The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-03-16
ZEB WHITES ESCAPE.
WHY THE PO53UM HUNTER STOPPED
HIS MOONSHiNE STILL.

Nittson's F.cn-Soid Out For Only $40.
Il Warning and n Dead Man Found IL
Tho Woods.
One day rs 1 was out on the Culabcr-
iAld mountains with Zeb White, the
possum hunter of Tennessee, I asked
nm II lie was ever engaged i'll the man.
utactarc Of moonshine whisky He
waited awhile before replying, as if
Wondcrinl; whether he could Trust ne
CT net, and then rcplied:
Yes, went into it, like r,ost OF tho
rest OF en- around yerc but it was ::
long time ago, and had SIGH Il narrc
escape that was glad to sell cut tho
still and quit tho bizness. -
Revenue officers get after you?'' I
asked
1T WAS quare bizncss-mishty
Quarc" he said as no sat down on q
rock TO fill his pipe. II scrapcd together
money 'nuif to buy still i'll Cincinnati
and git down ycrc. 1 set it up in that
big ravno east of the cabin and began
work had to have help, and had to
buy CON, and of co sc all the men folks
around yerc cum to know of the still.
The only one L was afeerd Of WAS fol-
Ter NAMED Tom Dittson, who sorter
owed ms Il grudGc but [ had to trust
nm along with the others. y still amt
no great account to anybody. It's just
iurnin CON into whisky, and couldn't
make above 50 ~ day. However, as no.
BODY i5ln nc away and things was run
nm al :ight l Was satisfied. One NIGHT
ar;cr had been runnin fur three
months tlic ole woman woke IN ard
sez, SCI she:
a" 'Zcb White, Two had IL mighty
Gurus dream about yo, and yo' jos,
look out fur troublor
What sort of = ,lrcain?'
4 drempt of sccin Il poysu,n On
log nigh the STILL and he had Il face
jess like Tom Dttsons. Away behind
the possuin was three or TO revenue
officers, and they was artcr yo'.'
Dreams don't count, scz I, and
falls asleep ag'in, but drat my hide if |
didn't 20 at it and dream the same
dream myself! Yes, sab, L saw that
ycrc possum plain us | sec yo, and he
locked '2actly like Tom Dittson. Behind
him in the brcsh was three or fo' men,
and | woke up half sl;earcd TO death.
was lyin thar and wondcrin about it
when the Gle woman sits up i'll bed and
seq:
'zch White, thar's trouble ahead
fur yo'.
- As to how
" AS 10 that still. I've drcmpt that
same dream over ag'in That ycrc Tom
DittsOn has betrayed yo to the revenue.
WAL, " continued the old man ms
he filed his pipe Il second time, ~ was
kinder frightened ut that and got MP
and waited fur daylight With the first
streak of day l was over i'll the r;lvinc.
and When got nigh that still my heart
Jumped into my throat. Thar was Il
postum OH u log, jess as we had drcmpt,
and he looked SO much like Tom Dit
son i'll tho face that l was minded to
call out to him. / rcckoncd to sec three
or fo' men behind him, but nobody was
thar. heavcd IL club at the possum.
and he scampcrcd off, and then l went
back to the house to tell the ole wolnan.
q" L know what it means, scz she.
That skunk of IL Tom Dittson has sold
yo' out to the revenue. Git yoi break.
fast, ard then git the boys together, and
We'll remove the still
. Not fur a dean, says l.
g Then yo'll find yo'sclf III state
prison! Them revenue fcllcrs will be
ycrc bcfo' nightv
:" wasn't gwinc to mind the dream.
but she said so much that l got three or
TO men together, and bcfo' noon we
had the still hidden III IL cave two miles
away An hour artcr dinner, as [ sot on
the doahstcp smoiin my pipe, along
comes five men, and Tom Dittson was
one Of en-. The rest of 'cm was revenue
fellers and had guns. Tom Dittson
grinncd at me and had nuthin to say,
but the leader of the men bows to me
and begins:
Kin 1 take it that yo name ar Zcb
White:'
" Yo' kin, sah.'
Slayer of coons, possums and other
varmnts?'
{" The same
also maker of moonshine whisky?'
g Not any. I've bin so thirsty fur Il
drink of con juice fur this last month
that I'm willin to trade off my coonskin
cap.
4" Jess so, NIistah White, jess So
vide yo' with Il drink. Hcv yo' any
mortal opJeckSnun 10 takln u walk!
. Not Il one, sah.'
A" jess as lief walk over to the big
ravinc:'
- Yes, sab.
Il started out with 'em, and that
yc-e Tom Dittson was chucllin to his
self all the way, and the other fcllers
looked mighty peart and happy. We
IA - IA a