The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-02
LOTS OF MOONSHNE.
pLLlClT DISTILLING VERY ACTIVE
DOWN SOUTH NOW

70 Iurn Iheir crops Into Little Money.
How They Treat Informers When Caught.
The moonshine business in the noun
tains Of Georgia, Alabama and Tennes.
pee has taken fresh start, and the local
revenue agents. in viey Of lively times
ahead, have called for endorsements
TO help them in handing the situation.
Illicit distilling must be on the boom
around Waco, Ga. FOR the number of
stills raided and destroyed during the
past year far exceeds all other years in
this respect. Since Dec. last the greatest
number OF ortlts captured in that dis
Itrict in one month was 90 in Georgia
and A j. Alabama. These figures are
beyond ;ie general monthly average.
Ibut tf' y will serve to illustrate the fact
that ,Aere Is always plenty Of work on
hand for the revenue officers. Indeed,
The few stills raided and destroyed form
but q very small portion of the many
Ithat are in successful operation, hidden
away among the recesses of the noun
tains, secure from the prying eyes of in
formers and the onslaught Of revenue
Ioficers.
AS a rule the great majority Of these
Illicit contrivances are of the most prim-
Htive character, and generally Of small
capacity. Nearly every farm among the
mountains has a still secreted some
where, and should the proprietor be call
led upon to surrender his booze and go
10 Jail the usual explanation is that the
,moonshine is "for family use only"
} There are, however, many large stills
scattered all through this rough coun-
try, and once in awhile some Of these
big fellows get caught The largest
.moonshine still on record was captured
about a fortnight ago by Deputy Mar
ahal Thaxton of Polk county, who, with
10 posse, was engaged in making Sc.
1ies of raids all through that suspected
lro8ion. In this case the officials were
well prepared for an emergency, but
Aad no idea Of the warm reception that
awaited them. Guided by an informer.
they trailed their way up the mountain
side by the light Of the moon, and a
Faint glimmer in ravifIe far ahead in
dicated the location of the still. As they
drew nearer the fire grew brighter, and
q jolly crowd of men could be seen 60
ing about their work and talking among
themselves.
! At signal the posse, with drawn re-
,volvers. made dash for the spot, and
mo "jolly crowd" jumped Nor their
arms. A pitched battle followed, in
which more than ono ''shiner" was
oh hrf frh stat
anoe the whole outfit was captured,
marched Off to Jail, and its property
oonfscated.
II there is one thing moonshiner
hates worse than q snake, it is an in
former. Nothing is more detestable to
the clan than spy, and no mercy is
shown should one fall into its hands.
The Brotherhood Of Moonshiners is
somewhat similar to the old Kuklux
arrangement, for they will stand by
each other to the last. The moonshiners
really have no grievance against the
revenue officials and will rarely shoot
or even injure them, except in self de-
Tense, but an informer is their common
enemy, and woe TO one Of this class
should he ever be found out or even sus-
pected..
The revenue officers are allowed in
their bill OF expenses a certain sum Of
money to be paid the person giving in
formation regarding the location of
stills, but the cash is only handed over
after the still has been found. There
are individuals in every district looking
for this sort of job, and as promise is
always given by the officers never to
divulge the informer's name there are
plenty who undertake the work for the
bribe offered The treasury department
rate is $40 for each successful case Of
raiding, with an addition Of immunity
from arrest no matter how guilty the
party himself may be.
1t is dangerous for a stranger to be
seen wandering about the mountains
alone, let his mission be ever so inno-
cent. A pair of suspicious eyes are fol-
lowing every movement-perhaps a wo-
mans or achild's-and should anything
appear to these watchers TO be Of q ques
tionable nature rough clap on the
back and gruff whats yer doing in
these parts?" may be very difficult to
explain satisfactorily. A tenderfoot
hunter, after deer or quail, unless ac-
companied by local nimrod or some
other person we'll known to the clan,
had better stay at home or shoot his
game elsewhere. The "hunter" dodge
is one frequently employed by inform
ers and detectives, and consequently the
''shiners' axe always suspicious Of a
man with gun, unless he comes well
recommended.
In Haralson county, Ga., young
man of excellent character was ambush
ed by three desperate moonshiners not
long since, who spotted him as an in
FORMER. and it might have gone hard
with him had it not been for his rare
pluck and rapid work with his muscle.
Young Robertson is rustic athlete who
was written down in tine catalogue of
the moonshiners as a spy, and II plot
was laid TO make away with him on the