Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-28
4 RATTLE WITH OUTLAWS.
The Fort by the Preoipiee-TwO Moon
sinners Arrested In Bed - A Negro
Preacher the Guide Exciting Events
of Night.
From .Ae NasArllle Amertoan.

From ne Nashville american.
Deputy Collector X. Nj. Green returned
Thursday morning from Carroll county.
He left this city Sunday for Huntingdon
and with force of IA men descended upon
the desperate defyers Of the government
who manufacture wildcat whisky IN that
region. The Am ericdu, Wednesday, con-
/ tanned the first intelligence of the perils to
which the posse was exposed and their
! escape from the blOOdthirsty band Of moon
/ sinners who logged their tracks through
! the Businesses of that wild country The
minute details of the raid as given by Mr.
/ Green show that the government has
desperate task in store TO break up the IL
! licit business there in operation, and IN
dictate that il ever this be completely done
! il will be at the price Of blood.
/ The officers destroyed five diatilleries,
! 1900 gallons Of beer aud about 100 gal
! Ions of whisky. A sixth still was cap
| tured. but the owners rallied and retOok
! it. The posse were in peril Of their lives;
from the moment that they passed beyond
the suburbs of Huntington they were in
danger.
The moonshlners VINO infested the re-
mover districts, take every precautiOn to
prevent surprise. Not only are guards
always on duty in the immediate vicinity
Of the stills, but corps OF spies are con-
tinually on the alert at Huntingdon and
! other towns, whose business IL is to
"spOt" government officer as soon as he
arrives. A messenger is dispatched I'm
mediately such an Official is discovered to
warn the mDOnshiners. These spies are
in some instances bold to declare their
connection with the mOonshiners, but
generally, as might be expected, preserve
a discreet silence, the more etiectual in
detecting the presence and contemplated
/ actions OF officers. In the past ten years
, many plans on the part of the government
have been tbwarted by the efficient SER
vice rendered by these spies. At the mo-
ment when it seemed impossible for the
mOonshiners to escape, raiders have dis
covered that their prey had flown, being
fOrewarned by some trusted agent, who
had seen the officers begin the line of
march.
The spies are always rewarded for &C
tivitv, and, apparently without means Of
subsistence, are never without funds.
They are admitted TO a share OF the profits
Of the bands whom they protect. There
is a system of espionage. Each band Of
mOonshiners mas a spy, whose duty it is
10 notify that band alone Of the approach
OF danger, so that in the hurry Of giving
the warnings no band is forgotten.
The posse headed by Mr.. Green were
very uihcEtEts DlL Lut TtsUtts lhIlcAbcu
that some spy had detected their move
ments and sounded the alarm, for
although six stills were captured, only
two arrests were made, and neither OF
J these IN the still-houses. The posse was
guided by an old negro preacher. He
mad grown TO hate the mOOnshineTs. 1t
was their custom to bring "a keg of
whisky to the vicinity Of MS church, and
from time to time the male members Of
] hfG fpTa n hn
whisky until, on more than one occasion,
half OF mis- flock became so drunk and
/ riOtOus that he won d be forced to quit
/ preaching, This incensed him so much
! that he determined to aid the officers in
/ eXpeiling the 5oisterous gang who had
! destroyed his influence. The old man
did successfully pilot the posse 10 the
stills, but he notified them the next day
| that he knew that his part in the affair
would be discovered by the mOOnshiners
and then he would be killed, so he
would take time by the fOrelock and
leave the country. The posse were heavily
| armed with rifles and pistols, and kept a
sharp lookout as they advanced. The re-
giOn WAS well adapted to the work of the
mOonshiners. The growth OF timber was
dense, and as the silent party rode slowly
! forward through narrow deiiles OYerhung
| by rocky lodges, the gloom was intense,
/ over hills aud valleys, through lanes and
! shallow streams, they advanced, every
man on the an UiUe for an ambush. They
/ carried their lives in their hands, for at
any moment deadly vOlley might be
poured into their ranks from
the dark recesses. After ten miles of
suspense, the officers were guided TO a
still. They approached with the utmost
circumspectiOn and surrounded the
house. Rushing in, they found whisky
/ and beer, but no mOenshiners. They
now acted quickly. Leaving four guards,
they went up on an adjacent hill and
pulled two suspects out OF bed. Kegs Of
beer were found in the cellar. While
this was being thrown out one of the
prisoners escaped, but Thomas Harms
was held and afterward lodged in the
Huntingdon Jail. The posse hurried for
ward through dense swamp to a
precpice. Here the moonshiners, under
a ledge OF rock, had stored away a vast
! quantity of beer and whisky, and not
far removed was the distillery. IL was
a log house, twenty by forty feet, COM
pactly built.
Along the side were port holes and
other Indications that the mGonshiners
intended to make it place Of resistance,
! where they could fight at an advantage.
/ Not n soul was in the building. The spies
had done their work. Most Of the whisky
and thousands Of gallons OF bser were
fOund there, all or Wnlch was quickly de-
strOyed. The posse then lett. Mean
while the mOoushiners who were congre-
| gated in the dense forest had sent forward
eight men who ran off the four guards
lett In charge OF the first still and de-
stroyed 10. The man Harris, who was
under arrest, warned the posse not TO ad-
vance by certain road OF they would be-
ambushed and shot down. They
Learned afterward that this was
! true, as band Of moOnshiners were sta
! toned there 10 Kill them on sight. AS
the posse moved forward through an open
field, the mOoushners opened fire on them
from the woods, and about twenty shots
We're exchanged. Air. Green has received
information that one OF the moOnshiners
has since died from the effects Of bullet
wound, but none Of the posse WAS hurt.
They began the search for the missing
guards, who were thought 10 be muir
dered, and found them the next day.
! Only one other arrest was made.
that Of Shercd Parker, at Huntington,
for tipping without license. After
two days OF search for other stills, during
which time the officers had very little
food, as the farmers for fear OF the moon
sinners would moi render any assistance,
they returned to Huntington. Mr.. Green
says It viii require picked force OF
twenty-five men 10 break up the Illicit
manufacture Of whisky and beer in that
region. The mooushiners are desperate,
well organized wcll armed and boldly do.