The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1892-06-25
Mountain Life in PENNSYLVANIA

The testimony given list weel; at
Somerset il ths trill OF William c.
Miller aud r Ibart Miller 10: the murder
of jonathan G. Hochstet.er set forth
mountains0i Somerset cI, Pa. A number
OF witnesses in the csss admitted that
they hal been eng gei il the manufacture
OF moonShine whiskey. Some of them
said that mooushiue whiskoy wculd not
make man drunk, bac Iuse it was pure
and Ike Lns G.Dr5iaIS AMI North
C,rollnians vac are p .Ste:a by revenue
oil: ,rS, tIese Pennsylvania mountaineers
some Of them, perhaps. direct defendants
of the participants III that whiskey
rebellion which gave tho authorities of
Penns5 lvauiA and George Washington so
much trouble, are still unable to see why
they should rot be permitted to turn
their corn INTO money without the inter
ference of the law. The elder Miller may
know better, for he WAS a union soldier
and helped to coerce the Southern States
when they sought to exercise a similar
right to govern their actlDns independent
of national law.
Iu his owa defence Miller testified that
he had been out on the mountain warning
the distiIers of the apploaca Of revenue
officers When he met HochsteLter, who
according to Aiiller attacked the latter
with stones and thus provoked the
quarrel whica eudsd with alters shoot
his assailant. Acoat thirty witnesses
testified to the existence of an old fued be
tween Hochstetter and Miller. The
former had drawn up a new constitution,
for the government of the moonshiuegs
This document would have made Hochs-
letter ruler of tho mouutalneers, but
Miller refused to sign it and influenced
others to Withhold their signatures. Hochs
letter did not like opposition. Thirty
five years before he had whipped man
because he had declined TO furnish bill
for Hochsteter's son. Twice he had
knocked men down because 5hey did not
agree with him aud had shot at one Of
the objects of his wrath, without killing
Linn, however. But after Miller refused
ton Hochstetter repeatedly threatened
to do away with such opposition to his
rule b. killing the man who offered it
Huchstetter carried knife described by
some of the witnesses as being eighteen
inches long, four inches broad aud douh 10
edged, aud his threats implied that be
that you can slit corn meal through him,
he would cut his heart out with this
knife. These threats extended over
several years, and it was evident, as the
boss of the mountains country said, that
Miller and himself could not both remain
in the mountains. The end Of this long
standing quarrel came on March 80,
when both men, while trying to hide
from the revenue officers, met, and Hooks
letter attacked Miller aud was killed in
| consequence.
~ " i'll supp isC many NhuiSA Soib >
! people to learn OF tie existence III Penn
sylvania Of such a phase OF life as that
protrayed by the witaesses 1t mis- tria.
of the Somerset county mountaiueers'
The Welsh Mountain gang of Lancas
caster county, which was broken up a
few years ago. lived upon different
plane altogether, and were more like the
ordinary run of hen roost robbers. The
Somerset mountainous are sturdier
and bolder race. The presence of missions
churches and school houses might turn
them, or at aug rate their children, into
useful, law abiding citizens. 1t is alway S
difficult 30 understand why the mission
aries prefer TO work among the people OF
India or Africa while these unLi7iiized
| places 50 near home are neglected.