The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-31
A)N NO)NSHN IS MADE
THE "COPPER"" THE "WoRM. AND
THE MAN BEHIND THE
GUN
RISKY AND NOT PROFITABLE
Many Stills to Be Found in the Pie
turesque Mountains of Geor-
gia and North Car
DINA.
Birmingham CAla.) Age-Herald.


proof liquor when it comes out It's a
little worm" on the mountain top and
man behind a gun It's keep your eye
on guard twenty-four hours to the day
and come out at the end of the year as
poor as the duly respectable farmer.
your ne1ghbor. It's a risky business all
the way through, but when it comes
right down to the Fascination it's the
| ideal. It's "moonshine whisky that's
what 1T is, and it grows in the country
where Their amt no Ten Commandments
| and man can raise a thirst
The moonshiner is an ignorant country
| man, very uncouth in appearance, but as
| shreWd as Connecticut Yankee. He is
| also prince of hospitality, as may he
| 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 he Is IN daily, almost hourly fear of
| detection, he regards every enc 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 feelings of
| doubt and nervousness.
! The reader must not infer from this
| that the moonshiner is coward for he
Is net. AS a rule he resolutely oppose,
| any interference with his calling. even to
the shedding of blood, if this can be ac-
/ complished without too much risk of de-
| lection.
! During the year 1900, 1856 Illicit distil-
1 lerles were seized by revenue officers
| With the United States. OF this number
! ~ We're located in Georgia ana 4S3 in
| North Carolina. Nearly all the rest were
! distributed in the order given over the
states Of Alabama, Virginia South Caro-
| INA. Kentucky Tennessee, Arkansas and
| mississippi. 1t IS probable that the total
| t lunlper seized old not represent more
! imam one-half of the Illicit stills in active
| operation. The total seizures in the ten
| years last past have been 1861
georgia leads all other states by nearly
TWO to one. In one district aIone-the
| N1nth-548 Illicit stills were captured dur
| ing the above mentioned period Rabun
| county, situated on the northern border
| of this district and of the state NAV ba
called the hub center of the moonshine
| WHISKY traffic OF the country. 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 it's bounds
| AS may well be imagined, no person
| however worthy and we'll qualified he
may be- can hold an office or position
OF trust in this county unless he SYM
/ path1zes with the moonshine faction
| me extreme northern part Of the state
VI georgia contains some Of the rough
est, widest and most grandly beautifll,
| scenery In the Union throughout this
| reslon are numberless high mountains
roaring torrents deep gorges and almost
| 1mpenetrable laurels Amid sucb -,:ctf,-
| rescue surroundings-in the most mac
| cesslpie parts, at some distance from
pubic roads and trails-the moonshinar
sets up his still. The spot chosen is in
most cases in the twilight depths of a
Iaurel screened gorge, through which
4; Isles q crystal stream of water. Some
tunes the apparatus is housed In a cave
| Whlcn mas been excavated for that mr.
| pose In the sire of the mountain eorea
| put as rule 1t is in the open air haino,
simply covered with roof Of split boards
Inc dwelling of the operator is seldom
nearer than quarter of a mile.
Inc apparatus used is not con1nlax. q
| copper still, dubbed the .'copner. about
| eighteen or twenty inches In diameter and
OF equaI height; coil of copper nine
| several feet in length, called the 'sworr,,. :"
| several TUBS or casks for holding the
nash and for catching the drippings from
| the worm; mash stick or stirring fork
anu smail, narrow bottle in which to
| test the lfquor-these articles cornpr.se tha
| entire outfit. The still is set over q stone
| furnace, while the worm with ono end
| connected to the copper. rests in har-
rel OF running water from the stream near
| by. 0NA
| Inc process OF making moonshine
WHISKY Is quite simple, consisting of four
ollleient steps: First, scalding the corn
meal and allowing it to ferment: SEQ
ond, the addition of malt and second
fermentation; third, boiling or djstilline
the beer for "singlings," and. fo51th
| boiling the slnglings
.Coarsely ground corn meal Is carried 70
the the stu, and certain quantity. depend.
ing upon the capacity of the anrarot',e
Is stirred In boiling water until A. 10
thoroughly cooked. This is called "noash y
and is about the consistency of an ordi-
1in dough. 1t is allowed to stand in
the 1ermenters in which it was mixed for
twelve to thirty-six hours After fer
n:ehtat1on has taken place water is add
ed and the mass broken up with a mash
SUCK. w hen 1t Is free from -lllnps and
about as thick as buttermilk it is caI1ad
beer At this stage the LIQUID is NOT
an an unpleasant drink, in fact. large guam
sinner and his family and friends
Rye, or more commonly corn NAH
Qrom handful or two to eight pounds
70 the bushel of meal or tub of beer is
then added to the beer. and It is aeain
allowed to ferment this time from sew
enty-two to ninety-six hours AT the end
Of this second fermentation the COPPER is
haA
and boiled off.
The steam condenses in and passes off
through the worm and the first drin-
pings are called "singlings." When the
strength Of the beer becomes exhaustaI
the refuse. or pot tall is removed and
fresh beer put in it's place. AS soon az
enough singlings are accumulated the
still is filled up with this LIQUID and # ia
redistilled The product of this latter
and final step in the process is corn whis
ky or proof spirits.
With the crude apparatus and methods
of the moonshiner a .bushel of meal will
yield about two gallons of whisky
whereas the same measure of grain
should yield three or more gallons under
improved methods
Contrary to common belief moonshine
whisky is generally very poor quality
These moHntaineer distillers have little
Or no knowledge of rectific alton, and
tIISel oil Is therefore present In its orig
fnal proportions; besides the liquor Is
sold before 1t had time to age. Strange
as 1t may SEEM moreover, authorizations
are quite often used, such as tobacco or
buckeye bark. for adding to the intoxi-
eating quality of weak liquor. and the
addition of soap or I've to make it hold
good bead" According to the moon
sinner, good, unadulterated liquor when
shaken In a bottle will contain nuner-
Gus bubbles on the surface. If four or
more of these bubbles remain against
the edge of the bottle for some minutes
1t is said to hold a good bead Not
Withstanding the poor quality of the av-
erage moonshine whisky, however the
Gnadulterated article Is not infrequently
equal to and even above government
proof
The usual price obtained is 81 a gallon. /
or double that sum when retaileI in
small quantities. With corn averaging
IS cents a bushel, and labor cheaper
than in any other section Of the United
States. making moonshine" would OH
first thought seem to be quite profitable.