Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1889-02-09
IN THE TENNESSEE MOUNTAINS.
One of M. Quads Stories of Life Among
the Moonshiners.
NJ. Quad in Detroit Free Press.

the Moonshiners.
NJ. Quad in Detroit Free Press.
l reached Burton's in the noun
tains beyond Bristol, late in the eve
ming, having, as usual, blundered
about the trail. The cabin stood just
off the road, and all around it was ST.
lent and dark. 1t has always been a
wonder that his dogs did not attack
me. He had three, and they were as
cross and grabbed as old bears. They
came running down the trail to meet
me, growing and barking, but as
soon as they came up they made
friends. They were playing around
me when l stood in front of the cabin
and called:
"fiello! you! Hello! Hello!"
In about minutca voice answer
ed:
''Who is yer, an what's wanted?"
stranger in search of lodgings"
He seemed to doubt it, for he made
no immediate reply. After a long
minute heard a woman arguing:
II tell you he must be all right. If
he wasn't them dogs would hev de-
vOured him.
"Wall, come ill.," called the man,
and | stumbled along to the cabin to
find him in the half open door with
his rifle in his hand. My explana-
tons soon satisfied him that / was
all right, and he struck light, piled
some blankets in corner and said:
stranger, that's the best lop l kin
fix We off hand. Jist tumble down
and doan' worry about nothin'."
wassoon fast asleep, having moth
ing to keep me awake. Right in the
heart of the grim old mountain
among people whose faces | had only
glanced at-among men who settle
their disputes with knife or bullet
entirely at their mercy and in their
power if they wanted to rob or kill
and yet there was no cause to be
afraid. When you are the guest of a
mountaineer you are safe.
Next morning j found the family
to consist of husband, wife and three
children. The oldest of the three
children was boy of II, who had
killed his bear and was a dead shot
As soon as had looked around me
knew that a distillery could be
found near by. After breakfast Bur
ton pumped me for a few minutes
sized me up in his mind as SO. * ,
and said:
"Come up with me and sec thu
boys. And | want to tell you thai
we've bin expecting visitors fur the
last two days an we may hev scare
befo' night"
"What sort of visitors?"
"United States chaps arter our still
They've had a spy in yere trying t.
locate it. We saw him twice yester
day."
There were three other men at thu
still, which was hidden away in {
dark and rugged ravine, approached
by a footpath which could be am
pushed at every rod. All the corr
was "toted" on the mems back owe
this path, and the kegs of whiske!
were slung to pole and carried be
tween two men. The still was per
feet, but small, and in the five or si2
months it had been in operation tn,
men had not made the wages OF me
chanics. | asked one Of them how
long since he had a five dollar bill
and he squinted his eyes, counted
his fingers, scratched his head, AM
finally replied;
"Wall, stranger, you may rcmem
her the battle of Stone River
YES"
"A right smart ago, wasn't it,
eve twenty-five years ago
"Wall, iist arter that fight | had
dve-dollar bill, and that's the iu.
and last time
What money they made 10y illi"i