The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1893-08-08
THE MOONSHlNERS.
Something AboutThese lawless
MountaineerS.
How They Work to Evade the
Bane of Their Lives-The
RevenuerS.
KNoxvILLE, Tenn, Aug. 2.


KNOXVILLE, Tenn, Aug. 2.
The mountaineers of the South are
proverbial for their hatred of the III
ternal revenue laws aud the men who
force them.
They look upon the government tax
and "red tape" surrounding the man.
uiacture of whiskey as curtailment
OF their individual liberties and resent
it with ingenuity that is surprising.
In the mountains of East Tenness=e
and western North Carolina, the raid
Ing officers of the internal revenue
service is kept busy looking after the
violators who play tricks tocover their
work. but the officers generally find
them out, though it may take them
months.
The men who run wildcat" or
"moonshine" stills, as these places are
called, always work with their Win
chesters handy, and if not completely
surprised will give the enemy stub
born fight before surrendering the
fruits Of their toll. Whenever a st II
is captured the whiskey. "mash" and
beer" are at once poured on the
ground, the torch applied to the
building and the worm" hacked to
pieces. =.
These stills are generally located in
some part of the mountains inaccessi-
BILE except by foot. and the paths
leading to them circuituous and labo-
rious to follow.
The run" i. always made at night,
while some trusted contederates stand
guard upon all the approaches and no
one is allowed to come their way with
out being halted.
The fact that a still il in operation
in a neighborhood Is given away" BY
neighbor who bears no good will
to the men owning it, and by stealth
he looks for an approach not suspected
or guarded by the "shiners. This
found aud he reports to the raid
er, who makes an appointment to be
in the neighborhood on certain
night at a certain point, where the
.sinformer" is to meet him. The OF
ficer is accompanied by several Of The
best men in the service in his district
They 90 prepared for fight. When
the preliminaries are arranged for the
starting and what each man must do
when the still is reached, the weapons
are looked after and a journey OF a
mile or more, the major portion Of
which must be made on the hands and
knees, begins.
The route often leads through
iungles of laurel which grow thick on
the mountain sides. 1t is a gnarled
and knotty wood and it is no childs
play to make a trip through it. Over
logs, stones and gullies, the men work
their weary way. stopping occasionally
to listen intently to learn whether or
not their presence has become known
to the men they seek TO capture.
Finally glimmering light through
the tangled wood, tells them that they
are near the place. 1t is described As
weird and uncanny scene to gaze
upon the .moonshiner' at work. Pine
torches are used, and the men as they
90 to and fro with grim and
determined faces are never forgot
ten by those who gaze upon them,
waiting the word of their leader u
charge upon the place, knowing that
in the charge perhaps some one OF
their number may feel the leaden
messenger from Winchester that
will cause his relatives to mourn his
uutimely departure for the other
world.
The present raiding deputy OF die
East Tennessee district has had Val
ried experience, one of the most rs'-
table occurring early in 1892, in Mm-
roe county. He had long suspected
Wash Bivens, notorious for his vioa
ton of the internal revenue require
ments, of running a still, and though
he watched him all he could, and ar.
rested him several times on suspicion,
be could make NO case against HIM.
Jealousy was the cause of Wasb'
DOWNFALL He had a daughter VIE
was blessed with the reputation Of
being the belle of her. neighborhooi.
She had admirers by the score, but
she was scant Of her smiles until one
who had forsaken a rival claimant te
her position began to pay her court.
The forsaken girl vowed vengeance
en- Miss Bivens and to the deputy
she stated she could pilot him to the
wildcat still of the Bivens girfs
father.
The preliminaries were arranged
and, accompanied by trusted men, thu
deputy met his fair informer and IN
der the cover of night she led them t.