
with seven assistant deputies and eight
guards, organized for a raid into Towns
county. One of the objects of the raid
was to capture man by the name of
Berrony who was reported to be n "moon-
sinner" and the leader of a band of men
organized for the purpose of defying the
revenue officers and protecting the hid
den stills Of the mountain branches.
The raiding party moved along quiet
ly, and by nightfall was in the neighbor.
hood of Berrony's house. They waited
until the family had gone to sleep and
then surrounded the house and
closed in on the unsuspecting fami-
ly. Berrony, though surprised while
asleep, sprang from his bed and fled clad
only in lis night clothes. Despite this
light weight, he was ovortaken by the
deputies and overpowered and tied.
In the meantime his family had awak-
cned and came to the door in more or
less confusion, and making a good deal
of fuss. While the deputies were en-
gagged with the prisoner and the people
at the door, daughter of the prisoner,
about eighteen years of age, slipped out
of the back door, dressed only in the
garment in which she had been sleeping,
and made for the mountain side with the
fleetness of young antelope. She car
ried in her right hand q fox-horn, and
fed through the night like an appari-
ton.
A deputy put out in pursuit of the fee
ing maiden, but his boots and clothes en-
numbered him, and she tripping over the
sleeping flowers with bare feet soon
reached the top of the hill. Once there
she turned, and like a new Roderick
Dhu, she gave one blast upon her bugle
horn. 1t was "well nigh worth a thou
sand men," for as the echoes of the horn
died away in the valleys of the night,
armed men gathered silently but swiftly
to the call of the lightly-clad but stout
hearted bugler. .
As rapidly as possible the deputy had
his prisoner dressed, and forming his
men into close order, moved off towards
his wagons. He and his men were fol-
lowed by the family of the prisoner,
which was constantly reinforced by the
arrival of mountaineers, aroused and an
cry. By the time the deputies had gone
q mile the threatening force behind had
grown to twenty or twenty-five men, and
things looked squally.
When they had reached a long, mar.
row defile, the deputy in charge found
that there was large force of men in
front of him, and that each side of the
defile was held by sharp-shooting noun
taineers, who were hidden in the woods.
The force in his rear was pressed closer
on him, and he called halt and began
to look into things. He found his situa-
ton desperate. He could turn no way
without encountering an armed squad,
and he felt that to fight in the dark
could promise nothing but blood-shed
and death. He therefore began to par
ley. The mountaineers demanded the
release of Berrony, who is said to have
been their leader. The deputy at first
protested and refused, but lie soon found
that there were fifty men opposed to him
with the advantage of position. The
men agreed that certain discovered stills
should be given up, but they would not
listen to Berrony being taken away. At
length the deputy surrendered him, and
he Joined his friends in the woods.
The deputies had two other prisoners
and attempted to get away with them.
As they were marching along through
tue dark, some one whispered to one of
the deputies: "Come this way" He
supposed that it was one of his fellow
deputies, and moved in the direction in
dicated. Suddenly he was knocked down
and bundled up and pitched into a fence
corner. The deputies discovering his
capture, halted again and held a little
council of war. They were afraid to fire
on the "moonshiners," because they sup
posed the missing deputy was in their
power. And the "moonshiners" were
afraid to fire on them for fear of hitting
the prisoner. The two squads confronted
each other quietly in the dark woods for
awhile, when the deputies silently but in
good order withdrew and hurried out of
Towns county. They carried off their
two prisoners, but left Berrony behind.
This is the report in substance as made
by the deputy to Marshal Fitzsimons.
The marshal is not in the city at present,
but we presume when he returns he will
take steps to have the arrest of the def
ant mountaineer made over again, and
made so that it will stick.
A LATER ACCOUNT.
Mr.. Robinson, the deputy marshal in
charge of the raiding party has reached
the city and gives full account of the af-
fair. He says that it is impossible to over
estimate the defiance with which the
mountaineers meet the officers.
He says that Berrony is Frenchman
of bravery and ability and shrewdness,
and that he has determined following
that fully understand the situation. He
says that when they arrested Berrony, he
said: ~ have two stills, and there they
are. I've been running them for ten
years, and l defy you to take them"
When his friends begun to gather in
the woods and darkness he would call
out to them, There's only twelve ofthem
here but they're armed to the teeth.
Don't attack them till tie rest of the
boys Gomez
Robinson turned and said to him:
"The first shot they fire on us I'll kill
yon."
He replied: "Kill and be id. Ifyou
hurt me there won't a man of you get
out of these hills alive" He then went
on and said: off you don't hurt me
they won't hurt you~
When an attack seemed imminent one
Of the deputies said to Berrony: "Throw
up your hat and tell them not to shoot"
Berrony laughed and said: EFF I threw
up my hat they'd shoot sure"
He talked with his ambushed friends
with the utmost freedom and noncha-
lance, and seemed to be Jolly over the