Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1897-05-31
ZEB WHITES WHISKY
IT WAS mooNsHiNE STUFF AND NEAR
" JAILED HIM.

ness, >" said Zeb White as we sat on
log on the slope of the Cumberland
mountains for an hours rest, 81 got
three or four bad scares, but none of 'em
was ekal to the one I'm now goin to
tell you about. My still was small
one, and to make any profit had to
carry my own kegs away. had three
or four ten gallon kegs, and after a run
I'd shoulder one and carry il six miles
over the mountain to sartin place and
sell the stuff. One day brung keg mp
to the house, SOS to git an airly start,
and l found the ole woman lookip
mighty upset.
What's happened?' sez I, arter hidin
the keg in the bresh few rods away.
What's got the matter with yo'?'
It's fidgets, sez she.
"'But what aboutr
'Fidgets 'kase I've seen a strange
man around. Zeb White, yo' ar gwine
to git cotched tonight as sure's yer
bo'np
"'Shoo, shoot
"'I'm a-feelin 1t in my bones, Zeb,
and yo' know don't git skeered over
nuthin. Better wait two or three days.
But I can't. l promised that whis
ky fur tonight gnd it's got to go
Reckon yo' ar gwine to hev . chill and
feel upset.
"It's no chill. Zeb II yo' take that
keg away tonight yo'll be cotched and
sent to prison. Yo' pay 'tenshun to my
words. Don't own up to the still.
'Of co'se not.
"'Don't own up to whisky tall
"'No.'
"'Jest don't say nuthin except that
sulphur water is good fur my rheuma-
ticks. Now go on, and may the Lawd
be with yo' and keep sum sense in yo'r
head. >"
THAT was queer talk" said as the
old man looked away into the valley,
with a smile OH his face.
Powerful quare, sah, but il turned
out all right. I'd got about half way
over the ridge, and was feelin that I'd
git through all right. when a man sud.
denly steps out on the path in front Of
me and cries ont fur me to stand. Other
men cum mp outer the airth, as it was.
and knowed I'd bin took.
'Wa-al. who is it and what's want
ed?'
"'Do yo' surrender, Zeb Winter
"'1n co'se, but what dye wantf'
"'We want yo', sab, and we've got
you at last. Bin layin fur yo' fur three
months past. Yo' won't make no mo-
moonshine whisky this var, Zeb White
not this var! Cum along now, and il
yo' try ony of yo'r tricks 20 II git bull.
letp"
$50 they captured you with the keg
OIL your shoulder" queried.
with the keg ON my shoulder, sab,
and as I walked along with 'em
knowed they had dead case on me.
They had a camp not fur away, and
when we reached it l made out that
there was five men in the crowd. They
was jest tickled to death, too, over my
captur' They took the keg off my
shoulder and put handouts on me, and
l heard one Of 'em say 1 would git at
least two vars in prison. They soon be.
gan bluffin me to know whar the still
was and whar was goin to sell the
whisky; but, rememberin the old wom-
ans words, l acted drefful innercent.
Bimeby the boss Of the gang lifts up the
keg and smells of it and SEE:
"'Zeb, yo' must hev put heap of
water in this whisky, fur it don't smell
fur shucks.
"'Who said it was whisky?' asks as
bold as a sheep.
"'Mebbe we don't know whisky from
water, but I'm tellin yo' that the stuff
in this keg will send yo' up to Albany
fur good many months
"Then another man smells Of the keg,
then another, and purity soon seed they
was puzzled. Bimeby one Of 'em pulls
out a gimlet and bores q hole, and
when seed what cum out of that keg
was SO dun knocked out that couldn't
speak. If it wasn't water, I'm pos
sunni Yes, sab, it was clear water, and
them five men stood thar and looked at
each other like idiots The ole wom-
ans words about sulphur water and
rheumaticks hit me all to once, and I
began to latf That set the boss Of the
gang almost wild. He jumped up and
down and yelled at me:
| Zeb Whlte, yo' ole repropate, put
I'm mind to throw yo' over cliff!
What ar yo' doin on this mount'in at
this time of night with keg Of water
on yo'r shoulder
"lt's fur the ole woman's rheuma-
ticks
"'But yo' wasn't headed fur home. ;
"'No was gwine up the rocks
bit to look fur bar tracks.
81 never seed five madder men in all
my bon days" laughed Zeb, "and sum
of 'em were fur givin me the switch.
As they had no proofs ag'in me they had
to take off the handouts and let me go.
but / tell yo' it did hurt their feelins' to
do it, Ipicked up my keg and sot out
fur home. The ole woman was waitin