Sunday Washington globe., 1902-05-18
yssv Found the NToonshIners.

Deputy JEFF Cundin fought three hid
den mOonshiners and killed one. The
exciting midnight battle took place
Monday night on Big Meeting Greek,
in Hardin County Asa Humble, a
young fellow just twenty-one, fell be-
cause he wouldn't run. After the fight
they found him with two empty cham
bers in his pistol and the weapon half
cooked Major Hancock bears an ugly
red welt on his face. where a bullet
scraped the cheek.
Asa Humble was one or gang that
has been making "mOOnshine" in that
vicinity for some time. A few weeks
ago Major Hancock and JEFF Cundif
thought they had located the still. 1t
was in cave that opened out from
the bottom of a sink-hole within few
yards Of the county road. 10 enter
the cave meant almost certain death,
but Major Hancock and Cundiff de-
termined TO try.
They crept out one dark night and
dropped down into the hole. Just the
length of a mans leg down in the hole
was a ladder that dropped away into
darkness. Without a light, and as
silently as possible, the two men
climbed down the ladder into the unex-
plored cave, not knowing what might
be awaiting them. once in the cave,
they used dark lanterns. 1t SO hap
pened that the mOOnshiners were not
there. so the officers. after exploring
the cave, noting the moonshiners' plans
for defense, and securing evidence to
show who were the members OF the
gang, crept away without disturbing
anything. The moonshiners had hid
den the worm, and still too securely
for the searchers to find them
Nothing more was heard OF the gang
until JEFF Cundlff got information that
the outfit was located on Big Meeting
Greek. four miles north of Big CIifty.
Major Hancock left town Monday
afternoon at 4.3O o'clock for Big Clifty.
JEFF Cundiff met him with five posse
men. The party left Big Clifty 9t 1890
o'clock Monday night, going north.
1t was about midnight when they came
into the neighborhood OF the still.
The outfit was located under a shelV
ing ledge that jutted out from a big
cliff, around which Big Meeting Greek
makes a sharp elbow. Thus there
were two paths, one upstream and an
other downstream, for the escape Of
the mOOnshiners. Leaving three men
at the downstream or lower path Ma
jor Hancock with JEFF Cundiff and the
other two possemen crept back Of the
ledge around to the upper path. The
two pOssemen were placed on guard
here, and then Hancock and Cundiff
went on to surprise the sinners. The
still was just around the elbow.
Creeping as close as they could by
taking advantage of the ground. the
officers from a distance OF twenty-five
feet watched the Sinners at work.
| There were three of them and they
were Just preparing to stop work for
| the night. Hancock and Cunditf crept
up to fifteen feet, and then suddenly
stepping out into the light with their
| pistols drawn:
Surrender In the name Of the Gov
ernmentw
Two moonshiuers jumped back into
the shadow Of the cliff, the third leaped
sideWise and crouched behind the
worm. And then three shots rang out
together. A bullet scared Major Han
cocks face, spinning him around.
JEFF Cundif's pistol had already be
gun to work. AS the old soldier
Strengthened his hand went up and his
big forty-four- -calibre Colt spoke out
with the deputy's gun. The two were
standing straight up in the freight
plain marks themselves. and with only
the flashes of their antagonists pistols
to shoot at. For a minute it was lik,
the sound of a corporars squad firing
at will, then the two moonshiners VIII,
had jumped back against the cliff
broke away and ran down stream.
The boy crouching behind the worn
only took more careful aim at the Of
ticers. In another instant the frini
was over; the boy was dead.
The men who had run brushed pas
the guards on the lower path, takln,
a pot shot as they ran past, and es
capped.
Major Hancock and seT Cundif ex
amined the young man who had fallen
He was dead, with bullet hole
through the lower part OF his mead
Both recognized him as Asa Humble
one Of the men for whom they wer
searching. Next, while some Of th
posse laid him out as decently as the.
could, others destroyed the still
Major Hancock spread his handkeI
chief over Humble's face. Then the
scattered the fire and came away
leaving the dead mOonshiner lyln
there beside the chopped up remnant
Of his still.-LOuisville Cou7ier.Jou
nal
BY the Aldsrman's Teeth.