The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1880-02-19
TIE RABUN RAID.
Camped In the Mountain Detiles
Iitlduta Constitution, 4M inst.

-dHdHtd Constitution, 4h inst.
The Rabun county revenue raiders-a
force of thirty-fve men, sixteen sent out
by Collector Clark, three by Marshal
Fitzsimmons, and sixteen by Collector
ellison, of South Carolina-disbanded
last Thursday, and returned to their re-
spectivc homes. Fourteen days were
spent in Rabun, and the county was
raided from centre to circumference.
Twelve illicit distilleries were destroyed,
and few persons brought out to answer
the charge of violation of the revenue
laws.
The raid was one of thrilling adventure
and exhilarating excitement. The first
detachment of raiders entered the county
by night, galloping from the extreme
southwestern to the extreme northwestern
portion of Rabun county, crossing over q
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
and beer overturned and stills chopped
into a thousand fragments marked the
course of the nights ride through. the
mountains. The distilers were exasper-
ated at the destruction of their stills, and
following the raiders to their camp, all
the following afternoon and night har-
rassed them with desultory shots from
behind the rocks and trees on the noun
tain side. The revenue officers, however,
suffered no injury, but one of the distil-
lcrs 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 grave
near his mountain home. On the fol-
lowing morning the revenue squad broke
up camp, aud ten miles gallop brought
them to Clayton, henceforth to be the
headquarters from which the raids were
to radiate.
After the first nights raid and follow
ing nights encounter, affairs assumed
different aspect around illicit distilleries
in Rabun county. No telegraph wires or
mails had told the distillers that the
revenue men were upon them, but the
word had flown from community to com.
munity OH the wings of the wind, and
it was known in every defle and ravine
of Rabun county that there were stran-
gers in Clayton and what they were
there for. The 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 whiskey into
the woods, and men whose consciences
told them there was warrant out for
them concealed themselves no less care
fully than they had slowed away their
confscable property. The revenue men
were destined to Chamber over almost
precipitous mountains and penetrate al
most inaccessible ravines only to find
the little log hut distillerics 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 hangingin in some tree.
Only in q few instances did the distillers
not adopt this evasive policy. One or
garization of moonshiners reported to be
running several illicit dis,illeries at
place called "The Forks" jocosely sent
a message to the revenue officers at Clay
ton, rendering them an invitation to
visit "The Forks" They selfshly marred
the apparent hospitality of the invita-
ton, however, by adding that they
wanted the revenue horses to ride to
mill" and binted disposition of the
riders that was gloomily inhospitable.
In the "Moccasin Settlement" also, the
distillers fearlessly continued the manu-
facture of mountain dew" boasting that
Redmond, the famous North Carolina
outlaw, was among them with seven fol-
lowers, and that the raid into 'A1occasin
Settlement" would be disastrous to the
health of the raiders. This policy of at
tempting to scare the revenue men off
was unsuccessful. Two distillers in Moe.
casin to-day are temporarily, at least,
out of the business they went out, too,
at great sacrifice, losing two fine copper
stills barrel of whisky, and several
stands of mash and beer. The revenue
officers prosecute their work steadily, re-
gardless ofall difficulties that the distillers
attempted to ilterpose, and it is now
thought that the enforcement Of the rev.
enue laws will be attended, in Rabun
county, with little difficulty and no
danger.