The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1901-03-16
TContinued From Last Week.

t'piS was, 'uon know may not be home
till morning, just pull the big gate open and
you can put your horses in the barn, You will
llnd feed for them, and water at the creek d"
We opened the big heavy gate. Just as much
as We could do to move IT, it WINS more like +,
door to fortIlication than yard gate. We
entered found the barn in the dark ness,
there was no roof on it, a small shock of
fodder stood IN one corner, this we pnvo ia
the horses. After giving them drink Mt the
creek, we then gathered up our traps, such
IL robes, whips and blankets, and started for
the house. We entered the l. # wing of the
apartment. and to oar surprise found three
lnll-grown men, and not one Of them hind
offered to assist Us in putting the team AWAY
or showing Us the least welcome They were
seated in front OF the wide fire. place, and not
one OF them spoke or returned our good
evening. BY the light Of the lire that M IN
u" large room. We could plainly see that
every corner was flied with from two to four
guns or f!l!-s, an old -ater hung on n nail
near the door, aud long rifle hung in leather
loops lust below the mantle. WINE the mantle
Shelf was decorated with two horse pistols
and several rrvolvera
We made mp our minds that we were in for
IT, aud determiucl to sleep that uifht with
one eye open. We had revolverS and every
chamber was loaded After sitting down for
while, we said to the woman who had been
sitting on Il block at the corner of the fire
place and chewing tobacco Tor the last fifteen
min ri nil
would like to have something to eat. She
made us no reply whatever. but still sat and
spit IN the ashes. To say We were disguised
will not express it. We were mortified, bat
what could we do, We wera as hungry rs
bears. She finally left the room. and we did
not near from her for full half hour. When
she appeared she took the seat on the block
and after few minutes said, eff Won 90 in
the other room you will find something to
eat. We went, the table was made Of three
slabs, on either side were slabs for seat holes
bored 10 them and pieces of round cord wood
tor legs. The bill Of fare consisted of fat
Hitch In dirty yellow dish corn. bread
baked in the ashes We presume where the old
vtrment had sat chewing and splitting that
evening. As there vas no stove. honey md
black coffee nude up the balance Being
hungry we ate moderately. We retired soon.
fastened our door with a stout piece of wood
We found i'll the room, and laid down. but
not 20 sleep.
We arose early the next morning. all was
quiet, and went into the sitting-room or
arsenal that We had occupied the evening be-
fore, and there sat a man on the old woman's
block, who looked to be about fifty years old =,
his face very pale and q downcast look. We
said, "ls this Mr.. Palmer" His replv was
Il 90 by that name We stated our business
and after he becam" fully convinced that we
were not Revenue Officers. he could do more
talking than all OF Us put together. He first
let Us Know how very honest he was, and had
been elected school trustee ten times, and no
man in North Carolina was more popuIar
than this distiIer Of elicit whiskey, for that
was his business W" learned later on. We
did not wish any breakfast but walked ont
to tax" look at the timber While passing
up the creek W" stopped on the bank where
the water was about eight feet deep, we could
see the white pebby bottom, and counted
dozens of beautiful speckled trout some Of
them ten and twelve inches long. We could
have hagged a hundred in a little while but
could not think OF staying in this god for
saken locality another night
We pushed on to the timber and as we
passed through batch of laurels two or
three pheasants would get up and fly only a
short distance and again aIight They seem
ed to be very tame and plenty of them. We
asked Palmer what he called them. His re.
play was "wild chickens" Ia short time
we were within the timber belt. not far from
the Cattalooch creek. Palmer told us the
creek had been named by the Indians and
meant Weasel The mountain sides we're COW
cred with large stately white pine timber.
aud the valley with large yellow poplar trees
that grew to the height of one hundred feet
and over. One large tree that we measured
was eiSh: feet in diameter, and many more
that would measure three, four and five feet
These popiars grew to great perfection, aud
this timber was the finest in quality that we
ever looked at. and millions of feet of it. but
IL ''u'A NV ~ w IiONNu 10 tue TDhuS We're
too steep and rough to haul it out of the deep
valley. The creek does not afford water
enough for splash dams, it is seven miles
long and empttes its waters into the Pigeon
river. From tho mouth of the creek TO the
nearest railroad station Is forty miles. The
timber could be RATED down the Pigeon river
and sawed at the station and shipped by ears
to market, but 1t would take large amount
of capital to work it ut present. There was
,alk Of n railroad coming near this timber.
Ii that should be the case. 1t will be a fortune
for some one.
As we sat on rock at the margin of the
creek exchanging few stories, we said to
Palmer, that we had been informed a
man about year ago had given away some
secrets of tho distiIIers in this locality, and
that they afterwards had caught him and cut
his ears off closeto his head. He said it was
true, and that the man who did the act was
n very near relative to him, but the Revenue
officers never caught him, and they never
will, he is safe In California.
"How near relation was he to YOU" we
asked.
"Only my son, that was all.n
We saw no whiskey, neither did we smell
any, except what was on the breath of our
bv bnGt Wbnn tho ,,,a,, o.,