St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1901-04-17
TAKING MOoNsHINE WHIsKEY.
How this Famous Product of the South
rs Made.


proof liquor when it comes out. It's ;
little worm" on the mountain top, ant
man behind gun. It's keep your ey,
on guard twenty four hours to the day
and come out at the end of the year a.
poor as the DULY respectable farmer
your neighbor. It's a risky business al
the way through, but when it come.
right down to the fascination it's the
ideal. It's "moonshine whiskey," that:
what 1T is, and it grows in the country
where Their amt no Ten Command
ments and man can raise thirst.
The moonsh ner is an ignorant country
man, very uncouth in appearance, but az
shrewd as Connecticut yankee. He is
also prince of hospitality, as may BIZ
said OF nearly all of the Georgia and
North Carolina mountaineers. He lives
with sword of Damocles constantly
suspended above his head, and no one is
more conscious of this fact than he is
AS ne is in daily, almost hourly, fear Of
detection, he regards everyone with
more or less suspicion even his best
friends and members of his own family
are sometimes, and with good reason,
suspected of treachery. Every stranger
who arrives in the neighborhood is
looked upon as possible revenue officer,
and every knock on the door of his
dwelling is answered with inward feel.
ings OF doubt and nervousness. The
reader must not infer from this that the
moonshiner is coward, tor he is not.
AS a rule he resolutely opposes any inter-
terence with his calling, even to the she'd
ding of blood, if this can be accomplished
without too much risk OF detection.
During the year 1900 1855 illicit dis.
tillerles were seized by revenue officers
within the United States. OF this mum.
Der 673 were located in Georgia and 483
in North Carolina. Nearly all the rest
were distributed in the order given, over
the states of Alabama, Virginia, South
Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkan.
sas and Mississippi. 1t is probable that
the total number seized did not represent
more than one-half of the illicit stills in
active operation. The total seizures in
the ten years last past have been 16 ,057.
Georgia leads all other states by nearly
two to one. In one district alone-the
Ninth-548 illicit stills were captured
during the above mentioned period.
Rabun county, situated on the northern
border Of this district and of the state,
may be called the hub centre of the
moonshine whiskey traffic of the coun-
try. Ninety per cent OF its population
either owns, operates, deals in, furnishes
material for or consumes the product OF
the large number of illicit stills within
its bounds. AS may we'll be imagined,
no person, however worthy and well
qualified he may be, can hold an office OF
position of trust in this county unless he
sympathizes with the moonshine faction.
The extreme northern part of the state of
Georgia contains some Of the toughest,
widest and most grandly beautiful seen.
cry in the union. Throughout this re.
gion are numberless high mountains,
roaring torrents, deep gorges and al
most impenetrable laurels. Amid such
picturesque surroundings--in the most
inaccessible parts, at some distance from
public roads and trails-the moonshiner
sets up his still. The spot chosen is in
most cases in the twilight depths of a
laurel screened gorge, through which
rushes crystal stream of pure water.
Sometimes the apparatus is housed in
cave which has been excavated for that
purpose in the side OF the mountain
gorge, but as a rule it is in the open air,
being simply covered with a roof of split
boards. The dwelling of the operator is
seldom nearer than quarter of mile.
The apparatus used is not complex;
copper still, dubbed the "copper"" about
eighteen or twenty inches in diameter
and of equal height; coil of copper pipe
several feet in length, called the worm;
several tubs or casks for holding the
mash and for catching the drippings
from the worm; a mash stick or stirring
fork, and small, narrow bottle in which
to test the liquor-these articles com.
prise the entire outfit. The still is set
over stone furnace, while the worm,
with one end connected to the copper,
rests in barrel of running stream of
water near by.
The process of making moonshine
whskey is quite simple, consisting of
four different steps; First, scalding the
and allowing it to ferment;
second, the addition of malt and a sec
ond fermentation; third, boiling or dis
filling the beer for "singlings," aud,
fourth, boiling the singlings. Coarsely
ground cornmeal is carried to the still
and certain quantity, depending upon
he capacity OF the apparatus, is stirred
n boiling water until it is thoroughly
cooked. This is called "mash," and is
about the consistency of an ordinary
Tough. 1t is allowed to stand in the
in which it was mixed for
welve to thirty-six hours. After fer.
nentation has taken place water is
added and the mass broken up with a |
nash stick. When it is free from Jumps |
Ind about as thick as butteriinlk it is |
allied "beer." At this stage the liquid is |
lot an unpleasant drink; in fact, large |
Quantities of it are consumed by the |
nooushiner and his family and friends
Rye, or more commonly corn malt from
| handful or two to eight pounds to the
,ushel of meal or tub of beer) is then
added to the beer, and it is again allow
d to ierment, this time from seventy
wo to ninty-six hours. At the end of
his second fermentation the copper is
lied with semi,liquid (stilI called beer)
md boiled off. The steam condenses in
md passes off through the worm, and
he first drippings are called "singlings
When the strength of the beer becomes
Exhausted the refuse or "pot tai" is re-
moved and fresh beer put in its place.
IS soon as enough singlings are accumu-
ated the still is filled up with this liquid
nd it is redistilled. The product of this
after and final step in the process is
ON whiskey or proof spirits. With the
rude apparatus and methods of the