Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-06-19
MAKING "MooNsHlNE."
Thousands Are Engaged in the business,
Principally in the South.

ThOuS8ndS Are EnE6Sou III SHo AuSAAA9'''
| Principally in the South.
Probably no line OF work, aside from
the burglars vocation, is followed with
40 much risk and loss to the worker as
the ilicit manufacture and sale of whisky.
Yet thousands of men, especially in the
States of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama
and North Florida have been for years
engaged in the business, and are to this
day depending upon it for livelihood.
The reader wonders why they persist
in making the whisky without paying
the tax when they know they will be
bounded by the law and sent to prison.
Because primarily, they are the most
determined class Of people in the world,
when they think right is on their side
and this is the position they take on
this question. These men cannot be
convinced there is any wrong in making
liquor on their own land and from their
own corn and disposing Of it as they see
fit without government interference.
Years of prosecution and sentences of
imprisonment for life or even death
would have no deterrent effect upon
them. once said to one of these
gaunt mountaineers:
"Suppose you were to be fined $500
on everv conviction, would that make
you stop?"
sNaw!" he exclaimed with emphasis.
"But suppose an additional sentence
Of ten years we're to be inflicted, would
you then stop?"
"Naw," he repeated, more emphati-
cally.
"But with imprisonment for life or
hanging staring you in the face, would
you still continue to make moonshine
whisky?"
sYes, would" he firmly shouted,
bringing his fist down hard on the
table. "The law hain't no right to
bother me. / done made corn whisky
all my life and will make it till die,
an I won't pay no tax, either.
He is but fair sample of the average
moonshiner. These people are all poor
Experimentation in fact-and they
lead precarious life at best. The
Government maintains an army of de-
putty marshals who do but little else
than chase up these poor wretches,
seize their stills and arrest the distil-
lers
The principal, almost sole, business
of the United States Court for the north
ern district Of Georgia, situated in At
lanta, is the trying of these moonshine
cases. Scores of these are also tried in
the Circuit Court at the same place.
Upon conviction the offender gets q
fine of 500 and from one to twelve
months imprisonment in o county Jail.
D,,ks -
they are at it again with renewed zeal.
For the simple act Of working in a
moonshine distillery the convicted per-
son is seldom given more than one
months imprisonment. Upon con-
viction for selling the liquor, or rum
ming blind tiger" the offender gets
the same sentence as he would for dis
filling.
OF course with such odds against
them the moonshiners resort to all sorts
of schemes to keep their business quiet.
1 once saw deputy returning to the
city from raid, bringing with him a
key of whisky.
"What luck this time?" asked.
Il got the still, but couldn't find the
man who owned it. And where do you
SuppOSo IL was u1uueus
gave it up.
"Down in deep trench underneath a
cascade in the mountain. Not one man
in 5000 would have suspected the spot,
but was well posted by an informer.
and knew just where to CO."
Another of the moonshiners operated
his still in his kitchen stove for several
months before found out. The smoke
always betrays the presence Of still.
but here the smoke, issuing from the
chimney. put everybody off the scent
until the CONSCIOUSNESS of his wife
gave the snap away.
Down in Hall Co., Ga, lives a
preacher, an old gentleman and an en-
thusiast in the work Of saving souls to
the Lord. He was the last man in the
world anybody would suspect of being
moonshiner, and yet revenue officers
one morning entered hidden cave in
the side of hill half mile from the
church and found the old fellow inside
with his coat off hard at work stirring
up steaming compound that savored
strongly of moonshine. The officers
captured the whole outfit, consisting OF
acopper still and the necessary tools
and several thousand gallons Of beer
and sinklings, the whole valued at $3.50.
The old gentleman was taken before
a United States Commissioner, who
fixed his bail at $500. which he fur.
nished, and was at once liberated. The
following Sunday he was preaching
away at the little mountain church as
though nothing had happened, and in.
deed his Pensioners thought nothing
of it, so what mattered it?
Strange to say, one of the most cleve,
ofthese people is woman-Aunt Fanny
Smithishe was called. She runs famous
refreshment house adjacent to Sink.
ing Mountain, one of the eccen.
tricities of nature to be seen
near Tallulah Falls, noted summer re-
sort situated ninety miles northeast Of
Atlanta. The place,i is greatly frequen.
ted during the hot summer months by
white people of all classes, and Aunt
Fanny's place comes in for liberia,
share of patronage. The lady and
children visitors are RECALLED with soft
drinks-tea. coffee. buttermill and