The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-05
a WOMAN MoONsHINER.
Leaf From the Dairy of an Ex-Rev-
cnue officer.

enue officer,
From the st. Louis Globe Democrat.
Huntington. Tenn.-It requires a good
salary or highly cultivated sense of duty
In a kind-hearted man TO arrest a poor
fellow whose moral sensibiities are so dun
that he cannot appreciate the wisdom of
a law that viii not allow him to manu-
facture whisky exclusively for his own
use from corn raised by his own labor
Nhen IL comes to arresting a woman for
making a few gallons of moonshine whis-
Ky 10 support herself and six small chill
dren dependent upon her the disagreea-
bieness of the officers duty becomes really
painful.
During a session of the United States
district court at Nashville Tenn. a pro-
fessional informer approached me eau
tlously in the corridor of the custom house
ana asked me in stage whisper what
l would pay him if he would lead me
TO moonshine stil. l told him that the
amount paid was from 81 to $l2 / paid
nothing for finding the stin but would
employ him as guide, at the rate of 81
per day, and as guard" at the same
rate, provided the latter was necessary
He told me that when he located il he
would write, and that l must be sure and
meet him and follow his dire etions. About
a month after this interview | received
a letter from him telling me to come 10
1aWrenceburg certain day, and after
dark to start out on the Waynesboro
road. Six miles from town. at a double
log house. the roads forked. and | was TO
take plain left-hand road, follow this
for four or five miles, and l would ar
rive at house with a well on tbs side
of the road that had a long sweep over it.
After passing this about 100 yaras / was
TO take path leading up hollow to
the right follow this path about a mile,
until came to cross hollow, turn up the
right-hand hollow, and blow my whistle.
and he would meet me. No one but a
revenue officer would star out at night TO
destroy citizens property, endure the
hardship and fatigue and run the risk of
being ambushed and killed upon such in
IOfihaloh' especially when it was known
that the author was infinitely nearer than
the party to be despolled and arrested.
IN company with a deputy marshal and
local revenue officer, / arrived at Law
renceburg on time, and from inquiries
learned that the section / CONTEMPLATED
visiting was difficult of access, owing TO it's
rugged character. We hired horses at the
| livery stable, and after supper sailed
| forth. We had but little difficulty ian find
ing the rendezvous and our guide, though
the latter was so completely disguished
with lampblack and sheepskin whiskers
| as 20 be unrecognizable, TO me at least
NY nISt interfogatOry was. Who is rum
ming the still?' He declared that he did
not know; that he had come upon il IN
| eNpectedly while hunting, and did not dare
TO approach close enough TO ascertain. He
carried us through the woods along what
took for hog trail. over an extended
ridge, down into ravine, where we found
a small branch a couple of feet wide and
as many inches in depth. Turning up this
aud following il for several hundred yards
we approached a deep cove. the adjacent
nils rising probably 100 feet STOPPING us
In front OF heavy underground springing
from the swamp formed by the branch
| spreading out over the bottom, he told US
that Il was about 100 yards beyond. We
| divided our forces, two Of the party cross
ing over the swamp and going up on the
opposite side, the guide and myself going
up TO the right We moved as cautiously
as the Indian surprising his victim, and
when within twenty PAGES a low signal
was given and we sprang forward.
Il was unoccuped
we found furnace with nice ffteen-
gallon copper on It and the dry wood piled
up around ready for starting. a long crane
! neck connecting the copper boiler with the