The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-09-27
BEATING THE REVENUE.


Mountain. rs | turned aside one day a
noon to eat my luncheon, stumbled full
upon now stiil which tho mountaineers
were bringing up. On tho day previous
several men on horseback had passed me,
and remembered that the family at thu
cabin where had passed enight seemed
40 be restless and uneasy. The revenue
men had got track Of the still and had
pressed the mouutaineers so closely that
they had hidden Il among the rocks and
bushes at the Wayside. That outfit rep
resented the combined capital Of half n
dozen mouniaiaoers. Il they lost il they
would lose their all. If Uncle Sam failed
TO lay hands on it be you'd be no worse
off looked the outfit over making a
note Of everything ate my dinner, and
had only got back 20 the trail again when
four Lorsemen rode up. sized them up
for revenue men at once, and it was pain
enough that they wcrc in i'll humOr.
don't know that / would have given them
any information had they been pleasant,
but the way they jumped on me for a send
off boiled mo over.
"See here" said the leader as he glarcd
down at me, you're the feller we saw
yesterday back here in the elbowl'
We'll what Of it?'
"A good deal of it. We are govern
ncnt oihcialsl"
Eyes; I've seen em before. In fact
used TO own one
Look out. sir can make it very So
rious for you. You must know that
still has been brought in this direction.
The chances are that you have met the
men with it.
"WcllY
"Well, we arc here to find it,"
Am hindering your
IL believe you know all about it, and I
should be justified in arresting you.
VERY well; Iii consider myself your
prisoner"
They drew apart and conferred together
Tor few minutes, and then the loader
said:
Perhaps was little too rash. and
hope you'll excuse me. If you would
give us q pointer it would be a great
favor"
"What information do you waat?"
about that still We know that it
passed Laphams. three miles back. We
know that it has not passed llarrison's.
two miles ahead It's likely you saw the
men.
about two hours ago?"
Eyes"
dad il packed on two mnlesl'
That's il.
-Four men and two mules?"
Yes"
They must have left the main trail, or
t.n-, tr,ull hoe, .aar, than, -
Yes"
Back here about twenty roas there's
ravinc to the right.
"Jhats sol remember
If had been ono of the men should
have lodged in there with the party"
"Ccrtainl 4 thousand thanks to you"
They wcro OH on the gallop. and tho
sound Of their horses feet had not vet
died away when two men dropped out of
the rocks aud bushes to my left. They +
were mountaileers and moonshiners .
Both held Up thciT hands as | jumped up
Ia alarm. and one Of them said:
Stranger that's tho whitest thing |
ever knew q man to do, and we ar
crowd which won Z forgit it,"
lilo uttered u shrill whistle, and two
other men, each leading amule, brokecover
from n thic..et That outfit was picked
up and packed and strapped in five min
utcs. aud was iaTited to 20 long with
the party. We kept the main trail about
hall nile and thea turned into ravine
road to tie right Ono man was sent on
ahead rs scout, and IS we slowly pro-
gresscd the Others asked where | was
from end what ny GRAND was. and before
/ had fully explained the leader, whose
name was Dawson. said:
Say, he's the very fcller we got word
about Put II thar, young Teller; an
right glad we ar - see youl"
We had progressed about a milo when
the scout c:Ic back with word that the
revenue gag acl taken half circle and
we're coming b2c; to the main road by
this very pcth Jgst here small ravino
ran to our right. deep and dark. The
men were badly ratified for the moment,
and seemed 2bort to abandon tho mules
and take Fight down the gully, wheni
said:
Cant You all push down in there and
leave il 10 re again
"World you do it, stranger"
SCI course / will"
| saw them hidden and then sauntered
on for acout 800 feet and sat down on q
rock. In five minutes the revenue men
came up. | asked what luck, and they
replied that they had missed the party
altogether.
After you went away" said after n
bit, II saw two men and two mules in the
brush on tho left of the road"
You didr'
YES. You wero Como then. and of
course did not care to invessigate alone"
Those are the men we want" shouted
the four in chorus, and away they went
with great clatter Five minutes later
TO aoonshino party were out of the n.
yiac ard Dawson came up to rae, erasped
my hand ard said:
'ticn, take 9 good look ct him. You'll
ell lstch (agvee) with mo that if airy man
IN these yore hills ever considers to chit.
ter him stops to question his right that
ere nan hes got TO diel"
After proceeding about mile and a
half We reached tie spot where the mill
wsS to bo located, aad half a mile away
ives Dawsoa's cabin. His family con.
sisted Of wife and three children. the !
oice-t being o bare footed. bare legged
g1i OF IL. After being introduced | was