The St. Johns herald., 1893-09-21
ROLLED IN A BARREL.
The Unpleasant Experience of a
 Government Officer.
He Was OR Duty, But That Didn't Count A Tennessee BIoonshiner Spotted Him and He Had to
 Be Punished.

ssAlong in the '70s,'' said a guest at Detroit hotel the other evening, ac- cording to the Free Press, ''I was a deputy United States marshal in Ten nessee, and you will find it on record that brought great many moonshin- CTS to law. I'm free to admit that I feel sorry for most of them, but they were law breakers and it was my duty to hunt them down. In the summer of 1876 I got a month off and I determined to do little prospecting for minerals in the Cumberland mountains. My headquarters were at Clinton, almost south of Cumberland Gap, and one day l got ready and started off, having pack on my back and a revolver on my hip.
 ''As wasn't looking for Hoonshiners, it did not occur to me that 1 would run any risk. In fact, hadn't done any work to speak of in the direction of the gap, and fattered myself that I would not be recognized up there as revenuer. Everything went all right for three or four days, and then l hap pened along to house raising one afternoon. The event had called about thirty mountaincers together, and for the first ten minutes I was royalty en- tertained. Then an old chap came out of the bush and gave me away to the crowd. He was an old mountaineer whom. had captured and convicted about twenty months before. and he was sent to your house of correction here in Detroit for twelve or fifteen months.
 'I stood up and lied like trooper, for my life was at stake, but he was equally earnest in his assertions. About half the crowd believed me and the other half him. If they'd all be- lieved his story it would have been good-by to earth with me, for those men do not regard it as a crime to put Q revenue officer under ground. As the case stood they didn't think it just to kill me, but yet they wanted to ap- pease the wrath of the old man who had suffered imprisonment. It was, therefore, decided to give me ride in a barrel. They had big one and a stout one with water in it. They emptied out the water and ordered me to get in. Of course l protested and argued and coaxed, but it was no go. To save myself from greater violence got into the barrel and they tied ropes over the open end to keep me in.
 'Just in front of us was a side hill which descended into valley quar- ter of a mile away. To tell the honest truth, didn't anticipate it was going to be much of a shower, as the saying is, and was glad to get off so easy. I expected to be little dizzy at the end of the voyage, but that wasn't going to use me up. When all was ready they tipped the barrel over and let Ter go Gallagher. hadn't got fairly started before I found that I was off in my calculations. While it wasn't tight fit as to breadth, 1 being a small man, it was as to length. Having to scrouch ito save my head, couldn't get a brace, and I simply rattled around like pea in quart bottle. Gentlemen, I hope to live a thousand years, and if I do shall never forget one turn of that bar -rel. It was like nothing above or be- low the earth. It was a sort of com bination of going up in a balloon, fall ing down coal mine and being whipped around shaft revolving five hundred times a minute. I wouldn't shave believed that anything created by the hand of man could revolve as fast as that barrel did.
 ''It makes me seasicl1 to even tell the story. I felt as if my head and legs had been severed, and the pieces were over each other. Talk about an eternity of time! Why, have al- ways believed it took that barrel ninety days, with three days grace added, to get down that hill and half way across the valley! I was in it when it finally stopped, but I had lost consciousness long before. They took rue out and carried me to a cabin and put me to bed. It was one hour before l came to, and two days before could stand on my feet. I was 'barked from head to heel, and it was week or more before anything would stay on my stomach. When I finally felt able to walk the whole earth seemed to be rolling over and over, and I had to hire cart to get down to Clinton. It was a full year before 1 was entirely rid of the sensa tion, and I tell you I never want another experience of the sort. Tie me onto a wild horse a Ia Mazeppa-ride me on rail-give me a seat on the back of Texas steer or a Kansas cyclone, but don't roll me in barrel down side hill in Tennessee or any other state"
 r-,. 1V- . ,r,