Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1888-07-14
MOONSHINING.
A Sketch of Industrial Life IN the C,nn-
ber9uDld lNoaltosns.

Were asked to name the races of the
South sIionld answer, "White, black
and the mountaineer.' The latter be-
longs TO, a distinctive race. While he
may be elassed with tie White as far al
cofor goes, his tastes, habits, character.
istics, and mode of life are peculiarly his
own. If he likes You lie will make any
sacrifice to oblige you; if he hates you
he will seek your life with determine
ton which. nothing can damp, The
great " orldibeyond his mountain home
is a sealed book to him. He lives in
himself, by himself and for himself.
was riding oyer2 that spur Of the
Cumberland mountains when | lost my
way. The mountain trails of the South
are dangerous puzzles to a stranger.
They run UP and down, twist, turn,
dodge, lose themselves in dark ravines,
and eem to suddenly end in dark and
lonely gaps. There is feeling of lone
illness which you cannot shake off, and a
feeling of anxiety which rides with you,
and keeps every sense alert. Every rod
of the tra1l has its ambush, and every
quarter of a mile its cliff, seemingly
ready to fall upon you. | came to a
spot where three ,raiis brallched away
1t was luck and chance. | took one
which led me into a long, dark ravine,
where the summer sun has never yet
touched the icles on the rugged rocks,
nor warmed the-iAettHtaif- fiuu4et pear-
ing over the moss grown lodges After
going a mile l. felt that | was wrong,
and was about TO turn back, when a
voice suddenly caHed through the semi
darkness: AHk4 gU s44gf ysJ5.
up your hahdsl' p cD +v.L5
If that command ever, reaches your
ears obey 1t at once, and do your argu-
ing subsequently. 1t means that your
head Or Your heart is in point blank
range of bullet or buckshot, with a
finger resting on the trigger and ready
to pull if you don't obey the sum
mons. ''' 7@'' "f'
Up went my hands, }{AA{T ~
After a long half minute a mountain
eer, who had sight on me with a
double barreled shotgun across a point
of rock twenty feet ahead stepped into
view on the trail and said:
stranger, slip down!
| slipped of; the saddle.
SHOW lead yer mule up that ra-
vineo' '@ @'- ~@'1~"a
| simply saw man six feet high,
straight as an arrow, long haired, whis-
kCrs unkcmpt, dress that of a mountain
eer. Yes, saw more H held the gun
fair to my breast. One suspicious move
on my part and | was a dead man. He
spoke ina low voice, but there was that
in his voice which chilled me. Without
a second look at him took the mule by
the bits and led him up the layine. We
had not got twenty yards before |
scented whiskey still. At the end of
five rods more we we're. in afude camp,
Two noonshiners sat Ym a log, guns
across their knees, and back of and be
low them still was running off its ex-
tract of corn.
Zone O them spies!r said the man,
who had followed me as let go of the
mule, and sat down on stump.
"A good ketch" growled one of the
sitters.
Mighty kind of him to- come yere!"'
Chuckled the other.
They were moonshihers, and they
took me for spy sent out by the Gov
eminent official OF that district. l
looked from one to the other. There
was a determination in each lOOk-an
implacable sternness of expression which
would have warned a genuine spy that
his hou, lad come Not one glance Of
pity-not one line of mercy A pris-
oner at the stake among the ApaChes
would have had more hope.
These men were lawbreakers-out-
laws-being hunted after every day in
the year. Why: Because they were
making living-keeping body and soul
together-in the only way open to
them. The bits of valleys in the grim
old Cumberland will grow corn and
potatoes. The potatoes are wanted for
the table. If there is more corn than