The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-05-02
NIOONSHINE TRICKS.
How a Silver Dollar Was Transform
ed Into "A jug of whisky.
From the Chicago Times-Herald.


From the Chicago Times-H Herald.
Men with hats on the backs of their
heads were wolfng food from a free-lunch
counter in a tinseled Van Buren, street
resort, when suddenly one of the lean and
hungry savages, who seemed to have moth
ing real about him but a stomach and the
effrontery to fill 1t, began some wild tales
about moonshiners and moonshine whisky.
Then one of his listeners, a grizzled vet
eran in frosty tones Of contempt, said:
Talk about moonshine whisky! You
look like one better acquainted with bar
rel-house nectar. What do you know
about moonshiners? Your whiskered ia
bles would vex the dull ear of drowsy
man. This stuff you're giving us has moss
on ii. 1t belongs to the paleoZoic age.
Now, 1 have had some personal expert
ence with those crafty moonshiners in the
southwest and, with unanimous consent,
don't mind telling of a little adventure
in that line that is neither archaic nor de-
void of point"
A swift silence fell upon that vagrant
band. Explaining that he was a retired
locomotive engineer, the grizzled man con-
tinued:
II used to run an engine on slow train
that snaked its way around the hills and
through the valleys of Arkansas. 1t was
monotonous work for the train crew, bust
ness was slack, important stations were
far apart, and sometimes an overpowering
thirst came upon us when the weather was
hot and dry, but nothing stimulating was
to he had in the regular way during our
brief stop here and there in that lonely
country.
zone day as 1 was slowing up a little
while passing lonely spot at the begin
ming of a sharp curve that ran round a
big hill, l noticed gallon jug upon a fiat
stone, half concealed by a little green
bush, about thirty yards from the road
side. The sight of this jug struck me all
the more forcibly, because, aside from the
railroad ITSELF there was no other omen of
civilization or human progress in that VII
cinity, but / was also curious to learn
whether it contained molasses, mountain
dew or good old-fashioned spring water
or had been put there by some practical
joker merely to give us the feeling of
Tantalus when he was vainly trying to
quench his thirst. l put on the brakes
brought the train suddenly to a standstil
and jumped down to investigate. The Jug
was empty. But under it found a dirty
bit of paper containing this scrawl:
" Put dollar under this Jug give three
toots good and loud, run your train round
the curve out Of sight and wait till you
hear a rife shot, then back up here again
and maybe you'll find something to wet
your whistle
pldceu a SllNeT uolldT unuer the jug,
climbed back into the cab, and followed
the directions to the letter. had not been
round the curve five minutes before the
report Of a rifle rang out upon the air
sharp and piercing Promptly / reversed
and sent the train back to that solitary
scene and nothing seemed changed. The
jug was stll there. like the star-spangled
banner, serene and apparently undis-
turbed, but no living creature outside Of
the train was In sight Ny bright silver
dollar had mysteriously disappeared, and
the jug was fun to the neck OF the real old
stun. II was a feat of magic that Herr
mann could not have surpassed All the
crew had nip Of that moonshine whisky,
and we named the place where we mirac-
ulousy found II the Station OF the jug
Unlike other wonderful occurrences In his
tory. ] may add that this miracle OF
changing a silver dollar into a jug of
whisky was repeated on many future oc-
casions,"