The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-12-15
OLD IIARNE LINCOLN.
.itiuHu .JOnriiui.


mountains. and man on whose trail
tho deputy aud deputy collectors and
deputy marshals have been camping
for many moons. came in and surrcn-
icrcd himself voluntarily to the Fed
cral Court few days ago lie had
been dodgine the officers sent in search
nf him for years. and his appearance
in Court was a very startling and un-
expected event. He had no excuse to
offer. but simply told the Judge he
WIS done with moonshining, and that
if he was granted amnesty for his past
misconduct he would never violate
the revenue laws again.
The Court, knowing that The "ord
o. one Of these moonshincrs is con
sdcrcd sacred and inviolabIc once it
i given, was disposed to be lcnient
with Lincoln, and he was dismissed
with the admonition to beware Of how
lie conducted himself in the future.
Il have heard such good reports Of
You as a man. Il ncighbor and Il citi-
zcn. Lincoln. remarked the Judge,
that Am inclined to be lcnicnt with
you. The fact that you have volun
tarily surrendered is in your favor,
and knowing in what light you people
up there look upon illicit distllling ain
constrained to believe that aside from
making contraband liquor you have
led an honest life aud have been a
good citizen. But remember, if you
are caught in the business Of manu-
featuring liquor again without having
obtained a license, / shall not be light
on you but will impose the heaviest
penalty in my power.
"Thankcc," said old Harve with a
bow, "you needn't be oneasy bout my
maxim any more contraban'. I'm
done wi moonshinin' forevcrl I've
j'incd the Baptis' Church and I'm
gwinc to live Chrischun life the bal
ancc O my term. Alter sich spcr-
uncc as I've bin thro' | don't think
that I'll ever want to look at another
still"
Knowing that there must have been
wcighty reasons for his resolve the
writer waylaid old liarvc in the cor
ridor and asked him why it was that
he had decided to reform all of n sud
den.
We'll, sir, hit 3 long tale to tell
an' hits one. that II make yer har rise
to listen to. Me an Bud Braswell
had put up the purtics' little still We
ever seed in notch o Fort mount'n
nigh the top, an hit wus 80 sitiwated
that(ke could sec anybody fer mo-
than mile comm f'om any direction,
On one side tho mount drapped
down bout seven hundred foot inter
the valley below. ,'xn' fly could hard
~ crope up "a 1e side, hit wus SO n=.ly
steep. ~
N}n t'other side wus level on top
Q The mount'n an there wus only ono
: way TO git 20 the top, an That WIS
mighty roundabout, so that one Nv US
could hide in bunch O. laurel bushes
at the edge O. the fiat an watch every
road that led to the foot O the
mount'n, an had clean sweep q the
trail that led un thro' tho hemlocka
an pine saplin's, while t'other wus
tcndin' to the still in the ravine on the
yan side O the Mount'n.
''We knowed that them ere reve-
nue. fellcrs wus jus nat'ly itchin' to
kctch us, an we had ter be mighty
keerful bout putin up tic still,
which wus made out'n big wash
b'ilcr, toopler gum cap an sever'l
gun bar'ls fascnd together fer the
worm. Their wus little spring whut
trickled out n the rocks under big
hemlock jest above the still an hit
gin ii= al tbs rnter VIC needed IL Si;c
business, an n man standin in the
valley would never notice what little
smoke riz from the still, hcca sc O the
thickness o the timber.
cob, hit wus the ncatcs thing in
the way Nv mannyfact' o mount'n
dew that ever YOU seed One NAV
min we clumb the :nountn with our
guns as tho We wus huntin' an l
posted Bill at the edge O the fiat to
watch while went to run off some
doublin's. wus as busy rs bee
in Il tar bukit, an wus smackin my
lips over the fine quality O the truck
what wus runnin f'om the wurrum,
when hcarn whoop an turnin amy
head seed Bud a-comin full tilt to-
ards me. wavin' his hat an yellin'
somp' that | couldn't understan be-
ca sc the wind wus agin me. tuck
the hint tho. an as Bud dOdred into