The Van Buren press., 1893-10-28
to the den, if we only knew how to

ssThep / rslated ull the circums'
stances. all the time casting about for
some solution of the mystery which !
became more and more convinced by
some vague intuition existed near BY.
A few steps from the road that led from
the woods to the cabin there was .
thicket that obstructed the rude track,
just below where it interested with
the rosd we were travelling. t1z
MACK. wait here q minute; there Is
NO harm in little investigation and
made my way down to the thicket- IN
which ! noticed an old door shnttcr II
ing negligently. half concealed by the
brambleA Making my way to it. |
can efulIy fitted it mp and to ny sur
prise found the mouth of cavern,
which, thongh narrow. showed signs OF
recent use- Calling to Mcdonald 70
fasten the horses and join me. we were
soon exploring the cave. A descent OF
. dozen steps brought rs to turn In
the cave and . rough door. gave 1t
kick, but there was no response except
hollow reverberation which indicated
. considerable apartment beyond
:. Get me rock and Ill break it in. :
called to Mcdonald. but just then !
vas startled BY shrek in the rear.
Don't kill him. Please don't kill
him. and down came the old woman ]
had seen at the cabin If you won't
kill him, Ill let you in
1--WE don't want to kill anybody /
r~ulsad sS<~ -, abnod
'sshe produced a rusty key, and un-
locked the door which grated roughly
against the rock Is it turned on its rude
wooden hinges
".Come up. Reuben; they've found it
ont. she cried. But no Reuben an
swered. oh. you've scarf him clean to
death. fur he weren't well nohow, and
she dived into the cave and we at her
heels A slight glimpse of smolder-
ing blaze guided Ms and we were soon
blundering among tubs and kegs, from
among which We dragged the body Of q
man
x-" Wake up, old man. and kindle ,
light said i.
Mister, Ill go. if you'll promise
not TO hurt me.
".No danger of that Come on
'sWcll. sir, he was the most forlorn
and abject specimen of q moonshiner
ever saw. He looked as IL he had not
seen the light in ten years, and thini
he hardly had. He had spent his day.
in the cave, since he pretended to leave
for Texas. venturing forth only at
night, and then with every possible pre-
caution.
'.The cave. partly natural and partly
artificial, extended as far as the GEN.
ter of the main highway. which ran
along the side of the bluff at that
point, and our men had ridden over it
unsuspectingly hundreds of times He
brought the water through covered
pipe from spring above the house.
and by cunningly contrived counter
pipe conveyed the smoke and steam to
and up the rear of that double Chin
ney. thus concealing every trace above.
Below he led the slops down a subter-
ranean ditch to q point where the little
brook descended into a wild and wood
ed glen broken by many cascades, SO
that no trace of it could be discovered
in that direction. The mouth of the
cave was so carefully concealed that in
hauling wood few sticks could be
thrown of, as if by accident, and car
ried down after dark, as were the raw
materials for the distillery. and in the
same manner the liquor could be taken
out in small kegs and carted away.
1T looked almost like shame To de-
stroy such a piece Of ingenuity, but of
course we did our duty. although the
old man fairly blubbered as he saw his
sstill' broken up. his kegs removed. his
tubs of mash overturned, and all his
ingenious safeguards exposed to the
gaze Of the world He was sent up for
five years, but he did not serve out his
time. The discovery and exposure, to-
gether with the enforced habits OF
prison life, proved the death of him."