The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1902-08-30

:
10 be prejudicial to the national we'll
being. There has been war Tor a long
time between the men charged to en-
force the revenue laws and the men
charged with the ancestral idea that a
man may do as he pleases with his own
corn There are many people in the
Government employ who have been in
conflict with this ancient and accepted
mountain opinion. and they are not dis
posed to make light Of the arguments
put forth by the moonshiners.
Most despised o. all men is the IN
former. No name yet invented Is sufIi-
cient 10 describe the degradation Of the
man who tells. theoretically the man
who aids the Government in finding and
Furnishing violators of the law is good
citizen and deserves commentator and
protection. But the moonshiners and
thousands Of others refuse TO see it
that way An informer is generally held
TO be a good man TO take out for the
chief figure in Iynching party. and it is
not considered any particular honor,
-hougn It may be pleasure, TO walk
slow the day after he dies. The fate
Of an informer is often rough a strik-
ing instance of the supposed extinction
OF one. and his marvellous escape. IS
told as follows by Captain Barrett, Of
the Interior Department, who knew the
parties concerned, and is familiar with
the ways OF the moonsh1ner:
IN the upper part OF Georgia there
vas gang Of moonshiners who operated
for years. One of them was named Ro-
per. and he decided that it would be q
good time TO retire from business. He
reported the Illicit distillery and gave
the names OF the operators, three men
with whom he had worked for long
time, and they were arrested They
were tried and sentenced 10 short terms
in the penitentiary The informer got
his reward speedily-the part the Gov
eminent gave The other was TO come.
ana everybody except Roper knew it.
One day during harvest time Roper got
a note 10 come over and help in the
Macedonian field Of his uncle. and ne
started The plan Of the vengeful moon
sinners was working
Roper was captured by the moon
sinners and taken up on a high noun
tain. There was no disguise and no mys-
terry The captors strapped their man
on a mule and carried him TO an abau-
doned copper nine which 1as seldom
visited by human beings. He was eoolly
informed that he was about to die, and
given plenty Of time to pray There
was no apparent hope. and the miser-
able man made such arrangements with
the overriding powers as he could IN a
hurry. II was plain that human aid was
unavaiIing. At the expiration Of the sea
son Of grace he was pushed into the
deep. darl. shaft. and the avengers left.
satisfied hat one less informer infested
the earth
But Roper was saved from death
There was decayed log in the shaft,
and he struck it, which broke the fall
He struck the bottom after going sixty
feet, with only bruises. But his siJua-
ton was desperate. there being no
habitation near and little prospect Of
anyone coming that way. For three days
the iuformsr 5welt in that deep hole
He round that q drop Of water came
down every few minutes, and the dis
covered a sort of mushroom growth on
some decayed logs in the mud at the
bottom. and so he lived
The children picking blackberries on
The mountain CHANGED near the mine
and were terrified to hear groans-
Stirred by the reports OF the children
several men went searching and found
the informer. They were not overjoyed
AT saving such q life, but RETAINED
from finishing the scheme Of revenge.
THE informer stayed in the section
long enough TO see his six assailaDts
tried and sentenced Some OF the young
men in the scheme died and others
served the5r full time in the Northern
prisons The last were released a few
GAYS agO. The infoTmeT Is in the West
far West. and IS not going back soon
Important topographic work in sec +
tons OF southern California IS now being
carried on BY the United States Geo
logical Survey. under the general super
vision Of Mr. Richard L Goode,
Eeographer- Two parties have been in
the field since the season commenced I
One Of these. under mr. ". T. Turner, !
with Mr.. s y. Stoner as principal as
sistant, Is continuing the work which
has been going On for several years. in /
the Mount PiEos and Zaca Lake and
Santa Ynez forest reserve The other
party. under SIR J Z Rockhold, with 4
Mr.. z. r Childs as principal assist 7
ant. Is completing the work begun dur
Ing the last field season in the vicinity /
OF San Diego, thus finishing the mapping
Of practically al Of tie thickIy settled +
portion Of southern California
Precise spirit IeveIlng VIII be con /
tinued by party under Mr. c. 4. Sem
per This party viii first complete q /
gap in the line which was begun during
the last field season at a tidal con
nection At BeneeIa and carried through
the San Joaquin Valley and across the
Tehachapi Mountains, so as 10 make q
junction with spirit levels previously
an IN southern California After this
work IS completed the party viii 90
north 20 the vicinity OF Sacramento and
commence another precise line which
VIII have its ultimate termination at
Portland. Ore. IL connection with this
line, iron beHch-nark posts VIII be es-