The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-09-21
WHISKY IN THE LOGS.
The Ingenious Device of a Woman
Who Long Bafled the ohcers.

the Indian Territory is very pointed in its
prohibition. and provides heavy penalties
for its violation. The enactment is not
only federal, but tribal brt like most
tribal laws, this one was better observed
in the breach than in Enforcement. Not
so. however, with the federal court, as
the marshals were very diligent IN hunt
ing down offenders, and the court was
not slow in dealing out punishment to
those who deserved il. Judge Parker of
the western district of Arkansas, holding
court at Fort Smith, Ark, which court
at one time held Jurisdiction over the en-
tire Indian Territory, was very emphatic
in his charge to the jury concerning this
crime. which he stated was the cause and
root of at least IS per cent. of all other
crime. His sentence against old offend
ers often ran to the extreme penalty of
five years in the penitentiary at hard
! labor
Notwithstanding the numerous arrests
and convictions, the Illicit tratic showed
buJ little abatement, because the profits
we're enormous and sales easily made.
Rectitied goods bought at 81 per gallon
would readily sell at 81 per pint, and as it
was but a short distance from the source
of supply to the place of demand, the
profits were such as to make violators
willing to take the risk.
could think of was concocted to hide
| large quantities in the interior. Barrels
of cheap whisky would be buried in tur-
nip patches and the ground sown with
seed that soon covered every Vestlge of
the burial Quart syringes with long
| tubes were the mediums used to extract
| the LIQUOR This tube fitted in a rubber
/ one that was affixed to a hole in the head
of the barrel, when by drawing back the
rod the quart was drawn, to be again
| injected into Jug or BOTTLE This barrel
| was never approached the same way or
| by more than one person, so as not to
! leave any paths. The vigilance of the
| deputies, however, kept pace with the
| ingenuity of the outlaw, and it was only
! question of time when the latter was
| transported to the pen.
! But there was one joint located about
| ten miles northwest of MuScogee that de-
! fed the efforts of the officers to procure
| sufficient evidence to convict. The joint
was plain log house, situated near
small creek, but on the open prairie, and
was kept by two women OF dlsreputao BILE
| character. The leader of the two was a
/ woman named Cunningham, a large,
very feshy person, with d wicked, sen
| sual-loOking face, that held two small,
| keen black eyes. This woman was white.
! Her companion, who went by the name
of Annie, was a small, slender Indian
woman, completely under the control Of
the white woman.
Deputy after deputy went to the house
| and searched it thoroughly. They exam
ined the ground for the planted barrels,
| they dragged the creek for sunken vessels
| of liquor, but they found nothing The
Cunningham woman protested against
these visits, and was very yoluble in her
denials concerning the keeping or selling
| of liquors. After the search she would guy
i EaF~l
turned crestfallen indeed. The joint
seemed to get worse and whisky got to be
very plenty; but there is a free masonry
among the buyers ana sellers of whisky
in the Indian Territory, aud all the
schemes among the officers to send men
there to buy whisky miscarried. The
woman would have nothing to do with
strangers, but cursed and reviled them
| for even asking her to sell them liquor,
denying any knowledge of the whole af-
fair. Yet there was not the least doubt
that she sold large quantities.
1t was on beautiful May day in the
| year 1881 that Chief Deputy Huntington
of the Fort Worth court rode out of Mus
cogee accompanied by Deputy Sam Six
killer, one of the best and bravest officers
tina: ever rode the Indian country. The
prairie was beautiful to the eye, with its
carpet of green, and redolent with the
odor of wild flowers, but the scenery had
no place in the minds of these two men
whose horses were headed toward the log
house on the prairie, whose inmates had
! Outgeneraled the officers for years. The
Two veterans called up every scheme that
experience had taught them, but they
could not think of one that had been left
untried A two hours ride brought the
officers to a cabin built of very heavy
logs, and the two could not help
but notice how deep and plain were
the paths that led to the abode.
Alighting from their horses the two
deputies entered the cabin, and were
met by the Cunningham woman, and
arose from her chair and turned to greet
them. "Well, amt you fellows tired of
Fostering poor widder7 If you amt,
am God Almighty tired of hit, and you'd
both better git outen here" During all
this time the Indian woman sat still,
never even turning her head to see the
causes Of this commotion. She was evil
IDENTIFY used TO it.
Chief Huntington replied Madam, we
know you do sell whisky, and we have the
proper papers for the purpose, and we
propose to find where this whisky is
"Wen, 1 amt ever had drop of liquor
in this house. and your men have searched
here enough to find that out goodness
knows but maybe you be smart enough
to find what never wuz er isn't, so crack
! yer whip
And search the two officers did-up the
chimney and down the chimney, under,
over, and in the bed; in the trunks, stove,
under and over the house, the woman
jeering them all the while to find what
isn't" For three long hours they
searched around the house and down the
creek. and then Sixkiller remarked:
well, it beats me; what do you Jhink2''
His companion replied II am badly
ratified Six, but that whisky is here
somewhere, and don't let's give it up.
Say, Six" as thought flashed on his
mind, 1--WE have not searched that cabin
yet"
why not2 We have turned it wrong
side out, and a pin could not have been
hid there but we would have found it,
replied the Indian.
Yes; but Six, now about the logs2"
The two went back, Sixkiller taking the
outside and Huntingdon the inside, begin
ming on the north side. The hammer on
the inside and the ak on the outside for
awhile showed nothing different from
other log houses. but Just as the two
reached the southeast corner the officer
inside notice a lot Of calico dresses hang
ing on a nail. These he removed, and his
eye discovered what appeared to be lit
tie plug or chip on the seventh log from
the floor. Hitting this log from the in
side, it gave a peculiar metallic sound.
He then pred away the chip and found
that IL was mOrtised in and the work