The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-03-27
RAID ON MooNsHiNERs.
An Adventure With Illicit Distillers In the
Mountain Wilds of Kentucky.

RAID ON INCONSISTENCIES.
An Adventure With Illicit Distillers In the
Mountain Wilds of Kentucky.
The unknown informer proved to
be Bill Gritty, whom Bannon had
refused credit for whisky, says q
writer in the Boston Herald in tell
ing about raids on illicit distillers in
Kentucky.
The informer led the United States
deputy marshals up to Lots creek,
about three miles, and in a deep ra-
vine could be seen a huge dark OBJ
ject, which upon closer inspection
proved to be the distillery. Not a
ray of light issued from it, as it con-
tanned no windows. Gritty told them
the door was in the upper end of the
building, and thither the two officers
cautiously crept. They were both
armed with double barrel shotguns
loaded with buckshot. Gritty had
told them that Bannon kept several
mountain desperadoes on guard in
side the house at night, and that
during the daytime they were de-
ployed around~the building some
distance off. Accordingly the off,
GERS were prepared to take desperate
measures, and instead of knocking
for admittance they cooked both
barrels of their shotguns and at the
same instant made a lunge against
the door, which opened inward. It
few back as if struck by pile driver,
and in less time than it takes to tell
it the two men were standing in the
middle of the room, with their shot.
guns leveled on the seven moonshin'
ers, who were sitting around the fire
playing cards.
Hands up!' cried Marshal Drake
and like fash IA hands went into
the air. The prisoners we're. ther
disarmed, and while Marshal Drake
guarded them in one corner Of the
room. Deputy Cockrell proceeded tc
destroy the still and everything II
the establishment. Itwas big task
He had been correctly informed, fol
it was a 80 gallon still. It was full
of beer, and there was hot fire un
der it. In addition there were abou
200 gallons of mash in various stage
of fermentation, two or three doze1
sacks of meal and 1oor Is gallons O
whisky in jugs ready to be sold.
1t was nearly two hours befor'
Cockrell got through. Then the biz
copper still looked as if it had beer
run over by trolley car. It was Gu
to pieces with an ak, and the worn
that long coil of copper through
which the steam passes and is con
densed-was battered all out O
shape. The tubes containing tn
mash were knocked to pieces, tn,
whisky jugs were broken, and tn
meal scattered over the floor, SO tina
when Cockrell had finished jim
Bannon, who was conveniently alb
sent when the raid was made, woult
not have recognized his establish
ment had he put in his appearance
at that time.
Then Drake and Cockrell tool
their prisoners to Hazard, arriving
there about 1 o'clock in the morn
ing, and landed them in Jail. TIL
next night they took them to Jack
son, IS miles distant, arriving ii
time to catch the 5:30 train on tn
Lexington and Eastern railroad TO
Lexington. They arrived here a
$50 o'clock that morning, havin
; travelled 80 miles over a bride pat
through the mountains and 100 mile
by rail. I never saw moro tire
looking lot of men, and although tn
two officials had broken up wha
| was perhaps the largest moonshin
| distillery in the state they told abou
! it as modestly as schoolgirl woul
refer to her first beau.