The record-union., 1897-08-25
AN ENEMY OF MOONSHINERS.
SAMUEL KIRKPATRICK'S HAIR
RAISING ADVENTURES.
An Illicit Still Hunter Carries Two
Hundred Pieces of Lead in
His Anatomy.

Samuel Kirkpatrick has 200 pieces of
lead scattered through his anatomy.
They were injected on three different oc-
casions. Mr. Kirkpatrick's features are
peck marked with buckshot. One eye
is missing and an artificial substitute
fills the socket. Three shot once passed
through the ball of the other With the
aid of a powerful magnifying glass its
owner is just able to discern the figures
OH the face of his watch. Three feet
away he cannot tell a white man from
a negro. Yet he travels about the coun-
try alone in pursuit of his duty as an
officer of the Government revenue serv-
ice finds no difficulty in caring for him.
self and has engaged in more than one
desperate encounter since he practically
lost his sight. He is an inimitable story
teller and as cheerful and optimistic a
gentleman as one is likely to meet on a
days journey. He is a resident of OF
tumwa and spent several days in the
city last week on Government business.
The most thrilling of a series of hair
raising adventures in which has has
taken part occurred near Raleigh, N. c.,
seven years ago last February. 1t at
tracted considerable attention at the
time, but has since been pretty well
forgotten. The following is Mr.. Kirk
patrick's version:
7 was securing North Carolina for
Illicit stills at the time. / and my men
had destroyed a number and made sew
eral arrests and the moonshiners were
on the watch for US. One night l rode
out with four deputies to round up a
negro whom he had learned was running
a still in his cabin. a number of miles
from town. When we reached the cabin
there was no one in sight, but from a
curtained window came the CLEAN of a
lamp. I leaned forward on my horses
neck to look inside. 1 was then some six
feet away from the window The negro
was ready. AS I stopped he thrust a
shotgun into my face and fired. saw
the fash and heard the report. AS l
started to fall I reached for my six
shooter always carried two strapped
to my waist. My skull was crushed, both
eyes were pierced, my jaw was broken
and blood squirting in fountains from my
face, head and neck. I thought the
artery in my neck had been severed and
confidently expected to expire as soon
as I touched the ground.
But" with a half laugh, I'm game
If I do say it. AS reeled IN the saddle
I fired my siX-shooter. OF coruse
couldn't see, but I knew about where
my assailant stood and aimed for the
place. AS I struck the ground he fell
across my body. I felt his hot blood on
my face and kicked him away with all
my strength. 1 had dropped my revolt
yer and rolled about feeling for it. Then
On "
feet. What are you looking for? they
asked. My gum 1 yelled. For God
sake, what for?' To empty the other
five shots into that niger oh. he's
gone to sleep they told me. Well I
knew what they meant and asked them
to lift me on my horse.
They didn't think l could ride, but
1slere was nothing else for it. We We're
in a hostile country and by that time
we could hear the neighbors coming up
from all sides to finish US "A good
runs better than bad stand and We
gave them a good one l hung to my
saddle horn and one of my men gall
Hoped on either side The moonshiners
followed us three miles. Then they
gave up the chase My clothes We're
soaked with blood. My horse dripped
with 1t. It was slushing over my boot
tops. My men carried me into town
in a lumber wagon. I wanted to live,
and I did. For a long time I couldn't
see at all Then I partially regained
the sight Of one eye. Since then l
have destroyed 200 stills.
The man who shot me? Well was
indicted for numbering him. and a writ
of habeas corpus was sued out in the
Federal Court. and it was here that I
was tried. There We're two witnesses
for the State-the Coroner and the ne
gro's sister Both swore I fired the
first shot The girl-poor thing
thought she would be doing something
for her dead brother by convicting me,
1t was the Coroner's testimony that
saved me-little as he wished it. Ac-
cording to his own account there was
a hole the size of a mans thumb
through the nigger's heart. The Judge
couldn't see how a man with such a
wound as that could have fired shot
gun. So he took the case from the
jury.
My other experiences were trifles.
Once I was shot in the leg with a
Winchester. The wound troubled me
very little, and I was on horseback the
very day after ! received It. On the
other occasion my escape was narrow,
but still an escape. I was directing the
destruction of a still one night. when
one Of my men handed me gunny
sack. into which he wished TO throw
some fragments of old metal 1t was
raining and the sack was heavy with
water. I folded it and stood with it
across my arm and covering the lower
part of my body. Just then some one
fired. Most Of the shot struck the bag.
They penetrated it. but had not suffi-
Gent force left to injure me seriously.
Both above and below the sack they
stung severely. but failed TO reach d
vital organ. We captured the rascal,
and convicted him on the charge of
running an Illicit still, but failed when
we charged him with a murderous as
sault
Sometimes we had hard work To-
eating stills. Once we were bothered
by one nearly a year. We looked every
where. but we could not find it. We
knew the man that ran it and we fol-
lowed him day in and day out. But
he never visited his plant when We
were with him. One night we got him.
I posted one of my men-a Splinter
near his cabin. Then 1 went 10 the
door myself. 1t was so dark the moon
sinner couldn't see my face. I ham,
mered on the door, and screamed to him
to open. He rushed out in shirt tail.
Run John I yelled. run, run, run. The
revenue officers are coming down on
your still. They'll be there in five
minutes. Run, run. run. You bet he
II Yrh