Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1906-07-01
the eye rs If they had nothing to con.
ceal and didn't want you to conceal

zealand eeal and didn't want you to conceal
Unrellabls as Laborers.
The average mountalneers owns
little log cabin with bit of cleured
ground around 1t, and perhaps few
pigs and chickens. lie is not fond OF
work and Is content to live from
hand to mouth. When opportunity
offers they sometimes hire out. but
they are poor laborers. Employers
say they are never to be relied OH for
a job. AS soon as lie has earned SO
or 81 he will be seized by II desire to
go hunting or fishing, aud will throw
up the job.
Temperance as II rule. partly from
necessity, they arc sadly weak when
wildcat" or "moonShinc" whiskey
crosses their path. indeed, they some
times take their own path to get 1t.
This is done by going within Il short
distance of the still. laying Il dime or
quarter dollar on flat stump and re-
firing to a respective distance. when
the puryeyor of the Illicit beverage
approaches the stump, takes the coin
and leaves al equivalent In moon
shine" The transaction Is cons,lin-
mated without word, and the buyer
and seller do not even sec each other.
The ethics of the business und the so.
cial code of the mountains forbid that
they should.
If rightly approached, mountain.
eer will give stranger the freedom
OF his cabin. including even his own
bed, frequently refusing payment for
lodging or food But you have got to
get OIL the right side of him. They
are very honest, crimes against prop
erty being rare occurrence.
Dye see them two HOSES comm
down the mountain yandcr an two
men lcadin' 'cm," sail e InIl nj a
little railroad station.
The little cayalcadc seemed to he
nearly mile distant away up Il noun
tain side. The two men made their
way down the rough road with an
easy stride and sure step. picking
their way among the stones and rul
leys as II they were used to IL. The
horses, with rcins thrown over their
necks, following iuciiuly. with r1ually
sure step.
AT distance, both men and horses
appeared like small creatures winding
their way down the mountain road,
which lost itself further back in the
dense forest almost among the clouds.
1t took Il mourtaincer to find or FOL.
low tho road.
AS they came nearer II could he
seen that the men and horses were
well built as we'll as SurefoUted-raw-
boncd, muscular and sinewy. hut with
no supcrfluOrs flesh. Life In The
mountains is too hard and strenuous
to make fat. Animals AMI humans
i've on light diet, but they make II
llttlc go long way. For the rest
they subSist on mountain air.
Illicit Still Lookout.
That first Teller" continued The
man, owns little slab farm back In
the mountains eight or nine miles. AN
the other does the lookout work for
teller that runs distillcry M cn
the JellicO, about ten miles further
back. What do | mean by the look
out work? Why, he stands few hun
drcd yards down the road with rifle.
an If any person comes along he don't
know or don't like the looks of, he
haits him an asks him questions.
faint very pleasant travel along that
road, can tell ye, an OnleSs We know
jest whar to leave yer money at 4 par.
ticulcr stump out that way, | would
not advise yc to try to get any o. Tie
whisky. The less We have to do with
them moonshine fcllcrs, rs some folks
calls en-. the better off We are. unIesg
ye want to git a hole in yc"
by the time this talk ended the lit.
tie cavalcadc had wound down the
mountain side and up The single roa 1
into the village. The horses were
muddy and looked tired. The men
threw the brides over fence post
removed the load from the horses ant.
went to nearby store to do some
trading. They didn't speak to any
person nor any person to them.
Mountainecrs do not talk much. and
their vocabulary is very limited The
isolation and soil tudc of mountain life
seems To make them taciturn.
One day E}right-looking woman
who had come dowl the mountain
with four jugs sluTg across her horse
was asked what she had in the jugs.
The qucstioncr thought If it was but
termilk he would buy some. With a
quick look she answered ut moIt
he whiskey. but it amt" She didn't
tell what it was.
A man who was met up in the
mountains a mile or two from the
village, asked if there as a meeting
house there. Being told there was, he
asked who ran it and was told 1t was
run on the cooperation plan by several
denominations. He said:
I'VE all are Sanctificationists 'cept
my wife and she are Scven-day Adj
vcntist. | wonder if they'd let us in
thar?"
On being infoRer that he would
have TO contribute cents every two
weeks. he said he guessed he wouldn' t
risk it, "fer that's getting shet o.
money q little tnn fast -