Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-10-03
MO0nshine whisky.
HOW IT Is MADE AND SOLD AND GUARDED IN
WEST TENNESSEE.

HOW IT Is MADE AND SOLD AND GUARDED IN
WEST TENNESSEE.
From the Memphis Avalanche.
The "wild cat" still is usually quite Q primi-
tive affair, consisting of copper still of small
capacity, the necessary worms and one or two
barrels or hogsheads In which is kept the mash.
The still is usually owned and operated by one
family, some male member Of which is always
to be found at the shed or cabin of brush and
logs in which it Is located. The corn from
which the whisky is made is secured from the
surrounding farmers or raised by the owners,
and the liquor sold to any one in the neighbor-
hood who is willing to pay SO cents gallon for
1T and keep mum. By reason of this, enabling
them to secure a fair quality OF whisky cheap.
the moonshiner makes friends of all his neigh
bors, and as a rule they are ever ready to warn
an officer or even a suspicious looking stranger
all evidences OF the still are quickly removed.
This fact makes 1t an exceedingly difficult task
to apprehend the violatOrs of the law, and 1t is
necessary TO use the utmost caution and dis
erection in order to apprehend them at all. The
chief source of revenue derived by west Ten
nessee mOonshiners comes from selling to store
keepers in small towns, In dealing with whom
they adopt such precautions that while the
storekeeper may have an idea, be never knows
precisely with whom he Is trading.
These moOnshine stills are great resorts for
the men who dwell in the vicinity of where
they are located, and on Saturdays and SUM-
days and other idle days dozens cOngregate
around them and pass the time drinking
smoking and telling stories. While the West
brother in the Tennessee mountains, about
whom SO much has been written, he Is not near
as b1OOdthirsty, probably because he has never
been hunted SO persistently, having been al
lowed, In q manner, to pursue his busin ess un-
molested by meddlesOme officials. Hence
while many revenue officer has dropp ed from
his horse dead at the crack of the mountaineer
moonshiners rife, there is but one or two in
stances on record where officers have been
killed in West Tennessee.
Years ago when revenue officers hunted the
festive mOOnshiner In his lair, the method OF
entrapping them was to induce some one IA
miitar with the country, generally a man who
had grudge against the moonshiners or some
negro who would for a consideration, agree to
pilot the officers to the still. Then q deputy
marshal went to the town nearest the point he
wished to reach, and summoning q posse
started out. In all Of this it was necessary to
preserve the utmost secrecy, as the moon
sinners invariably have friends to warn them.
Plotted by the guide the officers would approach
until they could see the smoke of the still
curling above the tree tops, and then charge
down. Sometimes they were successful In
capturing the men, but generally these man.
aged to escape. The officers always cut up the
worm chopped up the still, tore down the
shanty, and poured out the mash and whisky
that happened to be on hand. A raid on q
moonshine distillery is always interesting and
exciting because fraught with so much danger,
one never knowing when q rifle ball will tear
its way through his body.