Mohave County miner., 1891-01-03
NEW ENGLAND MoohsHINERs.
Yankee Fsrmsrs who Msks cider brandy
s@d htskis Hpnll

- A@-tFRAN NNNtF
The thrilling novel that might be
written about the New England
''moonshiner'' has not yet been pub,
lisbed, !, Miss Bntiixs sud others hays
done up" the Illicit distiller Of the
Ten nessee and North Carolina mount
ains beautifully. Literarily. ths
crooked manufacturer Of apple brandy
and maple rum In the Green and
White mountains Is not so highly ca.
teemed as this bearded Tennesseean OF
the lprpmprehsnsibls dialect. But why
shouldn't be bet His surroundings ara
iust As picturesque, bis bisihess III
perllous his resistance sometimes a.
desperate, and bis personality often ~
peculiar.
There is certainly a great deal. bi
Illicit liquor manufactured Id the, New
England States, where prohibition ID
the law. Generally the Illicit manu-
iacturer would be glad 10 pay the
United States license. He could pay
that and make money out of his biisl1
hess, with the aid of the demand
secured by prohibition. Besides. he
fears the United States revenue au-
thorities, and he does not fear the
State authorities. Uncle Sam has a
nose 10 smell out his still; the State has
not. But the payment of the Federal
license has so often betrayed the
moonshiner to the State authorities
that hq generally prefers to do without
IT, He makes bis bhsihess wholly
Illicit, therefore. The profits are gfcatl
but the business Is risky. II the dis.
tiller Is caught Ia the act, or custom
er bettays him, everything that he has
in the whole world may be forfeited.
The place selected for d still in our
northern bills, is generally cellar. aud
the distiller IL almost always a farmer.
In this region there is always running
water to b had anywhere; the farmer
conducts quiet lead pipe to bis scene
of operations, brings In still from the
adjoining State. sets up kitchen
stove. connects his apparatus with his
chimney. and everything Is ready.
Probably bis line OF business Is cider
brandy; possibly II Is maple rum. Both
liquors are very uerituriops decoetions.
alcoholically speaking. The apple
brandy Is raw-edged and not very
palatable, but it Is pure and whole
some. The maple rum Is very smooth
and palatable. and. when made by an
expert, is regarded by connoisseurs a.
equal to the best Medford. To make
IL. maple molasses is diluted and fer
mented into d sort OF beer. and that Is
4 IsatstfmA tptA StyKI Ea,,E rtn Itf
maple molasses will make live quarts Of
excellent rum.
Generally this illicit distilling is done
on behalf Of regular customers at SO
much gallon; the Ordinary price for
distilling Is Sl,25 a gallon, aud the
liquor Is sold at $2 gallon. Some
times the manufacture Is carried on
under the cloak of the distiliation OF
wormwood-a product of the northern
woods-wbich the law allows the
manufacture Of. Some wormwood dis.
tillers up that way have got rich. but
not out Of wormwood In many places
the local authorities would never dis.
turb quiet distiller of illegal liquor,
but the law puts terrible premium
upon treachery. One maple-rum
manufacturer supplied his fathsr-in-
laws table with dainty product Of his
still for some time; bat by and by the
tather-ip-law informed upon him,
wholly for the sake OF the twenty-five
dollars reward which the law gives
the informer. The old man hac ths
satisfaction OF seeing his daughter .
husbands bne farm taken away from
him. for up that way distiller's farm
Is holden for his offence, and the man
left at middle age penniless In the
world; but the old villain got his
twenty five dollars. There are some
things in the world that are worse than
making maple rum. and Maine law 1t
seems puts n premium upon such
villains.
ALI this. OF course. is carried ON IN
the farming districts. The larger
towns and villages have laws of their
owe, and the liquor they dispense Is
obtained more or less openly from out
side States where il is sold. 1t Is the
farmers, who have not easy access to
these bars, who resort TO the Illicit
manufacture of liquor. As a result,
hundreds of men become more or less
expert in making intoxicating drink
who would otherwise have not the
slightest inkling Of such process; and
though the majority Of these would not
think of making liquor for profit they
do not hesitate TO make 1t for their own
use. There Is even very good substi-
tute for lager beer brewed in the hills;
and many of the farmers brew a drink
which they call spruce beer from
maple sap-a very pleasant beverage.
not without heady properties under
certain circumstances. II is quite
possible that the throwing of the people
of northern New England upon their
own resources in the, matter Of liquids
will develop an aptitude for domestic
manufacture which will result in
famous beverages yet TO bo born.-
Boston Transcript.