The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1900-02-08

"Shiners" on surprise. was wounded
sick and almost frozen. ard, OF course,
could not make the trip on foot. so l
stayed there till morning, keeping Charley
Renfro With me to look after the horses.
vas to meet Mr.. Addngton at fishtrap
Ridge or North Fork Of Pound River, al
9 o'clock Sunday morning. We got
breakfast and started on the jourDe! to
the designated spot, where We met Dill
Addington coming riding upon
small. mouse colored animal, (which the
South African Beers s-y that God never
made) which he had pressed into service
from one Of the "mOonsainers. lie IN
formed u. that he had captured n very
large distiDlerv and six mon, on LSnrei
pranch. South side of Cumberland Noun
tain. and that the other boys were guard
Ing the fort" while he came to meet u.s.
We had rough and dangerous trip
and when within half mile OF the as
tillery, Arlington left hi. mule, aud clear
ed out 4 road as he went for me, and l
rode to the top of Tiff near The Distil'ery
and walked down to it, where Sam May
Bill Renfro, Dock SuindalI and Rube Nc
Fall. stood with Winchrsters III hand,
"holdng the fort" while Eve men aud one
boy stood hudLled around the still furnace
TO keep VAIN. This WAS very large aud
we'll equipped disiiiIery. with II fermeni-
crs and 1900 gallons of beer. and 4 hogs
head Of .inglings ready to double into the
Royal Mountain Dew"
We made a quick and complete destruc-
ton Of the entire outfit, and began the
homevard march, bringing all of the men
with us. Three of the men lived in Ky
and had on their Sunday clothes and leg
cings, and their horses were tethered TO
the fence at Frank Mullins house, ashort
distance from disiillerv. They had evil
IDENTITY come there to get vhiskey and
have a good time, and had no interest at
all in the dstillery. We released them,
and also the little boy, son OF Frank Mrl-
Inns, whom his father said had gone TO
the di.tillery without his permission.
The other two men, d. NJ. and j. g..
Sturgill, were the real operators OF this
distillery, and were taken TO Coebum by
Mr. Addington for trial before L. 5. Com
missioner Wears, and bound over to
answer Indictment in the L. ). District
Court at Abingdon.
We all came back to Mr.. Banners, and
after feasting ourselves and horses upon
his bountiful hospitality, we once more
set sail for home.
left the possee and prisoners behind
and made desperate ride for Norton to
catch the L. & n. train Sunday night,
which did by few minutes, and came
home feeling as badly "done up" as if |
had ridden half way around the globe,
and strengthened in my former beliefthat
if the world was as big in every direction
as it was towards the Pound, it Was
"Cracher Jack" of n world.
In my dreams that night, saw the blue
smoke curling through the tops Of the tall
pines. as it came forth from the "Moon-
sinners" sacred retreat, far away in the
fastness Of the Cumberland mountain-the
moonshncr's paradisiacal home. saw the
typical moun.iane1r as he strOked his long
shaggy beard and drank his own mount
ain dew" fresh from The old cantecn. |
heard the c!atter OH break stick in the
mash tub,as he whistlcd" Sourwood Mount
ain "snd sang his tavoritc moonshne song:
"Hitch up your horses and climb up the
hill;
| will sell you gallon for one dollar
bill"
l heard the sIush of slop as it ran from
the old homemade copper still, and heard
the squeal and clamor of the old spotted
razor-back SOW as she Knocked the small
pigs out Of the slop trough with her nose.
heard the frolicsome bark Of the old
moonshins Watchdog "a he drove The old
mulcy COW from the slop tub and chased her
down the hill toward the log cabin, where
strong feminine voice was making the
hill tops echo to the tune Of "Sook Stair
Ny vision now changed, and heard the
long shril blast from the ole tin buge as
it echoed and reviberated among the hill