The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-02-13
CRIMES FAIR DECEIT
Ingenuity Known to None so Well
as to the Law Evader.
LAIR CITED In CAROLINA'S CAPITAL.
In the Heart Of Columbia, the Seat Of tao
Dispepsary, an Underground Saloon,
of the Most Remarkable Con-
cealment, Is Unearthed.

COLUMBIA, s. c., February e.-Slick
moonshiners who have for years been
making study of ingenious methods
to evade the United States revenue
laws are not in it with the South Caro-
lima dispensary law evaders-
A lair was unearthed yesterday Ia
the heart of Cardinals capital, which
was almost in the bowels of the earth,
lair which rivals that Of the North
Carolina moonshiners who dlved
through rivers waters to reach the
mouth Of their underground distillery.
It was way down under the cellar Of
the grocery store Of Messrs. Platt,
Hook & Shull, and the whole construc-
tion of the underground tunnel, partic-
ularly the manner of concealing the
way Of entrance, was the acme OF
ingenuity. About 81, 800 worth Of liquor
was bagged, for between SOC and 400
gallons of good liquor were confscated.
Down Into the Bowels of tae Earth.
The search of the place was made by
the liquor constablcs and police. The
owners of the store refused to allow the
officers to 20 into the store, but opened
up the cellar. The building is very
long one and the eellar-way the officers
were ushered into ran only half way.
At the rear end was solid earth. The
officers knew what they were doing,
however, for they sent for shovels and
spade and began to dig into the wall Of
earth. After digging forward about
six feet their instruments struck air
and they soon got into the rest OF the
cellar. They went in and searched all
around. On one side next the brick
wall was what appeared to be the solid
foundation of q large chimney, run
ming on up through the building. On
this their attention eenteYsd. Pretty
soon they began TO eut into the brick,
and in short time they gazed through
and by the flickering light Of candle
they could see that the chimney was a
false one, that inside ladder ran up
wards and there was neat Httle bar
with all necessaries inside. They eut
the hole larger and got inside.
The sus.e1ranean Ear Cneazthed.
They saw the bottom Of an ingenious
trap door in the floor above, which
could not be detected above as it was
covered by shelving. But the liquor
had zot yet been found and the real
ingenuity OF the hiding place was yet
to be seen. The eonseables looked
around the inside walls Of the chimney
and towards the outer wall they finally
discovered door at the Houth Of
long dark tunnel running back into
the bowels of the earth" 4 nen
could almost stand erect IN the neatly
constructed tunnel. Then the exIAora-
ton of this tunnel began. The eensta-
bles wont ca and on until they struck
8 point where she tunnel divided and
brenchea in opposite directions and
then the liquor was "a sight There
was about forty feet Of tuIreaing and
Che earth taken out of It had been ussd
to make the False back 10 She eellar.
1t took the eonstables several laoars to
get all the liquor stored IA the tunnel
out. And there was lots Of It, IA al
the eenstables estimate they got nearly
four hundred gallons