The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-01-27

whisky stills. It is not only difficult.
OUT very dangerous work The people
IN the mountains of Tennessee and
kentucky and in the Ozarlzs of Mis-
] sour, hfmly believe IN their right TO
maze " Risky without paying a eoverD-
DenS tax, and he VINO is most success
iui az dodsing a revenue agent or den
ny marshal is hero among his fell
lows 3ne life Of. q government ~eent
! IN these districts is held cheaper fi,sn
mat OF d good hound pup. an cther. re-
specs the people are a law-ahiding.
haIIll ess class, who have but little ed
ueation and desire but little
Near Decatur. Ala, there was. = few
years ago, a famous deputy marshal
named Bird SsGith. He was Young In
years, cut old in the lore of the back
woodsman. and he knew the peopIe of
me country and their ways as though
Il mad all been written out. and he had
Itdu II IN A book Smiths speciality was
catching Illicit disUllers. He ALWAYS
tsaFeied alone and on horseback His
morse, Major. was a coal black animal.
a cross between g thoroughbred and a
heavy coach horse. ard was unusually
Dig and heavy. Major was we'll train
ed and would follow Smith around like
dog; and ii almost broke the deputy
nlarShaTs heart when he discovered
that Major would not do for the game
ne was then playing against the VIC
iauorS OF the revenue law There wasn't
a better saddle horse in northern Ala
oana- He could go farther in a day,
could stand more rough usage and was
more affectiOnate and Obedieut than
any horse Smith had ever seen. and ne
had seen great number: but Major
wouldn't do, and Smith had to send
him to the farm for his sisters use.
smith had made several captures.
and enjoyed a reputation among the
people back in the hills as q dangerous
man Mothers frightened their children
by telling them: Bird SmithTl git
you-aijS shore" He was feared. which
some one has said is the next best
thing to being loved. Then Smith got
Major and rude proudly ont of Deca-
tur 10 do little scouting in the back
WOODS. he rode at night, sleeping in
the dense forest during the day time.
On the second day Of his Journey,
when he was nearing the district in
which he expected to begin active Cper-
atoms, a heavy rain storm came up.
soaking the only roadway and making
II almost iTlPaSsable. Smith had still
some ten miles to go. and. because the
flying clouds hid the moon, shutting off
all light, ne was forced 10 travel dur
lag the day.
Smith had not gone more than two
miles when he was startled by a. hail
from 4 voice IN the brush.
Hello, thar! you tarnation cuss;
what yOu-aGs dom up hyar?"
Major stood sUill. while Smith slowed
around IN the saddle in time to see a
white-headed old native jump out into
the road.
"Oh, just looking for lost cattle re-
piled the deputy marshal
Seems l. me / seen you down to cote
when Abe Jinl1ins wuz up fur 'stilIin'."
on, you're crazy, old man. Never
saw you before" said Smith, and he
clucked to his horse and rode on in no
pleasant frame of mind,
The old man watched Smith until he
had disappeared. Then he regarded the
ground carefully. smiled and hurried off
into the woods.
Smith worked hard. He hunted high
and low. He came across places in
which stills" had evidently been To-
Gated at some time; but he found moth
ing tangible and returned to Decatur
week later, disappointed. diScOuT-
aged official. Three times after that
Bird Smith went into the districts in
which his SupeIi0rs knew illicit dis
tillers We're in operation. But "A hoo
doc" seemed to hang over the once sue
cessful deputy. He didn't make a
single capture; didn't locate a. single
still" He was thinking seriously OF
resigning his office and returning to
the plOw on his fathers farm. when he
discovered the cause of his ilI-luck.
by gum. Bird exclaimed one of his
friends one day, while admiring his
horse, Major, hes a. powerful fine
boss; but he suttinly do make a big
track in the road" Il
''Eh, what's that2"
u say, look at the hOOfs on him."
What's the matter with his hOOfs?
They're perfectly sound"
g 'Zactly; but look at the size Nv
en-
Smith looked. OF course he knew all
along that Major being an exception
ally big horse, left big tracks behind !
him; but he had never noticed before !
now very big those tracks were.
well, I'll be jiggered'" ne exclaim
ed. Then an idea struck him, and |
after d moments thought he slowly /
said: And that's just what beat me /
out in the hills. Those tracks, Major,