The Red Cloud chief., 1900-04-20
THE MOONSllINERS.
A PRODUCT OF CONDITIONS IN
THE SOUTH.
rhev Are FAIRLY Honest In Their Deaf
ings with Their Fellow Man-Havo
No scrupie About D.ciinIng to Pay
Taxes to the Government

The moonshiner of tho mountain re-
gion possesses for lovers oi the pic
turesque an unfailing attraction. To
the stranger he appears at first glance
Il very ordinary individual. lie Is gen
earally long. lean, slow of speech, mild
of manner, rough of dress and deport-
mcnt 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
II doublc-roomed log hut, he is indus
trious, fairly honest, kind to his wife
and children, sometimes deeply rclig-
lous, 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 IL 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 the err
ror OF chasing them rs American pro.
vincialisms. Nearly always his sur
name shows him to he OF pure English
descent and he has preserved unim-
paired the old English passionate love
Of personal freedom and Of home, and
his unquestioncd right to defend the
latter, even against the powers that be.
The moonshiner has IA great respect
Tor the law. with Il few important res
%ervations. All the statute books In
existence cannot persuade him that he
has not a 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 or 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
TX or steer on the few spots of arabic
land belonging to him. This he can
sell for 80 cents per bushel after haul
ing II 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, II he is
successful in duIging the revenues
he will receive from 81 to So.
Besides the manufacture and sale OF
whisky the mountainecr has one other
important source of income-the
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 car
get his hands on. Often. therefore
ne becomes a professional witness
One dollar and a half a day with mile
age, is no small matter to the maj
who rarely sees more than 500 In
year.
IL WAS said a few years ago tina
great abuses had arisen in the Unite,
States courts of the southern noun
tain region from this source. A nun
Der OF men having united in a conspi
racy to defraud the government, one o
the number would be reported for
some minor violation of the revenu,
laws. the rest summoned as wltnesse,
and even when the case went no fur
Their than the grand jury there wal
money for all. IL It came TO trial &C
luittal was the usual result, and tn,
amount received by the conspiratorl
was largo. But, the ways Of a jury be
ing mysterious, in rare instances, tn,
defendant was convicted. In such al
event he cheerfully served his two o
three months in jail. receiving his
share of the proceeds when he re
gained his liberty. At the next tern
Of court he would appear as a witness
while one Of his fellow conspirator
took his place in the prisoners dock
and the work went merrily on.