The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1893-12-14
UNDER FIRE.
Revenue officers Have a Lively
Time.
Deputy Marshal Taylor and His Dep
.uties Raid Still.

General Raiding Deputy Charles M.
tsxssvIar ~ Collector Essary's Office, and
nenntv Marshals Lum Steele, John
MeKinzle aud George Talent had an
exnerience with desperate moonshln'
ers in the mountains OF Monroe coun-
Ey Thursday night which came near
coating them their lives and which
they will not soon forget :,
The officers had located two wild
cat distilleries in the very heart OF the
mo1ntains which are the picture oil
danger themselves and place where
the moonshiner delights to make MS
home and carry on his unlawful WORK,
1t was lust such place as this that
the officers found themselves Thurs
fay night.
they we're quietly stealing their way
"a through narrow gorge In the
no, ,ntains to where the stills were 10
rate 4. when in some way spy dis'
covered them. The alarm wrs quickly
given anA the blasts from hall dozen
rams horns as they pealed forth over
ahe mountains, told the moonshlners
and their comrades Of the approach oil
the officers.
THEY PRESSED FORWARD.
.JJudaunted by this the officers under
cover of rocks and trees passed on up
fhe mountain and we're nearing the
etills when they were greeted with a
volley OF bullets from eight or ten
rifles, The shots fed wide OF their
marks however and sped on down the
mountain side.
1T WAS BLUFF.
The officers passed on and without
firing a shot ran the moonshlners
away and succeeded in capturing the
two stills. One was a fifty gallon still
and was entirely destroyed, the othei
had capacity OF sixty gallons
and was brought down and shipped tc
Knoxville. Their owners and opera
tors escaped arrest.
NET A NOTORIOUS DESPERATE.
On the first night out, which wal
Wednesday, the officers rode eighteen
miles from Madisonvllle and stopped
at lone farm house. Here they me
James Brookshire, one OF the mos
notorious and desperate moonshlner
In the state, who is now out on bone
and will have to answer to severa
charges against him at the next tern
of the Federal Court. He is the maj
who shot at and came near KILN
Capt. G. G. Spears a few months befor
he retired from the position of genera
raiding deputy under co.. A. B. Bow
man.
The officers knew of Brookshire
mast record and had been informe
that he was yet running other wildcs
stills which had not been located
With view OF capturing these Deput
TAYLOR told Brookshire that If he di
mot surrender his stills he would us
all The evidence he could getH again'
him with view to sending him to til
uenitentiary. This seemed to work o
Che criminal, for he led the Office
down into the forks OF the TelliC
river, thirty.five miles from Madison
vile. where he surrendered to them
thirty.galon still, which they d
strayed. Not satisfied with this I'll
officers began to search further ar
discovered a large eighty-gallon St
Which WIS near by, together with thi
ty gallons OF whisky, all owned
r, .okshire, which were destroyed.
sixty-gallon still belonging to R
f.. 1irkland and one of the finest ev
G. red was seized and shipped he
vi its owner was bound to court.
Bird Play the officers seized al
Il ped thirty-five gallon still
X rxville. 1t was the property OF {
B! ems who was captured and bou
70 rourt.-KnorviIle Tribune.