The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-02-10
ILLICIT WHISKEY.
Increase OF Moonshining in the Ken
lucky Mountains.

An Increase Also in the Business of the
Informers-Prosecu ions and Moon
shining Both Said to Re Encouraged for
the Sake of Court Fees-statement of a
Prisoner.
New York SUM-
Louisville, Feb. 4-One of the results
of the advance of the internal revenue
tax on whiskey to sl,1o gallon has been
a great increase in Illicit distilling, or
moonshlnlng, as it is known in the noun
talns. When the cost of distilling is only
about 10 cents gallon and the tax is
seven times as great, there is a strong
temptation to evade the payment to the
Government. Special attention was
called to this matter in the last annual
report OF the acting Commissioner of
internal Revenue issued in December.
In 1874 only 1,0l6 Illicit stills were seized,
but in the fiscal year ended last July no
fewer than g, 273 We're discovered by the
authorities. How many were operated
without detection cannot be determined
and the Commissioner makes no estimate,
but the number cannot have been less
than 1000. it is believed here. The Com
missioner says that collectors report that
the means at their command are made
quate to suppress moonshining. He
recommends IN increased appropriation
for the purpose. The report says:
| Sin many sections of the country where
| these small distilleries are located it has
been found impracticable to sell forfeited
| spirits fseized for non-payment of taxi at
| q price equal to the amount of the tax
duo on them. In these same sections it
is found that distillers and dealers have
agreed to furnish customers with distilled
spirits at much less than the tax thereon,
provided that the purchasers agree to re-
turn the stamps intact or the barrel heads
| bearing the stamps. Other evidence is in
the possession of this office that in the
sections where the small distilleries are
operated spirits have been offered for sale
at from 40 to 60 cents gallon. Within
the last thirty days fourteen barrels of
Illicit spirits, amounting to more than
$40 gallons, have been discovered in Ne
hraska and followed by the agent into
Montana and there seized. Information
has reached this office that seven illicit
distilleries were operated in the State of
Kansas last year and that four are operat-
ing there now, showing that Illicit dis
tillation is extending into sections of the
country, where it has never before exist
ed. ~
The Commissioner also give us statistics
that one officer was killed and three
wounded in raids on distilleries in 1897.
These raids were made chiefly in the
mountainous regions of the Southern
States.
There are many moonshiners in tho
mountains of eastern Kentucky, Tennes-
see, and West Virginia, and the revenue
forces have been kept busy in tho pursuit
of men who think, if they stop to think
at all, that man has right to make SO
good thing MS whiskey without consult
ing the Government. Some OF these men
are desperate, and the officers take their
lives in their hands when they go after
them. The moonshiner generally erect
his still in the most secluded and inact
cessible place possible, and Illicit distil-
lers would rarely be apprehended were is
not for the Governments standing offer
of $40 for information that may lead to
their discovery. This reward has given
rise to what may almost be termed the
profession of informer on moonshiners.
There are spies who have acted with the
revenue officers for years, conducting
them secretly to the stills for the reward
of $40 which the Government always gives
and any allowance for expenses they can
get. There is reason to believe that they
frequently betray both sides by sending
warning to the outlaws, who are thereby
enabled to escape before the officers come.
frequently with the most valuable part of
their rude distilling apparatus.
Trials of mooushiners occupy large
part of the sessions of the United States
courts. AT each term of the District
Court in this city the Federal building is
filed with crowd of mountainous, most
of whom are witnesses brought to testify
in moonshine cases. Some OF them have
made the trip scores of times. They know
the court officers and take great inter-
est in all the trials as we'll as the ones in
which they have been called to testify.
They are the professional witnesses who
make q good part of their scant living
by testifying in such cases. In perhaps
the majority of the petty cases that come
before the Commissioners the charges are
the result of conspiracy and perjury. Per-
haps the prisoner is guilty of violating |
Uncle Sam s revenue laws and has been |
peached on by some supposed friend or |
neighbor, butsquite as often it is put |
up job between him and the witness. The |
average mountaineer who makes moon |
shine thinks it no hardship to serve few
months in Jail, and very willingly enters
into an agreement by which, for divis-
ion of the fees and mileage, he permits
himself to be arrested and carried to
Louisville or Covington for trial. AS
many witnesses as possible are summoned |
and all get trip to the bigscity with fees
and mileage, which pay their expenses
and good deal more The practice is
we'll known, but it is exceedingly hard
10 break up. Once In a while the parties
70 the contract, betray themselves, and
5hen the punishment is severe
A conspiracy of this sort came to light
1T the session of Judge Barr's court in
Greensboro which closed last week. There
we're eight convictions, but only one was
'or making moonshine liquor. The pris-
,ner. James Clark. was fined 81 200 and
sentenced to one years imprisonment in
jhe penitentiary at Columbus, o. Clark's
Ease was very unusual one. as he made
. plea of guilty because, so he said, he
cit he had done wrong. Upon being SEN
,enced he made the statement that he had
1een led into the business of moonshinipg
~, Joa Meredith who will perhaps he in |