Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1894-04-19
Moonshiners in!Vermont,

sinner OF IheffOfu, was arrested Al
midnight Thursday night ana his
still was broken up.
Orange county has long been noted
as the home of Illicit distilIers, and
more raids have been made on moon
SINNERS in that county than in all the
rest of the State. Back among the
mountains, these people are type of
the Tennessee moonshiners portrayed
in Charles EgbeIt ,Craddock's stories
of the Tennessee mountains. Under
conditions in many respects similar to
those prevailing in Southern States
where moonshining flourishes, these
people live and manufacture liquor, To-
Gated in out-of-the-way places in this
sparsely settled and mountainous
country. With their few neighbors
bound to them by ties Of kinship or
completely, they carry on their opera
tions for years undiscovered and un-
molested.
About two years ago, the revenue
officers ran down and arrested the no
torious Darling Eastman of Corinth.
Eastman was king Of the moonshiners
and his arrest and imprisonment did
much toward stopping the illegal tIaf-
fic After Eastman's capture. llsley
was the acknowledged leader Of moon
shining operations in that section.
lie is "A man of much the same build
AS Eastman. Over six feet tall with
bushy red beard and tangled shock
Of hair, his feats Of strength were
talked Of for miles around.
After Eastman Is capture, llsley laid |
low; but Of late he has been operat- |
ing in holder way, and rumOrs Of |
his distillery came to Deputy Collect
or Weeks Of ST. Adams about two
weeks ago. After a careful investiga-
tion of the case, Deputy Collector
Weeks, United States Attorney J. II.
Senter of Montpelier, j. A. Boswell of
Acting Deputy United
States Marshal. and Deputy Sheriff
Manley of Sharon met there.
In teams the party drove over the
Wild and mountainous roads to STRAIT
ford village and from there to the
home of the moonshiner. who lives on
! side road Just in the edge of the
own of Thetford. The still was sup
losed to be located i'm an old deserted
rouse. a mile and a half from the
travelled home. At midnight. the
PARTY started for the deserted house
md, after a hard tramp over "a path
% rough that 10 traverse il in day
light would be no easy task, the house
vas reached. All was dark and still
,ut the peculiar odor Of the distillcry
ssured them that they were on the ,
light track. A knock at the door ,
harmed two dogs whose barking I,
Weakened llsley. who asked what !.
vas wanted. After some pal1eying, !;
e saw there was no chance to escape. :
; the officers were fully armed. 50 adj /;
nitted them to the house and con- ,
essed that he had manufactured a
title cider brandy for his own use.
.eaying llsley under guard, Collector /
Weeks and Attorney Senter began
aarch for the still. Ii took but few !
minutes to locate il in the cellar. 1t Z
"a copper still with doubler. /,
lock tin worm. about fifty feet long. J.
nd worm tub. twas the most COM
lete apparatus for distilling recently
aptured in the State. The still was
1und TO be bali full Of partially dis
He'd cider brandy. which was spilled. :,
nd tie apparatus was destroyed. In \
ne cellar were found Is casks Of cider !,
nj otherevidence that llsley had been :
ding wholesale business. Only !,
nall quantity Of brandy was found. !,
, llslcy had evidently disposed Of !,
rge amount the day before. y
The moonshiner was brought here
nj placed under 1000 bonds to ap- j
ear before the United States Court. !,
sley furnished bail and was released. :
e will be tried at the May term OF !,
'urt to be held in Windsor. After Il
IS release. ha admitted to the officers
Iat he had been distilling for over -
yenty Years. but claimed the liquor \
a. for his own use. Residents in i,
Iat neighborhood say that Ilsley :,
ade the best cider brandy manufac- =,
red in Orange county. =,
This is the first raid on an Illicit :.
i'll since Deputy Collector Forbes
n down Darling Eastman in 1891. Il
I'd is quite a feather in Deputy Col =,
,tor Weeks cap. -