The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1893-10-21
AFTER A MOONSHINER.
Revenue Officers Experience in
the Georgia Mountains.
Finding an Illicit StilI-it Took a Clever
Man to Devise 1t and a Clever
officer 10 Find and De-
stroy 1t.

s'NVe were very much puzzled over a
certain locality in the mt Log region
of the Blue Ridge mountains, SAID
Revenue Collector Chapman, as he
leaned back in his chair and chatted
with a New York Post correspondent.
I'VE knew very well that whisky was
being made in the neighborhood, but
so carefully concealed was the habitat
of the moonshiners that we We're I'M
able to obtain any clew to it. There
had Deer a distillery in hat ~neighbor-
hood some ten or a dozen years ago,
run by a noted moonshiner-old Reub
Davis-but times had become SO hot
for him that he suddenly decamped.
giving ont the report that he was going
to Texas. 1t had been SO long since
his disappearance that people had al
| most forgotten him..
still we were puzzled. Our depu-
ties could find evidence unimpeachable
of the existence of a c~ontraband dis
tillery by hanging around the little
crossroads villages and attending the
different gatherings where 'cornjuice'
and appleiack were plentiful: but al
though the base of supplies could be
traced almost to the fountain head, the
exact place Of deposit could never be
found. Many and many a weary tramp
did we take among those rugged noun
tains and dark r%avines, night and day,
in sun and rain, but still we were
baffied.
FINALLY we decided on making a
regular ring hunt for the culprit. and
bright and early one morning started
out with three of my keenest deputies,
determined to make a haul before night
or else spend the f$osty night in the
woods. | sent two'of the men in n
direction and set out across the Cut Log
ridge with Mcdonald. Reaching a
point near the summit, | caught a Whit
of the familiar flavor, and hating be-
gan to look around for some clew as to
its source. Perched away up on the
mountain side. overhanging a brawling
brook that came tumbling down across
the road we were travelling, | spied a
shabby-looking cabin which would
have appeared uninhabited save for a
little curl Of smoke ascending lazily
from the rough rock chimney. Bidding
Mcdonald remain with the horses, |
climbed the mountain, and approach
ing the low doorway | accosted an old
woman who was looking after her
household work.
'~Everything was as innocent and I'M
suspicious as if there were not a drop
of c~ontrabanJ within forty miles of the
spot.
May | get a light for my pipe?' I
asked.
"..Ya-as: wait a mint and FL fetch
you a splinter
NO, don't trouble. III just come in
and get it myself
Oh. the house amt titten for We to
come into she replied, eying me sus-
~piciously.
That's all right, ma'am. I'm used
to that sort of thing
"As l said this ! stepped in, and, ad-
vancing to the fireplace, ! stopped as if
to light my pipe. but at the same time
it occurred to me that the chimney was
unusually thick in the back wall.
".Your old man isn't in?'
Lord. | hain't got no old man..
YOU'RE a widow, then?'
eS. SO 1uf as i KNOW. My oIu HAN
went off more'n ten years ago. Said
he were a-goin' to Texts, and | hain't
hearn a word from him from that day
to this.
Why did he leave?'
ION count of the revenue men. Ge
see, he used to make n little Ticker and
they found out about it, and he had to
sk..g e4t'