The morning times., 1897-01-24
ILLICIT WHISKY STILLS
How the Mountain Dew Is Made
by the Rangers.
KENTUCKY STATE HAS MANY
The Process Is SimpIe-They Ara
Not "a Dangerous Set of Men. But
Think 1t Their Right 10 Make ths
Subtitle MOonshiners Buy thS
Stills.

Stills.
In the Shelby county jail there are at
present number of -mooashiners," as
the men convicted by the Federal court
of Illicit diStilIing are called A reporter
got one OF those prisoners 10 tell Just now
''moOnshine" is made II anyone wishes
70 follow the directions, he should renem-
ber that there is room at the iaa for him,
and that Uncle sam marshal aad district
attorney have plenty or time To attend
TO his case.
Those VINO know by actual experience
how the mUonshiner Ma Ses his mountain
dew'' are IOath To tell how It is done.
They reason, and not without good sense,
that IT is a dangerous secret. and there
fore it is a matter Of some difficulty 20
persuade one 10 tell his secret. The moon
sinner knows that the very minute he starts
brew, that minute ne is a criminal IN the
eyes Of the law His individual views as 70
the criTainality OF his act do not at all
coincide with the law on tine subject, how
ever The noonshiner believes that he
has as much right 10 convert his corn into
whisky as the gardner mas u make sauce
out OF his tomatoes, or the grape grower
20 dtstill the juice Of his fruit into wine
That is the way he looks at the crime OF
Illicit d;Stilling. All the laws ca mot change
his view OF the matter He ina zines that
the government has a particular spite U
vent gaiust hinI and therefore ne regards.
civilized man as his ruthless enemy. He
holds the officer, whose sworn duty il is
to enforce the law, in as much odiun as
society entertains for the mocnshiaer. He
viii stubbornly insist that he is more
sinned against than shining
The mOonshiners OF this country have
been unjustly compared tC tie smuggIerI
VINO infest the mountain Regions Df Europe
and traffic in contrabaud commodities and
articles. As a rule, they are not as des
pcrate lot as they are painted. SOmS
have slain 10 protect themselves from what
they deem unjust and outrageous laws,
but that is done by u,cn IN other walks
OF life, and such are not deaoIainated des-
peradoes. But this is DEPRESSING from tue
subject. How is mountain dew made?
Tie idea Of the average person whose
environments in life have been sucn -
would afford No Opp"TtuuitIc~ for cleaning
the secret Of the mooushiner would take
in some fine chemical process that could
not have originated in any hut college
professors mind. and YET TIE way in which
the rugged nicVnsnLner makes his dew"
does not include anything that the col
lege student encountered ID lis study of
chemistry, from purely practical point
OF view
The process Is simple The uioonsEiner
sends his Coru To- n.II 70 have u ground
It is converted into meal, the same as IS
used % make corn bread This meal is put
in tub or barrel Of boiling water. IN TINS
way it is cooked. Ii sits until il is cCOI
eLough to burn the hands WHEN they are
put in it, 1t IS stirred up Wei and then
put ia the still The still is then filled
with cold water. After thar the ait is
added Malt is made 10y putting orn IN
water audletting it oak twoor three DAYS,
or until it sprouts lThen it IS u.aItedl
TIE malt rs ground th, same O. the corn is,
and 10 every 5uShd of corn Is added SIX
teen single handfuIs or maI- The malt
and the old water are added al the same
time Then the brew stands until it sours,
which requires several days III that time
1t begins TO work or fern -tnt
4 crust or cap, as it is called by mon
sinners, or bran forms on the Top Of tne
]
not disturbed ar all In a short tilae tLis
cap settles to the bottom where it came
from. The weight OF the SoI5dified mass
of bran or husks causes IL 10 sink. The
IRE is then started under the stiII, and
1t is only matter of two or three hours
until about two gallons OF whisky have
been distilled. The HooHshiHer then mas
two gallons OF dew which ne can sell
for from 50 to So. as the needs Of the
purchaser may justify, and he has con
sumeG SIX days and a buSnel OF corn in
making it. Thus one busheI OF corn Yields
two gallons OF whisky, which may bring
in the mOonshiners' market from 81 70
SO. About thirty gallons OF water are
used TO brew one busheI OF corn.
''Do omooushinerS buy or make the stiIs?''
asked the reporter.
They are bought, he answered though
l have known OF people maklnG Their
stills. \ STILL lie continued. noting the
inquisiuye look IN the faces of MS listen
ers, lis large copper kettle-sHaped like j
cisteru- Trey hold from fifty TO sixty gal
Ions over the neck Of the SJiH cap fits
tie same as one joint of sUovepipc fits
over another. From the ton OF this cap
an arm run out about ten inches long. To
this arm is attached the worm. Well the
worm is a coil of pipe about sixteen feet
long. 1t is through this that the evapUra-
ton Of the steam from the StH passes.
The worm is coiIed IN the flake sand,
which is filled with water for the pur-
pose OF keeping the worm cool II the
worm was not thus cooled no evapora-
| tiop would take place, or at least not
immediately. Tie other enc Of the worm
runs out OF the flake stand into the mouth
of a funnel which is placed in the keg
or jug that catches the run. From the
time the fire was started under the sun
until the brew is finished has consumed
about two hO1rs.'
Tie whisky made by the moonShiners Is
pronounced the very best made when is
has little of age on it. They do NOT
color it, but sell it Just as it comes out
Of the still It is then as clear as water
Never FOrgave Old Hannibal.
When Hannibal Hamlin was speaker Of
| the Maine house of rePrcscutatives-aw
| back III the fOrties-thsre was in that body
| a certain gentleman " hose hair was yPrv