Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-08-18

rs THE carly seventies moonshinins
vas rampant, especially In Ken
i lucky. Arkansas and Missouri, and
the working Of the secret service
branch OF the government had been at
dimes far from satisfactory The dis
,rict OF Kentucky, Arkansas and Mis-
souri was in charge OF a general super
,niendent. who IN turn divided his dis
,rjct into smaller ones, each In charge
81 a supervisor. These supervisors had
Individual staffs Of operatives aud on
their shoulders devolved the work Of
arresting moonshincrs.,
Mo0nshining was crime against fed
sral law and as such was punishable by
United States courts. In the summer
of n the federal court sitting al st.
Louis was especially active In inyes,i-
cations; grand juries worked daily and
many indictments we're returned and
warrants issued. The serving Of these
warrants was no easy matter because
the moonshiners maintained a pretty
GOOD look OUT In st. Louis that tipped
IN all offenders. The culprits generally
lived down IN the interior Of Missouri
and Arkansas and when the secret SER
vice men arrived, the bird had flown"
and the warrant would be returned non
est lnyentus-not found.
Jim Freshman. a native Of North
Carolina. but an active Arkansas
moonshiner. vas one Of the most fla
grant offenders. Numerous warrants
had been issued for his arrest, but not
an officer had been able to bring him
IN. Judge Treat, presiding Judge Of the
federal district court sitting IN st.
Louis, was great stlCkler for action
IN his court; when warrant was is
sued he wanted II served; IL was a
United States warrant, and " one Of
Ger could not serve it-"get two, get
three II necessary. get troops were
his commands. Particularly wrathy
was the Judge over the failure TO Sc
cure Mr.. Jim Fleishman. II was ru-
m0red Flelshman had been in st. Louis
and had made sighting remarks about
the United States authorities In general
and Judge Treats court IN particular.
Again Mr.. Flelshman would appear
down In southern Missouri or northern
Arkansas II was told he even
played poker with an officer on a Mis-
sissippi river boat while that dlgnltary
was on his way TO arrest him (Fleish-
man.
Gen. John w. Noble. afterwards IN
Harrison's cabinet, and at that time
United States district attorney for Mis-
scuri. also Was greatly exasperated
over the secret services inability to
land Freshman. Judge Treat and Gen.
Noble had a consultation one day and
sent for Capt. Jacob Morgan, acting
United states marshal, 10 come into
court, and when he arrived the Judge
raked him over the Goals I'm good
shape. In substance his honor said
This court does not propose to be
tried with any longer. Warrants have
teen issued time and again for the ar
rest Of Jim Fleishman, but never
The court was Informed that dlligent
Efforts had been made TO land Fleish-
man; money had been spent freely and
men killed in the attempt. The Judges
admitted that all this might be true.
bit the fact remained Freshman was
still az large defying the government
and bringing the courts into disrepute.
Get more men; spend more money:
call In the army II necessary: get
lldshman,' said the Judge. Il don't
care how you DO It; just get him."
Capt Morgan was gallant old SOL
der, not afraid Of man, beast or devil:
tue judges words stung him and he
resolved to get Fleishman or quit his |
b'ace. He assembled his stan and sent
for Capt. Val Prutt, deputy United |
= ates marshal at Popular Bluff. near
the Arkansas line.
Val Pruitt had been "forty.niner." |
a bull-whacker, scout, shotgun mes
senger for Wells-Fargo. and was alb |
solutely without fear. when the Clvn |
war broke out Pruitt came east. enlist
cd In the First Missouri cavalry served |
four years honorsbly and had a most |