The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-19
yHE RABUN RArn.
cempea in tle lIountaln Dellles.
Atlanta Constitution. an in,t.


The Rabun county revenue raiders-a
force OF thirty:five men, sixteen sent oul
by Collector Clark, three by Marshal
Eitzsi'nmons, and sixteen by Collector
Sillson, Of South Cerolina-disbande
last Thursday. and returned to their re.
spective homes. Fourteen days were
spent IN RaOa1, and the county was
raided from centre ~ circumference
Twelve Illicit distilleries were destroyed
| and o few persons brought cut 10 answer
the charge of violation of the revenue
| iaws.
The raid was one of thrilling adventure
| and exhilarating excitement. Tho frat
detachment OF raiders entered the county
by night, galloping from tho extreme
southwestern to the extreme northwestern
portion of Rabun county, crossing over
ridge OF mountains into Townes county
and returning to camp In the center OF
Rabun little after the dawn of day
Four distilleries, with stands of mash
iand beeraoverturBed and g;;i.ls schopned
into thousand fragments marked the
course of the nights ride through. the
mountains. The distillers were exasr3er.
ated at the destruction of their stills. and
following the raiders to their camp, all
the following afternoon and night har.
raised them with despltory shots from
behind the rocks and trees en- the noun.
tain side. The revenue officers, However,
suffered no injury, but one of the distil.
lers was carried by his friends out of the
mountains that night with minnie ball
through his head, and @ few DAYS later
he was laid in an eternal sleep in q graye
| near his mountain home. On tho fol.
| lowing morning the revenue squad broke
| up camp, and Q ten milss' gallop b. ought
| them 70 Clayton, henceiSvth To be tts
headquarters from which TIE raids were
| TO radiate.
After the first nights raid and follow
ing nights encounter. afiair5 assumed q
| different aspect around Illicit distilleries
in Rabun county. No telegraph wires OF
| mails had told the distiIers Il. + the
revenue men were upon them, but the
word had flown from community to com.
munity ON the wings Of the wind, and
1t was known in every Iefile and rayine
| of Rabun county that there were stren.
gers in Clayton and what they were
there for. Tho distillers now adopted an
evasive policy instead Of defensive. They
tore their copper stills from the furnaces
and concealed them in the mountains
they carried their stock of whisksy into
the woods, and men whose conscience
told them there was O warrant out fol
them concealed themselves no less care.
fully than they had slowed away theil
| confitcable property. The revenue men
were destined to chamber over almost
| precipitou5 mountains and penetrate nj.
| most inaccessible ravines only 20 ind
the little log hut distilleries deserted, the
furnaces cold, the stills gone, and the
stands of mash and beer spelling from
age. Fortunately, however, vigorous
search Of the mountain sides surrounding
the distilleries in almost every instance
revealed the hidden still lying under
some brush heap or hanging in some tree
| Only in few insttncos did tho dstilerl
not adopt this eva i've policy. One or
iganization of fmeomhinera reported 10 bt
running several Illicit distilleries at
place called "The Forks" loosely sen
a message to the reye rue oficers at Clay
ton, rendering them an invitation e
visit "The Forks" They selishly marret
the apparent hospitality Of the invita-
ton, however, by adding that thel
wanted the revenue horses to ride &
MILL, and hinted disposition of th;
riders. that was gloomily inhospitable
In the "Moccasin Settlement" also th,
distillera fearlessly continued the manu-
fac;ure Of f"fnountain dew" boasting tina
Redmond, the famous North Carolin,
outlaw, was among them with seven fhol
lowers, and that the raid into .'Moccasi1
Settlement" would be disastrous 10 tht
health Of the raiders. This policy of at
tempting to scare the revenue men of
was unsuccessful. Two distillers in Moe
casin to-day are temporarily, at least
out OF the business; they went ont, too
stills barrel Of whisky, and several
stands of mash and beer. The revenue
officers prosecute their work steadily, re-.
gardless ofall difficulties that the d.: iilers
attempted to interpose, and il ), nov
thought that the enforcement Oh sna rev.
enue lava will be attended, in Pabur
county, with little difficulty aid nc
danger.