Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-15
A ROMANTIC WRITER.
-,,s Illicit DistiIlers OF North Carolina
and Georgia.

Z
.sttwo or three weeks the daily press
bpen teeming with accounts of the
s,aseds aud lawlessness of the Illicit
Is, ;stIars of Georgia and North Carolina.
,o,, -,ba little village of Highlands, Macon
CES o.nntv. y. c., squad of revenue officers,
9lL, Nor The command of United States Mar
Len bol coward. of this city, raided a still
rdslceeeded in capturing three or four
nm -;sopers. The ''mOOnshiners'' of Rabun
unity. Georgia. just over the State line
'AeFy r,m Highlands, heard about the raid and
- Emrnad desperate mob to rescue the
llm Wn,sonprs, Marshal Coward was attacked.
VI the middle of the night, at the house
Mnbera he was spending the night with his
@cars who had the prisoners in charge.
5nr tbe attacking party met with such
rvaly reception that. after the exchange
- few voleys of rifle shots the moon
finprs fed leaving one of their comrades,
n IN aoned Brassey, dead. The next dav when
became known that an Illicit distiller
~ been killed by the MarshaPs men it
Tos feared that serious trouble would en-
s"o and that it would be necessary to call
e,,, inf tbp state troops to dispense the rapid
collecting mObs. Adjutant General
#iobpston Jones was sent by Gov. Scales
#otonce to the spot, and he succeeded in
Q. ostorine quiet without any further blood
cree was great surprise even to those
who knew that illicit whisky was made
I'm enormous quantities in the sup coun-
X rv" region.
IL This enterprising and wideawake little
ctv is i'm the very centre Of what might
rary properly be called the ''moonshiners'
socion" of the SOuth-the home of the
very worst class of Illicit distillers
MDWalIing among the mountain Businesses
!, anthoir lives these evaders Of the law are
men of undaunted COURAGE, in appear
AP'eu qpea exceedingly picturesque, and in
nrner'es, manners and morals most
,rrcv# sa9r lacking. Imagine a tall, finely
nlf loose. Onted man, stand no six feet
Hwirchps in his stockings, with long,
AND, Meayy-taugled hair, black as jet, falling
- his low, treacherOus forehead:
49, #muscles that stand out like knotted cords
nm N his arms and LEGS, a sinewy body de-
SPIT- Motng extraordinary physical strength:
T Nut Block. flashing eyes; thin, cruel lips,
RON birh when parted, show long. white,
y ING, listening teeth-cruel and treacherous
LAND nh crafty in every movement and feature
- #-this IS q faithful pen picture ofthe genu-
h. North Carolina ''moOnshiner" as he is
be seen to-day. His apparel is neither
- nor eaudy. On his head he wears the
Is ana Il gray. Wide-trimmed, SLOUGH hat pecu-
lar to the South, cooked back in half
' MAY Mpfant devilmav-care manner. His
lothes are generally Of grayor hutternut-
ward W0ored Kentucky jeans, patched here and
a Two here with divers cOlOrs, the arrangement
s"u which instantly suggests to the mind
emert# be pr0verhial garment of Joseph, and
Tor E here is a lamentahe absence of suspend.
rs, the neither garments beng kept in
. ace by that peculiarly Southern nstitu-
lon known as a Glitch" His linen is
~ Primitive, and no collar ever graces his
tice nbUrned neck, although he usually
ppica aTs q gigantic collar button of ''rOlled
ia.nai Old plate" His shoes and boots are not
Hnt o. mi I1nGV fp1 foa1f
fv-6vf 81 Their than those of awe. Taken all in
there there is about the whole man
"a ham n air of indifference, stolidity and
land *ravado, in keering with his ne
p ny rious occupation. He is usually
tY6r #rmed to the teeth, carrying one or two
certsl stols, a gun, ''blly," ard almost al.
re. Dis II avs dirk-knfe with a patent spring
couny ade. He comes to town in huge COW
ceTtA ed wagon-generallv containing small
ec D o aTrel or two of the "mountain dew as
MN Ne illicit whisky is called) skilfally
snns owed away under the bedding, straw
all Il ngisiOns, ETC., which the vehicle con-
sashe ms He makes camp in the suburbs
n stor 81 the town and there he remains until he
U t o. as transacted all his business, when he
admin aeks up his traps in the big wagon and
eet. "a ysteriOusly returns whence he came.
soeye be scene here at night, when thirty or
tate rty Of these wagons are collected under
ay me- big trees, is picturesque. The huge
u az Vie e atch fires. built in an immense circle
axe ftfully and cast sOmbre shadows
bon the great canvas covered wagons
Err, lat are huddled together like a cOnYen-
eased. on Of ghosts, the sinister faces of the
-borao en- outlined against the SKY and GRIM
,piel ned by the reflection Of the flames seem
inistra ke the faces OF demons. Once seen the
iNSONM ciure will never be forgotten.
The writer has just returned from a
ln mons 20 weeks trip among the mountains.
M agv went among the mOonshiners, with a
,AY lew TO ascertaining their mode of living,
will er morals and their methods of manu-
Meurng corn whisky. 1t is utterly inn
l. - sslble for any one to conceive Of the alb
TINS ule squalOr in which these people
In Fe4. A small hut, containing hut one
q. c. 9m, is often the home of 10 or 30 per-
hs. These nuts are built of logs. laid
mere above the other, the interstices filed
- en- IN cav and straw, and are cold, cheer
4 J. an 50 almost uninhabitable dens, far
S oFse than most Northern cattle sheds
dmonis one house. where travellers are enter
pear lea-called by courtesy a hOtel-there
WV TWO rooms; but this establish
, IN ent IS considered exceptionally
mmodlous and elegant in that re-
L. FEB ~ lhe beds are mere pallets Of straw
tins ID corn husks, often made mp in rows
oh the floor to do away with the eX-
JB"o hse OF btdsteads. AT one place where
=. writer spent two days investigating
otce C0uuluon OF these people, the ''man of
'hcau house" his wife, one 19year-old son,
A. -
. ~ IN ushter, six other children Of graded
Banki1 W gis1-lof these people have children
eong1 g. IN regularity" as Sairy Camp would
AILLl v saa, that would be credit even to
I dstT ;. harris herself''-besides myself and
~ ~ ipanlon,twO dOgs,a cat and five chick
We're the occupants of one room.
aie and slept IN this one apart
3FR. mot more than 1G feet square, the
Bale I'm being done over the open fire.
0e at one end Of the room. The chick
Iorre roasted on the rafters overhead,
bayns announced the dawn Of day,
.RT. ai was the signal for arising
entthe saued necessarily for thirty-siX
lime - ana the roof leaked badly. The
y ,oss gotalned at all these places is simply
~ immeI oitous' Soggy cornbread, made from
Silsu meal, fat bacon fried, and served
FRT, lining N a miniature lake of grease;
iiloeH rs IN a separate lake Of fat, and
10y undrinkable black coffee COM
~ lhe menu three times day. There
-----. .. no varying from this bill Of fare
y, KY mat occasionally the eggs were
a Breakfast Is served az 6 %. M.
,pefe ~. dt noon and suDurr az o. After