Evening star., 1901-04-04
HOW MOONSHINE is MADE
THOUSANDS OF ILLICIT STILLS IN
THIS COUNTRY.
Manufacturing Processes Simple and
Inexpensive-How They Dispose
Of the Product.

From the Birmingham Age-Herald.
It's cornmeal when it goes In and it's
proof liquor when it comes out. It's little
worm" on the mountain top and a mau
behind the gun. It's keep your eye on
guard twentyfour hours to the day AMI
come out at the end of the year as poor as
the duly respectable farmer. your neighbor
It's a risky business all the way through
but when 1t comes right down to the fas-
cination It's the ideal. It's "moonshine
whisky" that's what it is, and IT grows
In the country where ther amt no ten
commandments and a man can raise
thirst -
The moonshiner Is an ignorant country
man, very uncouth in appearance. but as
shrewd as a Connecticut Yankee He is
also prince of hospitality as may be
said of nearly all of the Georgia and North
Carolina mountaineers. He lives with
sword OF Damocles constantly suspended
above his head, and 10 one is more con-
scious of this fact than he Is. AS he is in
daily, almost hourly fear of detection he
regards every one with more or less suspi-
clon; 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 a possible revenue Of
1cer 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 not
AS q rule he resolutely opposes any inter-
ference with his calling even to the she'd
ding of blood if this can be accomplished
without too much risk of detection.
A Southern Industry.
During the year 1900 $50 Illicit distille-
ries were seized by revenue officers within
the United States. OF this number 673 were
located in Georgia and 4S3 in North Caro-
lima Nearly all the rest were distributed in
the order given, over the states Of Ala
-bama, Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky,
tennessee. Arkansas and Mississippi. 1t is
probable that the total number seized did
not represent more than one-half of the IL
hclt stills In active operation. The total
seizures in the ten years last past have
been 16, ,051.
Georgia leads all other states by nearly
two to one. In one district alone-the ninth
-J4S Illicit stills were captured during the
above mentioned period. Rabun county,
situated on the northern border of this dis
trict and of the state, may be called the
hub center of the moonshine whisky traf-
f1c of the country. Ninety per cent of its
population either owns, operates, deals in,
furnishes materials for or consumes the
product of the large number Of Illicit stills
within It's bounds. AS may we'll be imag
| ined. no person. however worthy and well
qualified he may be, can hold an office or
position of trust in this county unless he
sympathfze with the moonshine faction.
The extreme northern part of the state of
Georgia contains some of the toughest,
widest and most grandiy beautiful scenery
| in the Union Throughout this region are
numberlesS high mountains, roaring tor
rents, deep gorges and almost impenetrable
laurels. Amid such picturesque surround
tngs-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 a crystal stream of water.
Sometimes the apparatus is housed in
| cave which has been excavated for that
purpose In the side Of the mountain gorge,
| but rule 1t Is in the open air, being
simply covered with roof of split boards.
| The dwelling of the operator is seldom
nearer than quarter Of a mile.
Little Machinery Needed.
| The apparatus used is not complex; a
| copper still, dubbed the "copper"" about
| eighteen or twenty inches In diameter and
Of equal height; coil of copper pipe sew
| eral feet in length. called the worm"
several tubs or casks for holding the mash
and for catching the drippings from the
worm; mash stick or stirring fork, and
a small, narrow bottle in which to test the
| liGuor-these articles comprise the entire
outfit. The still is set over stone furnace.
the worm, with one end connected to the
copper, rests in a barrel of running water
from the stream near by.
The process of making moonshne whisky
Is quite simple, consisting of four different
| steps: First, scalding the cornmeal and
allowing it to ferment; second, the addi-
| tion Of malt and second fermentation;
third, boiling or diStilling the beer for "sin-
glings," and fourth, boiling the singiings
Ccarsely ground cornmeal is carried to
the still. and a certain quantity, depending
upon the capacity of the apparatus. Is
stirred in boiling water until it Is thor
oughly cooked. This is called mash" and
is about the consistency of an ordinary
dough. 1t Is allowed to stand in the fer
menters In which it was mixed for twelve
to thirty-six hours. After fermentation
has taken place water is added and the
mass broken up with mash stick. When
1t Is free from Jumps and about as thick
as buttermilk 1t is called beer" At this
stage the liquid Is not an unpleasant drink
in fact. large quantities Of 1t are consumed
by the moonshiner and his family and
friends.
Quality Usually Poor.
Rye. or more commonly corn malt (from
handful or two to eight pounds to the
bushel OF meal or tub OF beer. Is then
added to the beer, and It is again allowed
to ferment, this time from seventy-two
to ninety-six hours At the end of this
second fermentation The copper is filed
with semi-liquid (sIill called beer) and
boiled off,
The steam condenses in and passes or
through the worm. and the first drippings
are called ''singlings." When the strength
OF the beer becomes exhausted the refuse.
put In its place. As soon enough sing
lings are accumulated the still Is filled up
with this liquid and 1t is redistilled The
product OF this latter and final step In the
process is corn whisky CT proof spirits
With the crude apparatus and methods Of