The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1901-02-13
M~oONSHINERS IN NEW YORK
They Operate Largely in the Gel
lars on the Notorious East Side.

lars on the Notorious East Side.
"The South IS popularity supposed
10 be the habitat of the moOnshincr,"
said a revenue official to a reporter of
the Atlanta Constitution. III fact,
10 read the newspapers, one would
conclude that Illicit whisky is made IN
no section of the United States save
the South. The public is not to blame
Tor so thinking, for every story rclat-
ing to moonshiucrs has its scene laid
Ill the mountaius of Dixie. In Literal
turc, the mOOnshincr is distinctly asou
OF the Southland.
Gas Il matter of fact, however.
there Is more moonshIuc whisky made
in New York city and in the suburbs
OF The great metropolis than IN The en-
IRE south. The assertion may seem
surprising, but il Il fact nevertheless.
The east side of New York is Il hot
bed of moonshiuers. There are hun
drcds OF men in that section of the
great city who make large sums of
money by manufacturing whisky ILL
city.
"Thcse New York moonshincrs
have nothing in common with the
mountain dew makers of the South
ave the desire to cvadc the revenue
laws OF the government The moon
sinner OF the South is Il citizen of the
mountains, and. like all jewellers in cle-
waited regions is characterized by certain
manly traits which compel admiration.
The New York moonshmer is a dcni-
zen of the tenCmcnts, and there Is little
hat is manly in his makeup. He is
nearly always Il foreigner and his APP
pcara ice suggests the dynamite bombs
of the anarchist rather than the tradi-
tional rifle Of the Southern moon
sinner.
"Thc making of Illicit whisky in
New York is of comparatively new
origin. OF coulsc the stun has been
made there for a long time, but it is
only in the last fifteen years that it has
been made in such quantities.
cas- | have said, the foreigners
Russian Jews ycncrally-makc the
greater part of New Works illicit
whisky. In the sweat shops these mor
would make probably So or IS a week
but some of them make as much rs S5(
a week out Of Illicit whisky. 1t requires
little money to engage in the business
and the profits are so large that tn,
temptation is irresistible.
II is hot stuir-thlS New Iorl
moonshiuc whisky. The moonshin,
made in the mountains Of Georgia i!
ms the nectar Of the gods compared t,
this COZ coction hrcwcd IN the New
York tenement district. Our moon
sinners make whisky III of corn. and
when properly made, ii is the hes
whisky on earth. The New YorI
moonshincrs make their whisky out o
any old thing, and the result is tn,
vilcst draught that ever went down
human throat. 1t is liquid lirc-n,
less. Some sugar or molasScs, plcnt
OF water and Il few pounds of yeast ar
all that the New York moonShiner re
quircs TO turn cut Il whisky which no
only makes a man speedily drunk, bu
seems to kiuJle every vile instinct @
his nature to white heat.
"Thc New York moonshincr operate
III Il cellar, i'll a room, anywhere, i
fact, where onc would not expect
find an Illicit still. He is usually rs
sisted by his wife or daughter, and la
been known 10 carry ON the bushes
for years without detection. His VIC
men folks generally pcddlc the stu
from tenement to tenement, selling b
the drink or III whatever quantities In
buyer may desire. | have n friend i
the revenue service in New York VIII
writes me that the wife Of one moon
sinner carried the stuit-more than
gallon Of it in a rubber belt about he
waist.
/" 1t is much more difficult to dctec
these New York moOnshincrs thar
their Southern brethren. The latte
do their work in their homes and ar
bothered by no waste. In the Soul
Il Il familiar with the odor can SINE
a still for miles. But in New Yer
there are so many scents more power
full that the peculiar Odor of the sti
has little chance of being detected
The government keeps Il large humble
of revenue officials at work in Ne,
York, and many arrests are mad
yearly, but still the production of llQui
hell goes steadily on. Half the 0ruta
crimes OF the east side may be trace,
to the consumption of the prOduc
brcwcd By the tenement moonshincrs
The man who gets outside of that stui
$ capable of committing any crime in
he calendar.
- o. e.