The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-04
DOCS USED AS sENT1NELs.
How a Famous Moonshiner SO Long
Evaded Capture by Revenue Off,
From the St. Louis Republic.

bow q Famous mOOnSh1ner SO Long
Evaded Capture by Revenue Off,
ioers.
From the St. Louis Republic
The most noted mountaineer in West
Virginia, and perhaps in Kentucky and
North Carolina-Jim Day-has at last
been captured. The government officers
have been trying to arrest Day for over
fifteen years, but failed on every occa-
sion. Day, who is tall, muscular,
shrewd looking fellow, has been running
Illicit stills for over fifteen years. Du-
ring this time he had sometimes as many
as dozen stills running at one time. The
stills were located in the depths of the
primitive forests or in caves in the noun
tain sides, a long distance from roadways
and trails. The stills were always located
near some prominent height or at point
from which a guard or spy-con-
stautly on the alert-could overlook all
approaches and advise his companions OF
the vicinity of suspicious looking strang-
ers. In fifteen years only two of Days
stills have been captured and destroyed.
On each Of these occasions Day and his
men all made their escape. Time and
again revenue officers have attempted to
waylay and ambush Day. They found
roads and trails over which it was known
he would be forced to travel and they
then placed squads in ambush, but, al
though Day had been seen or traced
along the road, he always slipped through
their fingers without a scratch.
At last the secret of his success in
evading the officers became known. Day
had a number of thoroughbred dogs
which he had trained to scent out reve-
nue. officers or strangers and to notify him
of their presence long before they could
come in sight. When travelling over the
routes or trails leading to and from any
of his STILLS two of Days dogs always
trotted along in front several hundred
yards, taking opposite sides of the road
Two would fall back in the rear and one
would advance like scout on each side
In case of an ambuscade the dogs in front
would scent the presence of the deputy
marshals before they got within 100 yards
of them They would then return quickly
to their master and inform him by their
actions of the presence of the enemy. Day
would then take to the woods to the right
or left, with a dog in advance, and pass
around an ambuscade without being
seen. In case pursuers should
come up behind Days dogs, which
had been trailing along, would quickly
hear or scent them, and then would hurry
forward to their master, who, knowing
by their actions how close the enemy
was, could easily evade them. With
such guards it was almost useless for the
officers to attempt to capture Day. They
often gave up in the search in disgust, to
start out a month or two later reinvigor-
ated and encouraged by rumors or reports
of,spies, to fail again and again. Day
could be heard of in Mcdowell county one
day, and the next some one from Taswell,
in Virginia, fifty miles away, would re-
hot 1, hoH in
ton. He proved to be Gn ignis fatuus to
the officers. and although they could hear
of half dozen stills running in as many
L. aces in the officers in the entire fifteen
years were successful only in capturing
two of his stills.