The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-07-02
W HITE CAPS CONVICTED.
A BIT OF LIFE AMONG THE kLA-
BAM4 MOONSHINERS.
An Aggravated c.,e OF white Cap Ven.

An Aggravated Case or white Cap Ven
ecnnce-Engii.h rs She IL spoke In Thes,
Monntnin.-Thou Shalt Not Bear An,
| Sort of Witness Against Thy Neighbor
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. July lit took the jury
just ten minutes to decide the case OF the
United States agt Bud Parker and the five
other Clebourn county White Cappers. they
having brought In a verdict Of guilty this af.
ternoon. The Indictment charges the accused
with intimidating United States Witnesses
Tho defendants we're Illicit dstillers.
One OF the widest sections of country in this
State is where Clebourn county meets North
TalledeGa. 1t is a rugged. mountainous SEQ.
ton. fitted for nothing but bear hunting and
illicit distilling. The jewellers in the noun
tains are almost ~ ignorant as tho wild ami
mails they live among.
Their houses are log affairs almost invari-
ably Of one room. and in this room frequently
sleep and live ten or twelve people. They are
n hospitable lot. and neighbor or stranger Ia
always welcome to a bed in the room with the
| family. None Of them can read. They do not
| know when Sunday comes. and preacher
does not get into the eiehborhood moro tina
| once or twice q year.
1t Is seldom that family have any neigh
bors nearer than two or three miles. The
people live almost entirely on the profits de-
rived from making whiskey in violation Of the
| United Statos revenue laws. The cunning
| they show in concealing these stills" is re-
markable. and, although the revenue officers
have for years been trying 20 break up their
places. they have prospered all the same
The worst crime that can DO committed. in
| the estimation OF the mountaineers. is to i'm
part Information to the revenue officers. and
| whenever a mountaneer "squeals" 1t Is in
| order that he should prepare to die without
dalav Thar splIpn, eunaal Thav
not only know that 1t is al most certain death.
| but they have con scientious scruples about 1t.
The first thing the children are taught Is that
It is a crime to squeal.
Another very heinous crime is to testify
against neiehbor Death is usually the pen
atty for this also A moonshiner considers 1t
his bounden duty to punish such offenders.
Tho informant has no friends The United
States authorities employ every means to catch
and convict these men. but they swear for each
other and conviction Is almost impossible.
| White Cotton. o poor ignorant mountaineer.
about 50 years Of age. lives on the mountain
side. seven eight miles from the little town
OF Shinbo. together with his wife. 49, year
old son. Martin Cotton. and little son Of 4
years. Reuben Cotton. Their nearest neigh
bors live several miles away On the night Of
Jan. ~ last, Just after heavy snow. the Cotton
family. as is their custom. retired about g
o'clock. There was only one room in the
house. In which Of course they all slept. About
IL o'clock in the night the family were aroused
by loud noise. Both doors to the house were
hammered in and several guns were fred off
throu ILL., the T'1rs Immediately the room
Mas s w St men as armed with guns and
Two Of tho men eollared Martin Cotton. the
the woods some 0 distance from the house,
most naked condition in which he had been
n n
neck and held a gun over him. while the others
bent him m, unmerci'py , with switches and
t ssKS tent 1eI drew blood at every cut and
1Yeessfiii nSt !Hsnt to ride around with rove-
:, After they had almost beaten the life out Of
st ssy T his XIII % Tss sf IL the
same time and only a hundred icet apart IN
house ono of them srabbed her BY tho
put Of the door. the siil Of which was i've feet
IRON TIE 1 srGpnd Her back struck rock iHst
sssaiant. VII Whom She ID entities MS LORENZO
Phillips. then dragged her behind the
fho ma she Y t5 her. S
tss:d and %hps Sss h%s
hoas. hen Ssik asS
eins Diteously ior f hIs ' nSthor: TSs iSssisa
ing up the crockery the clock. and other
thinGs they could destroy turned to 60. When
hsd deSs III as
Ing effect in her left leg lust below the knee.
Alter few more shots On tho outside the party
Mrs. Cotton was left 10 a ptiable condition.
RoSd va flowing S d her leg IL stream r.,
FAINT son and the lffian had given her to un-
derstand that her husband and other son had
ground was covered with snow. and the near
est neighbors lived several miles away. Her |
pain was agonizinG. and she resigned herself |
In about two hours. however, her son Martin |
they stopped the i flow Of blood PARTIALLY Until
n physician was secured on the following day |
and the limb amputated
was alive with the news Of the White Cap whip
soon al. tho Cotton House. The Cottons were
their masks. Bud Parker. whom they identi;
ned as the Leader Of the gang: Is a typical
feet and several inches high. as strong as
BULL as ignorant as calf and as shrewd as
Bud Gilley 10 tough looking fellow. ,proba,
bly, ten or fifteen years younger. Ed and
Turner Banjstor ., ere two younger men r not
and Lorenzo Phillips are about 25 years old.
Those six men. together with Charley and
Mute Banister. were recognized ny the Cot
tons. Six Of them were captured the next day,
four Of them being together. Charles and
Mute Banister have not bcen caught.
The grievance against the Cottons and the
sole cause of tho midnight outrage WAS that
Martin Cotton. the boy had testified against
some OF the men in n whiskey case
The evidence In the trial before Judge Bruce
was substantially as / have here reported as
far as the prosecution was concerned. Tho
defendants tried to prove alibs by each other
favor, however was very weak.
The trial consumed almost two weeks
or thirty witnesses We're ex-
amined. They were such an ignorant set that
the District Attorney had to employ man
who had lived among them and knew their
habits and language as an Interpreter.
Here is a sample Of the testimony;
Use started at err hour by light / WIS gofn'
settin' sun-wards west. Hit mought ter bin
sr mile ter Cottons, hit m2ught ter bin md
even. Hern they he'd Gilley excused t, er bein'
nd tote err whippln'. Glley hed no chicks er
ducks. only er cattle tcow." This is verbatim