The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-01-12
NANCY, THE MOONSHINER.
A NEW JERSEY wOMAN'S SUCCESS
AS AN ILLICIT DIsTILLER.

ADpIe-JaclS Manufactured In n Well
Hidden Cave-The Apples Secured
at Night From NeighbOring Or
chards-A Revenue Agents Work.
New Jersey Letter to st. Louis Globe
Democrat.
This has been one of the biggest years
for apple-jacls that New Jersey has ever
known, and that means a good deal, for
New Jersey probably turns out more Of
that beverage than any other state in the
union, and the residents drink IL with the
same freedom and gusto that New Eng
land rum was swallowed by the natives
of the eastern states three-quarters of
century ago.
Everybody in the back country drinks
apple-jack, from the father down TO the
child. and, strange as it may seem, there
is rarely a case of drunkenness among
them Apple-jack is called Jersey light
ming by outsiders, presumably because of
the heat 1t posses, and which is mani
tested by burning sensation that follows
a drink into the stomach, but when the
beverage gets the proper age. it becomes
very oily and Smooth" and, being the
pure, unadulterated juice of apples it
lacks those unhealthy stomach-destroy-
ing qualities peculiar to some of the IL
quors showed across bars to drinkers in
the hotels and saloons, east and west.
About this time of year, a man who
wants to lay in a stock of apple whisky
for the purpose of selling or manufacttIr-
ing hot sings for his own delectation. can
buy all he wants for from 81 to s.. % a gal
Ion, provided he takes this years make
As 1t grows old, the price increases until
it reaches the 80 gallon notch. This fig
ure buys the best apple-Jack procurable,
and that means a mighty fine article that
Will cheer the soul and never rise to a
man head with sufficient force to make
him feel as If it was about to burst open
Regular apple-jack distillers are willing
TO pay for the privilege of making it to
the revenue officers, but there are hun
dreds OF men who, by means of an iron
kettle, copper worm and barrel of cold
water, make enough Of the liquor to sup
ply themselves and their neighbors with
out being found out by the revenue Of
ticers. A good deal of this sort of work
IS done under ground; not in cellars, for
that would be impossible without detec-
ton, but in caves, the entrance to which
is always very cleverly concealed
Occasionally the 'moonshiners" are
found out and brought to justice but
they do not always surrender tamely,
and there are records in Warren and
Hunterdon counties of some pretty sharp
and desperate scrimmages between secret
distillers of applejack and revenue OH
GERS.
Ten years ago the suspicion of govern
the effect that somebody in Warren coun-
ty was doing "moonshine" business
on wholesale SCALE For several weeks
they hunted the ground over without
running down their game, and finally
they were convinced that the still was
not far away.
Suspicion was anally fixed on a woman
known as Crazy Nancy" who lived
among the hills that lie along the Lake
Pequest river. Nancy was a mystery to
everybody in that district. Nobody SEEM
II l. 4rF,r. erfa.
they had no knowledge of her real name.
She was a simple-acting creature, COM
ing to the various towns in the eastern
and southeastern part Of Warren county
frequently In the summer she sold ber-
res, and in the winter she trapped and
shot fur animals and all sorts of game
that was marketable.
She always had money in plenty, and
what seemed very strange was the fact
that, while the woman appeared to be &c
centric and of a light weight mentally
she could drive a bargain with all the
shrewdness of a trained financier.
Nancy had lived in the Pequest River
country three years when the suspicion
against her arose and it was materially
strengthened by the habit she had of
each winter dropping out Of sight COM
pletely for period OF six weeks, when
She would suddenly reappear in her usual
haunts.
Al government detective was detailed
to keep his eye on Nancy and he did it
for two months, during which time he
was employed as a farm hand by a man
who lived about two miles from Nancys
headquarters, which was plain build
ing Of boards that stood against the face
of the bluff that had been dug away to
make it perpendicular.
Originally this building was barn and
il had been built in this sheltered local.
ity to protect sheep from the cold winds
and storms in winter. The owner had
gone out Of the sheepraising business and
had leased the building for song 10
Nancy, who finally bought II, including
two acres of ground which took in part
Of the hill It was a lonely neighborhood,