Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-26

armed desperate mOuntaineers who knew
every foot of the wild and rugged coun-
try and who could have used their long
rifles to telling effect from the noun
tain peaks. Wisely the soldiers were re-
turned to Atlanta, and it was many
months before a revenue officer would
venture near here, and even to this day
they regard this as an unhealthy ocality
for hunting Illicit bug juice. In passing,
it can be stated that the Illicit still of the
old man Shane continues to boil at the
same old stand and 1t is never molested.
Like all the people of this section, the
mConshiner is by nature hospitable and
kind, but he looks upon a stranger with
suspicion. When he is convinced that the
newcomer is not an officer or spy he Is
taken in and given the best treatment
possible in almost every instance refus-
ing to accept pay for lodging or meals.
They are an honest people and make
their living by the sweat of the brow,
and they love hard work, being Injured to
hardships. For ladies they have a high
respect, and the toughest mountaineer is
gentle and quiet in their presence. They
will not allow any man to insult or treat
a lady with unkindness. They consider
man the natural protector OF woman. In
almost every instance where there has
been blOOdshed at n Of the
frolics the cause can be traced to the
offering of an insult to some woman.
That a mountaineer treats his woman
folks as slaves n allows his animal
nature n pursuit of material and sell
fish happiness to dominate is untrue n
a SANDER upon a people who have many
good and noble traits of character. The
priceless gem of virtue is as sacredly
and dearly priced by them as by any
people on earth, and he who casts a slur
upon woman is made to pay the penalty
in short order.
Many of these people are well-to-do,
hut a majority k out a mere existence
by cultivating a mall patch of ground,
fishing, hunting and making illicit coffin
varnislh. The soil is even almost too poor
to raise anything, but by faithful work
they manag to raise a few bushels OF
potatoes, corn, oats, a little tobacco n
some garden truck. The towns being far
distant and the toughest kind of roads,
they regard it as their legitimate right to
distill their own corn into whisky which
is easily carried to market, and which
nets them from $1.25 to $1.75 per gallon.
One bushel of corn will make two and
one-half gallons of first-class whisky,
while the one bushel would only bring
it's natural state. h mountaineer
generally makes his lair among the rocks
or in the most im~penetrable thicketS Of
the mountains. but not infrequently illicit
distillers are found in thickly populated
settlements and occasionally even in
ClUleS duu lS, lLc a SGSl IA u lIiAo
kind being in the basement of a whole
| sale house in Columbia, S. c., a few years
ago. The life of a moonshiner possesses
the fascination of continual excitement
and danger. as it requires eternal vigil
ance to evade the revenue officers and
spies, the latter receiving from $40 to $25
for every distillery reported and success
fully raided. A spy is hated by the
moonshdner worse than any creature on
earth, and when one is discovered 1t
simply means death to him. A few years
ago q rather good looking stranger
Claiming to hail from Alabama, made his
| appearance near the Lowd gold mines.
He said that he had been forced to shake
the lust Of his native state from his feet
on account Of getting tangled up in max
ing Of Illicit whisky. BY degrees he
wormed himself into the good graces of