Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-12-12
AMONG THE mooxsmlsEss.
the Experience or Governmsni
Surveying Party.


known as Moonshiners," who dlsfll wins.
Key without tax or license. These people
are generally found In very retired
places, especially where the soil Is
100 sterile 10 make agriculture profitable
Between tbcm and the revenue dcplrt.
ment j. open war. He is n bold officer Sh1
ventures into the mountains OF Georgia
upon "rald,' and, unless supported by
strong posse oftener than Otherwise wi
never return. A traveller In thi. section
soon learns to know when he Is 10 toe vi
emily Of mo1nshlne' by the suspicious
giances Of those whom he meets IN The
road and the reluctance with " hioa any IN
formation " given.
II 80 happened last summer that q top)-
erlphIc party was 10 camp upon the sum
init Of Mount Sterling, which stands in th.
worst moOnshipe district OF North CARO-
Ira. Knowing the character OF the people
u wos with serious approximations f'i1t we
'nitred the county, but we hood ny
dong our work speedily and explaining
our Grand 20 avoid trouble. After pitch
ing camp upon the summit Of The mOunih n
II wa found necessary to clear the Timber
nom The PEAK in order that orr inStru'
monts might have u full sweep around the
horizon. Emcrt, the teamstcT. was sent
mountain 10 hire aXemcn, but, after beng
absent ai day, returned without a labOrcr.
al Kept the trail" he said. "dOwn Biz
creek for s.yeral miles, stopping 1t every
cabin. but not man was 10 be found.
There were number Of women and chill
drep. and noticed these seemed very
much frightened when | approached the
cabins. The women would 20 inside and
q ha fol n
a hole in the logs. while the children would
peep snXiously from their hiding.Dlaccs be-
hind the chimney and the chicken.coops.
when asked for the man they de-
clared 10 man lived IN that val
ley and never had, and from the way
they stared at me it was not hard
TO believe. At length | nearcd cabin
WI ere two men were working. They were
Standing upon a scaiIold mailing shingles
upOn the roof, but no sooner was | seen
approaching than one OF them leaped to the
ground, and, selling his rifle, which stood
near bv, plunged into the forest and disap
pcarCd. Riding up, hailed the old man,
who remained, and, after telling bim that
We were surveyors aud wanted aXemen for
work on the mountain, | asked him where
all the valley men were, and why his pirt-
nor had left so hastily at the sight OF me.
The old man slowly climbered down from
The scafIoId and hobbed out to the fence
whcie was waiting.
-. W hat mcut lie yO' name. strlnger:
he asked, after eying me suspiciousv for
some moments. WAL. whsr did We come
from, an whar air yc Swien ter, an what
bc We a.doin' bereabouts. anyhow nc
continued. when his first question was an
swercd.
His curiosity at length appcased, and,
having satisfied himself that | was not an
officer, he told me that the valley was cX-
pcciing raid and all the men were
lying out on the mountain during the
DAYTIME. His son had run ryay because
he thought from my leather leggius and
pistol. belt that | was a revenue officer. ]
began to feel uncomfortable, and, aS night
vas near, turned back towards cam. after
assuring the old man once more that we
we're not 'revcnuerS.'
Although Emcrt bad been unsuccessful
another man who went into an adjacent
cove returned with two lahOrerS.
We retired 10 our tents carly N the
evening and had been sleeping several
GotIs. when we were awakened 10y voice,
and The tramp OF horses. Upon going o1t
4 party Of revenue officers wa, discovered,
make sudden and unexpected decent
uJcu Biz. creek valley That night. Tdey
had been travelling rapidly since noon. and
The OrscS were exhausted with The GrlI-
Ou~ climb. Hay for their hungry stock was
desired. and permission 10 leave them in
our camp hie they went down 10 raid tie
cove. TO lecOmc associated IN any way
with revenue officers was very undesirable
Hhilc working IN this section OF country:
but il was only an act Of humanity 10 feed
lhc half starved horses, and, A. we had no
right 10 forbid It. they were let neir orr
csmp. After bucklinr on their pi>tol.belts
and examining well their rifles, the Riding
parly disappeared down the trail leading TO
the valley.
Soon after daylight the raiders returned,
bringing seven prisoners in handouts. But
hey had not been taken INCREASINGLY. a.
though they were surprised while sleeping.
iOI the leader Of the party carried his arm
in sling, aud one man, they told u, had
been shot and Killed in his door; the same
nan, indeed, whom Emcrt had seen run
into the bushes the previous day. These
eight, with the old cripple, who had been
left behind only because hc could not
marcE, we're all the men who lived in that
cove. We invited them 10 remain while
the cook prepared hot breakfast and cOl-
fee. But The prisoners would eat nothing.
Poor fellows, we fell sorry for them, They
would be carried TO Asheyille for trial. and
The sequel was not doubtlul-cOuiincd in
,om" distant prison for ten years. i did
seem hard that they should be taken from
their mountains and punished 80 severely
only for distilIing corn that VA, ticif own
one 81 The prisoners, a great. br1Wny
GIANT with bis hands fastened behind
him. sqt alone. and ! saw TIE big
teas swell in his eyes aud course down
III, cheek. 1t was not difficult 10 read
bis thoughts. lie was thiukinL Of the
wife and the little t0w-he2d- lclt in Che
cabin behind him, OF the long YEAR that
would separate him from them. and won.
dcru" how they would i've with no enc
nov 10 XIII their meat or make their corn.
After breakfast the officers departed with
their prisoners, and we hurried 10 our
work. d, silng to finish 4, quickly a. pos.
,iblc. lest the friend, " the captured men
should connect u with the raid. and make
it unpleasant.
During the day Emert found it necessary
10 20 down % . coTn-crIcEcr in Cltllchee
Cove for meal, but before reaching the yIi-
Icy rifle sounded in the laurel thickct not
far from the trail, and bail whSt!cd past
~, pose 10 strike tree near by.
"lIcllo there? BE careful, or y0u'n
shoot somebody" he called out, thmkiGgi it
was q ,qurrel-huntar. But no one answer.
Ing he realized that the shot was fired at
him, and, unable TO fight an unseen enemy,
Wined his mules head and hurried blck TO
camp as fast X possible.
Later IN the day one OF the hirei axe
men was sent upon a similar crrand, and
when he returned brought the informl-
ton that friends OF the murdered man and
the PRISONERS bad gathered below, aad,
fnGiug that the officers had stopped at
our camp, insisted that we were part Of
them. They had resolved to shoot ans Of
u- that returned into the cove, and the
labOrcr declared that should they get TO
drinking it was more than probable that an
attack would be made that night upon our
camp. He urged III TO leave Immediately.
our party was not equal 10 the moonshiners
had we been inclined 10 fight, and 80
hosti.y finishing the work, we moved
down from the mountains before dark
and campcd in a more hOSpiiable
neighborhOOd. Nor was our precauiOn
useless. for We learned some days after that
the valley men had got drunk the night we