The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-04-11

"Sit down. sah-sit down." said tia
grim-faced old man TO me as We were re-
turning TO his cabin after visit 10 the
Illicit still hidden away in the deep sno
dark ravne.
l sat down on a mound I'm little glade
In a laurel thcket, whale be seated
himself on a rock. and after we had filled
and lighted our pipes, he said.
THE guVments aSin as fur maxim
moOnshine whiskcy. but yo' kin see fur
yo'self how IL is. We kim raise con about
yere, but thars no market lhr n. IL We
turn II into whiskey. We KIN git some
money out o II, though ! never knoWed
a mOOnshiner TO make over a dollar
day in the best OF times. IT'S jest chang
IN about so We may live, but maxim
whiskey is against the law, and the guN-
ment hunts us down as III We has wolves.
All the whiskcy made fur twenty miles
around this spot wouldn't eel fur S-OD
and yit fifteen men hev been sent 20 State
prison, Il dozen mo kept in jail fur
months and months. and twenty fam les
bin put TO 1t to sell of everything 10
pay lawyers tell yo'. rs wuss nor yah
times with the guerrillas rdlH' about
and robbin' and KILN"
And there's no money in making
moonshne whisky / asked.
"No' see. it's this way he replied.
"Yo' hev TO pay cash fur "A still We
uns is pore folks around ysre, and i've OF
six men must jine together 20 buy. ia
also agin the law 10 sell the whiskey,
and We must let It 90 to traders fur
what they will pay. II must be totcd
over the mountings on our bucks. and by
the time tibet we've got shet Of ten aal-
Ions and divided up tho money. no man
has nun 10 buy pound o. coffee. II
the guyment was 10 let Us go ahead and
hev free swing. it would be clus work u
make a decent livin'.'
But you We're going TO tell me about
the revenue spies"
yes. they cum sneabin' round now
and then" ne slowly replied. THE last
time ] saw one was about var ago. 70
cum along purtendin 20 look FUR iron and
coal and ne stopped over "a Joe Rutleys
fur a hull week. He talked far nun,
and never once did he say anything about
mOOnshiners. but the boys susp-, hune
him and kept their eyes Omen. Tire
stranger would he out lookin' around al
day, but he wasn't artcr coal and iron.
No sab. That was all "A blind RE was
Jest tryin 10 locate our still, aud be- WAS
n brave man 10 cum un yrro among uT
when he knowed what The penalty would
be- He must hev travelled around "a
heap for n was six or seven days b.f1'
he hit IL right Joe Rutley f0lloreJ hin
fur two days and lInOwed he wasn't ar-
ter coal or iron"
"Then he knew YOU suspected him?l
asked
Reckon not. No. we never Ict on n
word or look NO' see. this ycr9 path r
the only way 10 cit down 90 our stu. aui
I'm that bresh heap over thar We hal e
man on the watch. or a Saturday. when
TO- OF ms war down thar an work .la
the stranger Ont lookin fur coal and
iron. sunthin' happened Tho spy found
this path whar 10 starts in by the rocks
and knowed that il Jed 20 game. The sore
tinel heard him cumn'. though he r17
on tip-t0e. and got ready FUR him AFTER
"A bit the Teller showed mp right yero
I'm this oponn'. aud be- looked this way
and that. and had a eunnin' smile on his
face YO' kin see that we had 90 cut
sum trees and trim of sum branches,
and as the ravine Is right down thar. n
was easy fur him 10 figcer it ort Dye
sec that mark on that chestnut
Eyes. plainly"
And th' scratch on that soft rock?"
eyes"
"Wall. he put 'cm both thar. with his
knife. SOS TO make sure when he cum
agin' Then he was ready 10 go. re
hadn't follered down into the ravine, but
he knew what was thar
"And so DE went away?'
Yes. his soul went away"
"YOu-you mean
but his body stayed right yere"
"You don't mean that he was g All
down. ! exclaimed as 7 rose NJ.
"Yo' are standin' right on his era CO.,
said The ola man as he Knocked N,
ashes from his pipe and led the way alcnc
the Dath.-Detroit Free Press.