The Grit-advocate., 1900-04-20
THE IUONSHlNERS.
A PRODUCT OF CONDITIONS IN
THE SOUTH.
They Are Fairly Honest In Their Deal
inRs with Their Fellow Man-Have
No scruple About Declining to Pay
Taxes to the Government


gton possesses for lovers Of the pic
turesQue an unfailing attraction. To
the stranger he appears at first glance
very ordinary individual He Is gen.
earally long, lean, slow of speech, mild
of manner, rough Of dress and deport-
ment and apparently dull in intellect.
But, once his confidence is gained, he
proves to be an interesting character.
In his humble home, which is usually
double-roomed log hut, he is indus
trious, fairly honest, kind to his wife
and children, sometimes deeply relig-
ious, fond of music and dancing, and
his conversation is by no means dull.
The student of language will be de-
lighted with his quaint speech abound
ing as 1t does in archaic and obsolete
words handed down without the aid of
books or manuscripts, and so nearly
forgotten elsewhere that even English
philologists sometimes fall into tho er-
TOR OF CHASING them as American pro-
vincialisms. Nearly always his sur
name shows him to be of pure English
descent and he has preserved unim-
paired the old English passionate love
OF personal freedom and of home, and
his unquestioned right to defend the
latter, even against the powers that be.
The moonshiner has a great respect
for the law, with few important res
ervations. All the statute books in
existence cannot persuade him that he
has not perfect right to make his
corn into whisky and sell it without
interference in the shape of revenue
taxes and the deputy marshals. This
view OF the matter, as explained by
himself, is quite simple: Besides a
few vegetables and fruits, corn is the
only crop he can raise with his slow
OK or steer on the few spots Of arabic
land belonging to him. This he can
sell for so cents per bushel after haul
ing 1t from fifteen to forty miles over
the worst roads in the world. This
same bushel Of corn will make three
gallons of whisky, which Is easily
transported, and for which. If he is
successful in dodging the revenues"
he will receive from 50 to IS.
Besides the manufacture and sale of
whisky the mountaineer has one other
iMPoi LduL source OI lncOme-tle
treasury OF the United States. Con-
sidering the trouble and risk to which
he Is subjected by the opportunities
OF government agents, he thinks him
self fully justified in drawing from
the government all the money he can
get his hands on. Often, therefore,
he becomes professional witness
One dollar and half day with mile
age, Is no small matter to the man
who rarely sees more than S1OO in a
year.
1t was said few years ago that
great abuses had arisen In the United
States courts Of the southern noun
tain region from this source A num-
Der OF men having united in a conspi-
racy to defraud the government, one of
Rhe number would be reported for
some minor violation of the revenue
laws, the rest summoned as witnesses
and even when the case went no fur
ther than the grand jury there was
money for all. If it came to trial ac-
qu1ttal was the usual result. and the
amount received by the conspirators
was large. But, the ways of Jury be-
ing mysterious, in rare Instances, the
defendant was convicted. In such an
event he cheerfully served his two or
three months in Jail, receiving his
snare OF the proceeds when he re-
gained his liberty. At the next term
OF court he would appear as a witness.
while one Of his fellow conspirators