Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-09-28
IN A TIGHT PLACE.
4 Deputy Marshal Who Was Trying to
Do Ills Duty.

The deputy marshal had been telling The
Star writer a few of his trials and tribu-
lations in quest of the elusive moonshiner
in the West Virginia mountains.
What Vas the tightest place you ever
Sot into?" inquired the writer with a thirst
for the thrilling.
The marshal scratched his head a mo-
ment.
There have been several which it would
be pretty hard to decide between" he said.
but one that happened to me about five
years ago was the one that seems to sug-
sest itself strongest just now"
That's the one / want" commanded
The writer, and the marshal obeyed.
L had gone out one night" he pro-
ceeded, with six men after a still we had
got onto the trail of, and which We knew
was run by two fellows who made some
pretense of being right decent citizens,
though they had regulations of being bad
men under sufficient prcvocatiou. We
worked along through the woods very
slowly, for it was dark, and the darker it
was the better the moonshiners liked it
and after a time We flushed our still, hut
irstead of two men being there there were
a Dozen and they made it so hot for US
that We had to cut and run for it. Nat
urally We couldn't keep together. and it
wasn't long till 1 was by myself, and it
seemed to ME the whole gang was on my
trail.
Il knew what it meant for my health IL
they caught me and did my level best to
prevent such result. They knew the
woods, though, and l didn't, and they gain
ed on me in a way that was not pleasant
10 my feelings. At last they were run
ming me so close that 1 concluded TO go up
a tree, and i went up it at forty miles an
hour. L was so near them that they could
hear me breaking through the thickets as
L could hear them, and when / stopped
breaking through, they concluded that
had either lain down fiat in the bushes or
was up tree and they began going for the
trees, aiding themselves by burning pine
Knots. My tree was a thick one though,
and felt that had a fighting chance until
heard a noise above me. and looking up I
saw pair of glaring eyes that looked as
big as saucers to me.
What they belong I'd to 1 couldn't tell, but
it wasn't long till could make out the Zig
ure OF wildcat or catamount that looked
as big as a cow, with all her hair brushed
the wrong way. In minute more 1 expect
ed to have fight in the tree even worse
than the fight that was waiting for me be-
low, but l held my breath and waited for
mad moonShiner there wasn't much differ
ence, but just then took chances on the
cat, with halfway notion that my posse
might round up and come back to help me.
Whatever l thought, the cat made up its
mind for action and began growing and
splitting just as monnshiner passed below
Il think he must have jumped dozen feet
into the air as the cat screeched, and the
liz
There were only three instead of three hun
dred. as l fancied while they were chasing
ME, and they began at once to prospect up
the tree, the cat in the meantime keeping
its eyes on me and getting ready to spring, /
was sure About this time one of the men
below caught the shine of its eyes with his
pine-knot blaze and the next instant he
banged away at it. / guess it must have
been luck; l don't know what else it was,
but just as it rose to light on me the bullet
took it somewhere in the head and it whirl-
ed clean over ME and hit the ground with a
thud that was not at all sickening to me.
Then the moonsEiners forgot all about me
for the moment and We're gloryng over the
dead cat, but 1t was only for a moment for
the shot had given my men pointer. and
in few minutes they We're banging away
at the moonshiners. who went flying through
the thickets, and l came down off of my
perch SO CLnerved that l couldn't stand on
my feet, and We didn't catch a moonshiner,
though l captured the skin of the deserted
cat my right"