Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1890-04-18

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to our rescue we Will be pOwerleSs
to do anything before the 1st of
July, when the appropriation tor
the next fical year will be avalla-
BILE. For the past three or four
years Congress has cut down our
appropriations so low that we have
been compelled to reduce oar force
of men about one half. At no time
since the war has there been so
much illicit whiskey made as at
the present time and it Is largely
due to the crippling of the internal
revenue service by Congress. AS
long as the internsl.revenu1 laws
are on the statute books Congress
should make sufficient provision to
properly enforce them. An effort
is being made in Washington nov
| to ind uce Congress to pass a special
appropriation 10 meet the Franklin
county case. If the present state
of affairs should continue six
| months longer, most of the lawfully
registered dlstlllerles IN this part
of the country would he compelled
to supend.
"Franklin county to-day is com
pletely under the control of the
cutthrost gang of moonshiners,
One illicit distillery has a n ore
demoralizihg effect on locality
than a hundred licensed saloons.
In the one case the men meet after
dark in secret and drink the raw
whiskey until they are hopelesSly
drunk. 1t is cheap and thev drink
a great deal more than If they
went to a regular saloon. We will
not be able to capture the Franklin
county camp, however, unless
| Congress comes to Onr aid. 1t is
hard enough to get men to 60
with us on raidiug parties when we
have mouey to pay them, as the
Government makes no provision
for a mans family if he happens to
get killed, or even pay his Doctors
bills if he is wounded. You see
the inducement to join the Govern
ment forces is not very great under
| the most favarable circumstances"
The revenue officers have had
Iobstacles thrown in their way in
the performance of their duty. The
Illicit distllIing of whiskey i'll this
State and North Carolina has
grown to be such a nuisance
however, that the majority of the
J, citizens now would gladly see II
abated. There is more or less
danger to the people who render
revenue officers any assistance
Many instances could be cited
where a man has had his hOnse or
barn burned simply because be
gave the officers something to eal
or allowed them to sleep in his
house one night: 1t is very DIN
cult for a revenue officer, if ne Is
known, to obtain shelter or food IN
many of the country districts. The
, hostility of the people to the reVe
) uue officers has lessened a greal
deal jn the last few years. There
\ is no doubt that the great majority
: of the people would be glad II
assist the Government agents tC
b. break up all the illicit distillerles
:. They prefer the revenue men t.
e the moonshiners as the lesser o
D the two evils.
North Carolina mas been d
t theatre of some very exciting even
D during the last two weeks. Tb'
2 moonshiners have been in creasln
! their numbers very rapidly, ou'
t have nowhere gathered IN sue
| force is In Franklin county, in thl
!. State. A toughest of then
# however, was located recently II
?. Stokes county, North Carolina
@ Agent Sanford Kirkpatrick,
t. Iowa, while heading a posse OF nv
1t men in a raid in Stokes county, q
9. February 25th, was shot in IL
is face by a negro. Fitzpatrick
Is very seriously injured. Nearl
is three hundred shots have bee
re picked out of his face and he ma
Vi, lose his eyeslght even If he recove
n The negro who fred on titspatriC
IT was shot and killed by a memo'
80 OF the poSSejust as he was IN u
lg act of discharging the second Oa
o rel at one of the officers. No o.
Il. knows who fred the shot that <
ce led the negro. An iaterestlI
10 fact In this connection Is I'M
on Fitzpatrick is a Democrat ana u
ey man who avenge his death Is
Republican. Fitzpatrick ana q
nt members of his posse have all De
na arrested charged with mardt
n I There is a dispute pending as
~ jurisdiction between the state a.
ch Federal court. The case has be