The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-02-15

there really is such thing going on
outside of the pages of our dialect
stories-it proves interesting to the
catchers and the caught, TO say the
least. While talking recently with
prominent deputy marshal of West
Virginia, who has done much to dis
turb the usual security of many law
breakers in this direction, he laugh
ingly replied to my question by repeat
ing it:
unpleasant work, this hunting men?
Why, of course it is. my boy; no man.
unless he is n savage at heart, likes to
hunt a fellow-man down like var
mint no matter how bad he is; but
work is work, wherever you go, and
we can't all be choosers. No, I've had
very few narrow escnpcs-wc leave
those to our brethren in the books
that you fellows are always trying TO
make about us; all we try to do is to
try and not let the sinners make any
escapes at all, narrow or otherwise!
These Illicit distillers, by the way, are
not the desperadocs the people imagine
them TO be; some of them arc good fell
lows underncath-if their good traits
have been covered up by their manner
of living it isn't their fault so much as
their misfortune. OF course, for the
old men III the business l have no
sympathy, for they have no excuse to
offer, but it is fact that Il great many
OF the younger men go into it because
they can't help it-being forced tot by
circumstances, rs 1t were. AS for their
fighting qualities, they are much like
their friends and neigh bors, the noun
tain panthers, or painters, as they
call them. Both the men and the ami
mails will fight when cornered or
wounded, but if you give them the
chance they prefer in almost every in
stance to vacatc, and leave you the field
free.
There is one strange thing about
the business, however, and have never
understood it. Why should these men,
great, strapping, healthy mountaineers,
go to breaking the law to make Il liv-
ing, when they might make much bet
ter wages working like honest men on
their farms or for other farmers? 1t
must be the love of excitement born in
them which makes them manufacture
poor whisky and sell it TO poorer men,
coming miles in the night TO do so some
times, and risking the chances of being
nabbed and put in the pen for several
years, all the while. They are smart
men, too, and it takes an officer with
the combined instincts of Il detcctvo
and an old fox to deal with them with
out their snspecting you of being
'rev'ncw man.
"a week ago we captured eight of the
hardest tickets that have ever graccd
this dishonorable business, and it was
one of the ncatest captures we've ever
made got wind of them and sent
one of our men. whose face they didn't
know, up to where they were. He pre-
tended he was a stranger in the coun-
try. and had lost his way and asked
them to keep him over night He's I'm
lrishman with Il full stock of native
blarncy, and he talked them into it be-
fore they knew what to say. He stayed
that night. and seven more of them.
for he was such II good story-telIcr
that lie kept them laughing half that
night with his yarns, and they asked
him the next morning to stop with
them. lie took them right in with that
oily tongue OF his, in fact OF course
he stayed and fshcd and hunted with
Thorn. but though they limited ut their