The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1889-07-13


Sweet Cherokee rose.
ON THE PATH BELOW
reached Burton's in the mountains
bey yond Bristol late in the evening, hav-
ing, as usual, blundered about the trail
The cabin stood just off the road, and
all around it was silent and dark. Ii
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,
out as soon as they came up they made
friends. They were playing around
when | stood in front of the cabin and
called:
"Hello you Hello Hello I'
In about minute voice answered :
"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 min
ute | heard woman arguing:
81 tell you he must be all right. Ii
he wasn't them dogs would hev de-
voured him -
oval, come in," called the man,
and stumbled along to the cabin to
find him in the half open door with his
rifle in his hand. My explanations
soon satisfied him that was all right,
and he struck light, piled some blank
cts in corner and said:
"Stranger, that's the best lop l kin
fix ye off hand. list tumble down and
doan' worry about nothin'."
was soon 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 dis
putes with knife or bullet-entirely at
their mercy and in their power if they
wanted to rob OF kill, and yet there was
no cause to be afraid. When YOU are
the guest of mountaineer you are
safe.
Next morning | found the family to
consist of husband, wife and three
children. The oldest of the three
children was boy OF IL, who had
killed a bear and was a dead shot. As
soon as | had looked around me
knew that distillery could be fuuno
near by. After breakfast Burton
pumped me for a few minutes, sizeC
me up in his mind as 40. K" anC
said:
Come up with me and see the boys
And l want to tell you that we've bir
expecting visitors fur the last two day:
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 to To-
cate it. We saw him twice yesterday
There were three other men at the
still, which was hidden away in a darI
and rugged ravine, approached by {
footpath which could be ambushed a
every rod. All the corn was "toted'
on the mems back over this path, anc
the kegs of whisky were slung to pole
and carried between two men. The
still WAS perfect, but small, and in the
five or six months it had been in opera
ton the men had not made the wage:
of mechanics. | asked one of then
how long since he had had five dollar
bill, and he squinted his eyes countee
his fingers, scratched his head, ant
finally replied:
"Wall, stranger, you may remember
the battle of Stone River?"
eyes"
"a right smart ago, wasn't it2"
Eyes twenty five years ago."
"Wall, jist arter that fight l had ;
five-dullar bill, and that's the fust anc
last time"
What money they made by illicit dis
tilling went for boots and shoes, cloth
ing OF the plainest kind, tinware, to
bacco and tea. One of them had haC
three pounds of brown sugar in hi
house within year. The others hat
not had an ounce one had not taste(
tea, coffee, sugar, wheat bread or fresl
meat {out side of wild meat) for owe
two years.
The still was about mile from tn,
house. If any stranger came by tn,
trail one of the dogs was sent up tn,
ravine with piece of cloth tied to hi
neck. Halt way between the two, a
l discovered later on, was another patl
intersecting. This came out of anothe
ravine, and was used by the men onl,
occasionally. The boy was stationed
al this intersection to watch both path
and give an alarm if danger threatened
1t was about II O'Clock in the mornin,
when he came running in and said:
"Spy coming, popp
Then an instantaneous and terribl,
change took place in the bearing of tn,
men. We had been lying about a
ease, every man seemingly having
| E.n III l..