Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1893-12-02
HUNTING INCONSISTENCIES.
BILL AND A BRAVE LITTLE
WOMAN TO THE RESCUE.
Honest and Chock Full of Courage-Raid-
ing wild-Catters in tho Pea Ridge
y-Characterlstics OF nIoonshin-
axs-Put on Paro Q.

to report at Gailatin, Tenn Upon
my arrival | was surprised TO find ten
or dozen Kentucky officials, besides
half as many from Tennessee, armed
with army breech-loading guns and
pistols, with guns. pistols and am
munition for as many more. il we
should find they were needed. | was
informed that our destination was
the Pea Ridge country, a spur OF
mountain land over twenty miles in
length and from tour TO ten miles
wide, commencing near the Overton
county line in Tennessee and running
in a northeasterly direction to Gin
ton county, Kentucky.
1t was the primitive home of the
moonshiner. the violator OF the
revenue laws, and the goods he manu-
featured were noted all over Ten
nessee and Kentucky. There had
not been day within the memory Of
the Oldest citizen @hen white"
whisky could not be had at any house
in that section OF country. In the
bottoms at the foot OF the ridge the
yield of corn varied from fifty to 100
bushels per acre. and as these people
had no way of getting it to market
in the car they spiritualized it and
sold it in jugs. Small parties Of
revenue officers had slipped in here
and there during the night every
year and destroyed still, and left
before the moonshiners could gather
their clans, says the Globe Democrat
writer. The cowardice exhibited in
these raids. the brutal outrages com
mittsd in some instances. had alike
emboldened and exasperated these
men, who were the descendants Of
the heroes OF Kings Mountain. and
many OF them held deeds to land
signed by Daniel Boone, Agent.
One day, having destroyed seven
stills and captured the leaders OF the
moonshiners and being tired out we
started for Salina to dispose OF the
prisoners.
1t was about six miles from the
last place captured 10 the foot OF the
ridge of mountain, and when we got
near the point OF descent we discov-
cred a small spiral column OF smoke
ascending from a ravine on the oppo-
site side from where we stood. Spur
rier Immediately pronounced it q
''cat," and we disposed Of our force
to surprise it We could see cabin
in a corn field a hundred yards in
front of the mouth OF the ravine.
Descending the ridge we came TO a
beautiful stream. Tn the opposite
side was a bank ten feet high, being
the edge OF corn field OF fifty acres.
Leaving all our force except five ac-
tive men, we went up the creek bed
until we came opposite the cabin and
the smoke. Hitching our horses to
the roots that lined the bank, we dis
mounted in the water and climbed up
the embankment. Slipping along
quietly through the green corn.
which was in tassel, we came to the
inclosure OF the cabin. Springing
over the low fence we made break
for the house.
Rapid as our movements had been,
we were discovered within twenty
yards of the house by little woman,
barefooted and hareheaded. who was
making soap at one corner Of the
yard. With soap paddle in hand.
she sprang over the yard fence. made
Of rails. and with the fieetness of a
deer rushed up the rayine. by the
stable, in the direction Of whore we
had seen the smoke. shouting or
screaming at the top Of her voice.
'R-u-n, Bill. run. the revenuers
are after yer! Rum. Bill, r-u-n! the
revenuers are after yer!"
How far away Bill was we did not
know. The stable was between her
and Bill. and to capture her or to
get close enough to Bill. when he
did hear her, was the ambition OF
every man.
When she passed the corner OF the
stable lot we were from fifty to sixty
feet in the rear
"R-u-n. Bill, RUN! The revenuers
are after yer' was screamed with
every move Of those flying limbs.
She was within twenty yards of
large Lighthouse wildcat distilIery,
located in a ravine at point scarce
ly wide enough for the building We
were within forty yards We could
see Bill moving about with his pad
die as If stirring his beer Suddenly
he stopped, stopped down and looked
towards u.s.
Rum, Bill, RUN! The revenuers
are after yer!" though faint, had at
last reached his ears, and, with the
agility OF cat, he sprang out at the
door, whisked himself around the
house, followed by four shots from
rifles held by tired, nervous hands,
and was lost TO sight in the deep UNI
dergrowth The little woman, God
bless her, true to her love, had fallen
exhausted and tainted when the shost
were fired.
Leaving a man in charge Of the
distillery, we picked her up tenderly
ana bore her to the branch near BY
aud restored her Two Of us accom-
panied her back to the house. after
assuring her that "Bill" was not
hurt and that we had not fired TO
F-sI