The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1895-05-03

In parts OF the SOUTH confined almost
exclusively TO the mountains OF VIZ
ginia. Kentucky. Tennessee, the caro-
llnas. and Georgia. are the moon
sinners. who seem to derive their name
from manufacturing whisky by the
light Of the moon or a pine torch. This
moonshlne whisky may not have the
flavor and age Of some Of the favor
ite brands OF legal manufacturers. but
certainly a great deal Of n is very me
and shows that the distillerB In a small
way have learned something since the
war. At the close Of the war the av-
crage moonshine whisky was such as
TO make the strongest stomach quake
and the toughest throat to burn. not to
speak OF the strange after effects upon
the brain. In several secluded and de-
cidcdly hidden parts OF the mountains
moonshine dlstillerios have been In op-
Grafton ever since the making OF corn
whisky was forbidden by law at the
close Of the war It Is from these old,
well-cstnbllahed stills. undiscovered
yet by the revenue officers. that the
best article comes A few months ego
one OF these old distillcrica was BROKEN
up on the Pee Dee river. in Richmond
county. Virginia, where II had been IN
secret operation for thirty years some
OF the samples Of whisky found In the
place were pronounced by experts TO
be par excellent. There is a secret
understanding among the moonshiners
by which they inform each other OF
the presence OF the revenue officers
and 40 watchful are they that II Is very
dinicult TO capture them. In the In
terror counties OF Georgia II Is report
cd for making or selling moonshine
partly revived the old Ku-klux-Klan
By forming an oath-bOund organiza-
ton to protect the interests OF the "
llclt dlstillers. Il was FIRST known as
the Liquor Dealers union. but more
recently II has adopted the name OF the
Regulators. Originally II was formed
70 protect It's members from the rev
enuc officers and TO furnish bonds In
all cases where member was arrest
ed for making or selling moonshine
whisky. The organization spread and
increased rapidly, and with It's growth
new functions were considered neces-
sMy. II took the law into its own
hands In many instances. Not only
moonshincrs. but farmers. men OF ILL
repute. and all classes Joined the mod
ern Ku-Klux. The local feuds were
taken up by the organization and set
tied In very summary ways. Men and
even women nave been taken out OF
their beds at night time and whipped
nearly TO death. while several dellber-
ate murders OF men obnoxious to the
Regulators have occurred within the
last year or two. Every member that
betrays the secrets OF the organization
does 30 under penalty OF death.
In most cases the arreats made In
the south for violating the whisky law
are among those who are trying to sell
the Illicit liquor rather than the manu-
fncturers. II is much easier TO find
out who is selling the moonshine
whisky than TO hunt up the secret stills
among the mountains. Some OF the
courts are crowded with these cases for
n good part OF the year. when the gem
uine moonshiner himself IL arrested he
either furnishes bail or goes to jail and
ns soon as he IL released he returns to
his small home and starts up the still
again. II is almost impossible to make
many OF these illiterate moonshiners
regard II as an offonse 10 brew Illicit
whisky. and II is this moral turpltudc
that makes II such a prevalent crime
among them. In nearly all cases tho
moonshlners are white people and II is
extremely rare TO find colored man
engaged In the business.
The true character and illiterateness
of this class of people have been In
terestingly described In the novels OF
Charles Egbert Craddock. Very few
OF them can read or write and their
knowledge OF the outside world Is very
limited. Originally their ancestors
squatted on the small patches OF fer
tile soil among the mountains TO make
! bare living. for the rich alluvial
grounds on all the bottoms were taken
by the wealthy planters The noon
sinners of today live almost the same
as their ancestors, cultiyating small
patches OF guber peas (peanutsl. q
small ragged corn field. fair orchard
with few pigs. dogs, and COW run
ming around half wild. Their ances.
tors made all the whisky and brandy
they used out OF their surplus crop,
and the present occupants OF the soil
do the same. selling II whenever they
can nnd' purchaser, The Illicit dis
tllling is In most cases carried on In q
small way. Even the ordinary coffee,
pot has been used for years as tn,
worm,
The moonshiners are usually very
poor and are often put TO considerable,
trouble to make both ends meet wher
! their crops are poor, but they are no
beggars. They will go ragged, bare
! foot. and hungry before ever applying
for charity. In sense they feel tina
, they are shut of from the society OF tn
, outer world-the society OF the Villages
, and cities, They only come to the lat
, ter 10 sell whisky on the sly. to DUR
; chase goods, or as prisoners
A Child's Collection.
The child collector OF wlshbones. has
{, think, been distanced Please. grand
"a