The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1895-02-13
Down In a Deep iunne!
Hundreds of Dollars Worth
Of Whiskey is Found.
Columbia State, February 8.

years been making study OF lngen
ious methods to evade the United
States Revenue laws are simply not
in it with the South Carolina Dispen-
sary law evaders. But they are not
so liable to have their ingenuity out
done by "informers" as the Caroline
liquor man is. His way is hare
one. When he feels safe and secure,
down comes the constables, knowing
where to look for the lar Of the tiger,
and forsooth he is ousted.
Yesterday a lair was unearthed
right in the heart of Carolina's Capi.
tai, which was almost in the bowels
of the earth-a lair which rivals that
of North Carolina moonshiners, who
dived through a rivers waters to
reach the mouth Of their underground
distillery. 1t was way down under
the cellar Of the store of Messrs.
Platt, Hook & Shull. and the whole
construction of the underground
tunnel, particularly the manner Of
concealing the way of entrance, was
masterpiece of ingenuity. 1t is
safe to say that it would never have
been discovered had not some III
former needed the 20 cent gallon
reward offered by the State. As
result the owners of the liquor-whe.-
ever they are-have about $1,000
less than they had yesterday morn.
ing, for between 300 and 400 gallors
of good liquor was found and couf:-
Gated.
The search of the place was made
by Liquor Constables Speed Davis
and Beach, Trial Justice Constables
Cooper and Haltin, and Sergeant
Morehead and officer Sheppard and
Strickland of the police force They
swept down on the place in the fore
noon, and Mr.. Ed. Shull was SO
abusive, so Constable Speed says,
that he ordered him locked up in the
stationhouse Officer Sheppard took
him away.
The owners of the store refused to
allow the officers to 60 into the store,
but opened up the cellar. The
building is very long one, and the
cellar the officers were ushered into
runs only about half way At the
rear end was solid earth and plenty
of it. The officers knew what they
were doing, however, for they sent
for shovels and spades and began to
dig into the wall of earth After
digging forward about six feet, their
instruments stuck air and they soon
got into the rest cf the cellar They
went ia and searched all around.
On one side, next to the brick wall,
was what appeared to be the sold
foundation Of large chimney, run
ming on up througIi the building.
On this their attention centered.
Pretty soon they began to cut into
the brick, and in short time they
gazed through, and, by the Pickering
light of candle, they could see
that the chimney was false one
that inside a ladder ran upwards
and there was neat little bar with
all necessaries inside. They cut the
hole larger and got inside They
could see the bottom of an ingenious
trap door in the floor, which could
not be detected above, as it was cover
ed by shelving But the liquor had
not been found, and the real
ingenuity Of the hiding place was
yet to be seen. The constables look
ed around the inside walls Of .he
chimney, and towards the cute: wall
they finally discovered door about
four fee: high They broke this down
and stood at the mouth of large
tunnel running back into the "bowels
of the earth A man could almost
stand erect in the neatly constructed
tunnel Then the exploration of this
tunnel began The constabies went
on and on until they struck point
where the tunnel divided and
branched in opposite directions, and
then the liquor was in sight. There
was abou: forty feet of tunneling. and
the earth taken out Of it had been
used to make the false back to the
cellar. 1t took the constabes until
about p. m to get out all the liquor
stored in the tunnel And there vas
lots of it In all the constables esti-
mate they got nearly 400 gallons.
There we're % five gallon jugs. 20
FIVE gallon demijohns, 18 boxes,
formerly containing Octagon soap"
but found to contain 81 pint bottles
each !; and Is or 20 1--WE gallon kegs.
The liquor was all hauled to the
State Dispensary during the after
noon.-The State.
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