The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1903-12-16
NOONSHINING THRIYES
IN SOUTHERN STATES
Raids Seldom Accompanied
by BlOOdshed.
ILLICIT STILLS IN TOWNS
More Difficult to Detect on Account of
Absence of Smoke-Eew York
a Center.

While the last annual report of tn,
Commissioner Of Internal Revenue indi
Gates that violations of the interna
revenue laws are becoming les!
common, the Government still finds i
necessary to employ a small army o.
special agents in order to prevent. I'll,
Illicit distilling OF liquor in the noun
tain regions OF the South and elsewhere
Inquiry at the Internal Revenue Blu
reau discloses the fact that the bushes,
of Illicit distilling shows little il an!
diminution in the mountain districts o
Virginia, North and South Carolina
Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky. TIL,
mountaineer believes he has the God
given right to do what he pleases witt
his corn crop and his fruit and educati tins
him out Of that belief is an extremel!
slow process. 1t is hard to get accurat,
statistics as TO the extent of this bust
ness.
An Irregular Business.
A prominent revenue office remarke,
recently that a moonshiner never haS
any stock of grain or fruit laid b,
from which to make liquor. When tn,
corn crop natures and the fruit becomes
ripe. then is the season of the year whel
the mountaineer turns his attention {,
making a few runs" and distiIlin,
enough mountain dew" or brandy. 70
his own use and to produce in the mar
ket the few dollars OF ready cash neces
sary for him TO live on until the mex
crop natures
Thus the business is irregular, depend
ing on the season. IT is not continue,
the year through as a rule, and as II 4
carried on under cover. the extent of /
can. of course, only be conjectured.
The mountaineers become wonderfully
skillful in locating and conducting still
in out-of-the-way places. and in SNUG
Slng the product TO market in such
way as to escape detection. "A moon
sinner will throw a sack of meal owe
the back OF mule" said a revenue Of
hcer Of long experience. land take /
through the woods by some unfrequent
ed trail until he reaches a point wher,
he thinks it is safe to put up a still. 81
and bye, If he escapes being caught. n
viii take two sacks and two mules an,
enlarge his plant
Resent Interference.
And so the establishment grows IN
ill IL becomes one OF proportions. In
stead of meal. he may take his frui
crop. from which ne makes brandy. I
is impossible TO convince him that UncI
Sam has any right to interfere.
The loss Of life among the revenu
agents Of the mountain regions OF IN
South is not so great as IL was former
". The reason for this is that the rev
enue agents. through long experience
have become more familiar with thei
territory. and II is more difficult to lea,
them into ambuscades than # used 4
be. Fifteen or twenty years go. a com
mon feature OF the report C. a raid wa
list Of several agents or members q
the marshals posse killed or wounded
Such losses of life now are not SO fire.
quent. though the business of raidin
stills is not by any means relieved o
its perils- Even now. REPORTS o. ia
wounding or killing of an agent or som
member OF his force are not uncommon
Raiding a Still.
The work Of locating and ferreting GU
Illicit stills devolves on the revenu
agent or his deputies. When all tn
necessary evidence is gathered as Z
where a stu is located. the agent lay
the facts before the nearest Unite
States marshal, who gets together
posse OF picked men. and under IN
guidance OF the agent. the raid is made
the still broken up. and the liquor bar
rels or kegs smashed and emptied
Great care is necessary in obtaining
posse in order 10 get trustworthy men.
The liquor is not always found in bar
rels or kegs. Sometimes, often. In fact
II is found in small casks OK less thal
five gallons. In vessels OF this size tn
packages are considered as containint
goods for retail purposes. and the la,
does not require them to be stamped
Having the liquor put UP in packages o
this size. it is less difficult Cor IN
moonshiner to pun the liquor on tn
market and escape the charge Of viola
ton OF law
Mountaineers Not Alone.
1t must not be imagined the bushes
Of Illicit distnling is confined to the re
gions inhabited by the Southern noun
taineers. Some of the legalized dis
tilleries practice Illicit work Of the sor
hardest TO detect. As an instance q
Il is, not long ago revenue officers raidey
a distilieTy in South Carolina which wa
paying tax 10 the Government and TO al
appearances was lawful. 1t develope
there was sub-basement below III
basement proper, which was stored wit
untaxed liquor. All this had to be de
stroyed.
New York is center where much lille
gal distiiling is done. There It is cas-
to rent establishments where detection
IS difficult The smoke can easily b
concealed, and besides II is not hard I
get the product on the market In othe
large cities. Illicit stills are sometime
found. In fact, there arc few district
in the country that are entirely FIRE
from this bane Of the revenue officers
existence.
one reason why II is difficult 70 cor
caal a still in the mountain countr
OF the South is that the smoke cannc
be concealed. In the clear morning al
it can be seen for many miles, an