The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-12-16

Ing Party.
In the mountain district of more than
one Southern State is found class of
people known as "Moonshiners," who
distil .whiskey without tax or license.
These ,peppleare generally found in very
retired places, especially where the soil
is too sterile TO make agriculture prohta-
BILE. Between them and the revenue de.
partment is open war. He is q bold
officer who ventures into the mountains
of. Georgia upon raid" and, unless
supported by strong posse, oftener than
otherwise will never return. A traveller
in this section soon learns to know when
he is in the vicinity of "moonshine" by
the suspicious glances of those whom he
meets in the road and hereluctauce with
which any information is given.
1t so happened last summer that a
topographic party was in camp upon the
summit of Mount Starting, which stands
in the worst moonshine district of North
Carolina. Knowing the character of the
people, it was with serious apprehensions
that ne entered the County, but we
hoped by doing our work speedily and
explaining our errand to avoid trouble:
After pitching camp upon the summit OF
the mountain it was found necessary to
clear the timber from. the. peak in order
that our Instruments might have a full
sweep around the horizon. Emert, the
teamster, was sent down into "cove"
upon the side of the mountain to hire
axemen, but, after being absent all day,
returned without laborer.
"l kept the TRAIL" he said, "down Big
Greek for several miles, stopping at every
cabin, but not man was to be found:
There were a number of women and
children, and noticed these seemed very
much frightened when | approached the
cabins, 1The women would go inside and
fasten, the door, then talk with me
through hole in the logs, while the
children would peep anxiously from their
hiding places behind the chimney and
the chicken coops. When l asked for
the men they declared no men lived in
that valley and never had, aud FROM the
way they stared at me it was not hard to
believe. At length neared a cabin
where two men were working. They
were.; standing upon a scafold mailing
shingles upon the roof. But no sooner
was 1 seen approaching than one of them
lesped, to the ground, and, seizing his
! rife, which stood near by, plunged into
the forest and disappeared. Riding up,
I hailed the old man, who remained, and,
after telling him that we were surveyors
and wanted axemen for work on the
mountain, asked him where all the
valley men were and why his partner bad
left so hastily at the sight of me. The
old man slowly clam6ered down>from the
scafold and hobbled gout to the. fence
where I was waiting. -
"tWhat mout Be yG pame,- .strangerT
he asked, after cycling me suspiciously
for some moments. WAL, whsr did ye
come from, an whar airye gwien ter, an
what be ye doin' hereabouts, anyhow ?
he continued when his first question was
answered.
ellis curiosity at length appeased, and,
having satisfied himself that l was not
an officer, he told me that the valley was
expecting a raid and all the men were
'lying out on the mountain during the
daytime. His son had run away because
be thought from my leather leggins and
pistol belt that I was 8. revenue officer.
I began to feel uncomfortable, and, as
night was near, turned back towards
camp, after assuring the old man once
more that We were not srevenuers.'" ,"
Although iEmert had been unsuccess.
full, another man who went into an ada
cent cove returned with two laborers.
We retired to our tents early in the
evening and had been sleeping several
hours, when we were awakened by voices
and the tramp of horses. Uptn going
out a party of revenue officers was ais
covered who had ascended the mountain
in order to make sudden and uneXpect-
ed descent upon Big Greek Valley that
night They had been travelling rapidly
since noon, and the horses were exhaust.
ed with the arduous climb. Hay for
their hungry stock was desired, and per-
mission to leave them in our camp while
they went down to raid the cove. To
become associated in any way with reye-
nue. officers was very undesirable while
working in this section of country, but it
was only an act of humanity to feed the
half.starved horses, and as we had no
right to forbid it, they were left near our
camp. After buckling on their pistol
belts and examining we'll their rifles the
raiding party disappeared down the trail
leading to the valley. Soon after day
lightithe raiders returned, bringing seven
prisoners in handouts. But they had
not been taken unresistingly, although
they were surprised while sleeping, for
the leader of the party carried his arm in
a sling, and one man, they told US, had
been shot and killed in his door; the
same man, indeed, whom Emert had seen
run into the bushes the previous day.
These eight, with the old cripple, who
had been left behind only because he
could not march, were all the men who
lived in that cove. We invited them to
remain while the cook prepared hot
breakfast and coffee. But the prisoners
would cath nothing. Poor fellows, we
felt sorry for them. They would be
carried to Asheville for trial, and the se-
ouel was not doubtful-confned in some
distant prison for ten years. 1t did seem
hard that they should be taken from, their
mountains and punished so severely only
for distilling corn that was their own.
One of the prisoners, great, brawny
giant, with his hands fastened behind
him. sal. alone, and saw the big tears
swell into his eyes and course down his
cheek. = 1t was not difficult to read his
thoughts. He was thinking of the vile
and the little tow.heads left in the cabin
behind him, of the long years that would
separate him from them, and wondering
how they would live with no one now to
kill their meat or make their corn. After
breakfast the officers departed with their