The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1895-01-09
4 Reformed Outlaw.

mountains and the terror of the rev.
enue officials in Pickens and Oconee
counties, is in the city and is stopping
at the Darwin House, GAL King street.
Mr.. Redmond, as is we'll known, now
resides on his farm near Seneca, and
does good business in raising stock
and manufacturing lumber He is in
Charleston at present with shipment
of sheep and cattle, his own and
neighbor's from Oconee County.
The ex-moonshiner greeted a Re-
porter cordially last night, when call
ed on at the Darwin House, and said
that this was not the first time by
great many that Reporters had wanted
him to talk, and that he wasn't for
saying very much, and that he had
often sent them away faster than they
came. He is a fine looking man,
about six feet high, with high fore
head and wavy black hair. He wears
side whiskers and mustache and his
dark eyes fash with amusement or in
terest as memory calls forth some
scene. An impression prevails that
he is an old man, but far from it; he
is not yet forty.
After chatting while about his
place, the price of cattle and his in
teresting family, the Major was in
duoed to say something Of his old
life:
TT was but little more than boy
when I first made whiskey,' he said,
"and my first still was right close to
the wagon road-that was before the
revenue officers got up our way in
Oconee. We had heard about them
down around Columbia, but they hadn't
got further north much. Now as to
the making Of a little whiskey, Of
course the people in that section
couldn't see the harm in it. You see
corn grows easy enough on those side
hill farms, but getting it to market
is different matter. Very likely the
farm was in valley and the only exit
was a mountain patch. The corn
would have to be carried over the
mountain to road and a wagon pro-
badly hired to transportit. The value
was well eat up in expenses when it
reached a market as corn. But on
the other hand, turn ten bushels into
twenty gallons of whiskey and at a
dollar gallon the farmer would get
enough money to buy the little neces-
saries that he couldn't raise we'll.
I started my still and soon had a
good thing in it. If I say I made
good whiskey it is not to brag, for l
only made what I could guarantee,
and had no trouble in disposing of
it. After while the revenues began
coming about the section and natur-
ally as they moved up I moved my
still back until I was right in the
mountains. I don't know why it was,
but the officers located stills all around
me and each time they made seizure
1 would say to myself, well, I'll go
next, but still they couldn't come up
with me. Then they seemed to get
desperate and rewards were offered for
me; and, of course, I was willing then
to keep them on the hunt. l kept
right on making good whiskey and
never lacked a market for it. The
officers got on to my selling places and
would lay for me, but I didn't show
up when they we're around. l found
it best not to tell even my customers
exactly when to expect me, for some
how the date would leak out and a
gang of officers would be on hand. l
would say, expect me between the 10Th
and goth, and then come in quietly on
the 18th or 18th.
"The people in the country about
were very generally my friends, but
the offer of reward for my capture
was too much for some neighbors Of
mine, and one day while [ was out in
one of my fields, looking after my
hands, I heard voice say, Put up
your hands. I looked around aud not
forty yards off we're three neighbors
and some revenues with pistols and
Winchesters on me. hadn't wea-
pom of any kind and it was across a
hill and the river to my house. just
walked away from them, up the hill,
they peppering away, but never touch
ing me, nor did they move up on me.
It was pretty hot walk and l confess
that when bullet cut branch just
over my head and covered me with
chips and trash I was SO mad 1 turned
and cussed them. I couldn't help it..
Over the other side of the hill I hur-
ried and got my gun and came back,
but my neighbors had decided then
that they didn't want to capture me
after all and left. And they missed a
crop that season, too, for they thought
the neighborhood unhealthy and didn't
come back for good while.
"There was one in the party, how
ever, that asked me to forgive him
and when he owned up to being in the
wrong I gave him my hand. 1t was
some time afterwards, Of course. He
was one of my best friends after that
and would have done anything for
me.
IT don't like to talk about my cap
turo ond oil that Tn fact 7 never do.