The Washington herald., 1907-07-01
HOT FIGHT FOR STILLS
Revenue Officers Tell of Cap
ture in Blue Ridge,
DEFENDERS ARE ALL HIDDEN
Illicit DIstiIIeFs Know Nothing of
Fear, Have Repeating Rifles, and
StiIIs-Raid Made I'm Night Bags
Ten Stills and Fifteen Men.

Raleigh, n. c., June 30.-From revenue
officers who have returned here from the
greatest raid on moonshiners ever made
in North Carolina, the facts Of the re
cent attack on the stronghold OF the IL
licit distilers at Shutdown, in Stokes
County, are secured.
The raid was arranged by two promi-
nent deputy collectors and q special agent
in Virginia and North Carolina, and the
plans were approved by the Commissioner
Of Revenue, twenty-seyen officers, all
picked for their daring, being summoned
to take part
Some days before the raid the revenue
department sent two dozen army rifles
and a thousand rounds Of ammunition 10
Mount Airy Then the officers came along
and started in the night, thoroughly arm
ed. The place is within a mile of the
moOnshiners is done in Virginia. they
buying their meal and malt in that State.
Seven years ago the same place was
raided By a force OF twelve officers. and
then six stills were captured and three
mOonshiners arrested Since that date
Illicit dlstillers have poured into that sec
ton, until the officers had information Of
the location Of about thirty stills. They
did not hope TO get all Of these.
MOOnshiners Defied Arrest.
These mOonshiners are, the officers say.
as tough and dangerous a lot as can
be found in the country The whole
settlement lives by moonshining, with
the exception Of one man, who came re-
Gently from South Dakota, and who
really farms.
The moonshiners had an idea they could
whip any party Of revenue officers. there
being about 100 Of them and their friends,
and also their larger boys At every
house there IS a bell. and near the houses
are the stills. The country is extremely
wild. with deep ravines and thick under
growth. the location being in the foot
hills Of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The revenue officers knew that every
move by a stranger was watched day
and night so they dashed into the place
between midnight and o. m. and i'm
mediateiy captured the women and chill
dren who came out They also cut he
ropes Of all the bells they saw They put
the women and children in a tobacco
barn under close guard. The women
We're not afraid. but were very angry,
and said they wanted 10 get TO their
men
No Attempt to Hide stills.
The whole community stands together.
and runners are ready 10 go to the stills.
which are almost in sight Of each other
Generally moonshiners have net even q
shack over their stills, but so secure
did these people feel that their stills were
in almost every case in substantial log
houses
The quick action OF the revenue officers
enabled them to catch some moonshiners
al their houses and others at the stills.
Thus. they captured fifteen stills and ten
men, all moOnshiners. The revenue force
was divided into four parties, advancing
In various directions. One party Of six
was met by an equal number Of moon
sinners. who began firing. using repeating
rifles. as the officers al once discovered
by the rapidly Of the fire. The moon
sinners did not come out into the open.
but shot from the thick laurel
The officers and their advers8ries fired
about 100 shots. One officer was slightly
wounded on tho ear. one moonshiner was
killed, and two others We're wounded. il
Is thought fatally. The other moon
sinners, after the manner Of the Indians.
carried of the killed and wounded
Complain of Rural Police.
Revenue officers say that over all North
Carolina, with the exception Of perhaps
two counties, they get no aid from tho
county authorities The raiding party
burned the houses over the stills and col
umns Of smoke showed the location OF
these. The officers knew that they were
only getting about half OF the stills in
that settlement, but il required most of
the day for them to complete their work
and they wished to get away before night
came on, as they knew that the moon
sinners would come in great force tina,
night. anh that there would be heavy
losses.
The settlement has no village organiza-
ton but is composed OF scattered houses
Of the poorest class, the owners being
shiftless to the last degree and utterly
lawless. some of them being from Viz.
ginia, and some from more than a dozen
counties in North Carolina. and all eX-
cellent shots.
They had settled at this place by COM
mon consent, and had boosted in both
States that they were not afraid of any
or all the revenue officers. The system
Of signals is wonderfully complete. Scouts
are kept on the watch. and some person
always remains awake at night Some
stills are operated at night, and near the
others some Of the operators sleep, with
arms at hand.
Even Children Oppose Law.
The women and children are as good
scouts as the men. and can go great dis
tances quickly. Even the little girls are
ready to give warning by ringing bells
and blowing horns. and also by running
swiftly to tell that strangers are coming
as every person who sets foot in the
neighborhood is suspected and is in dan
ger
II is quite probable an even greater
raid will be made on the settlement in
the near future for the sake of example
The ten moonshiners captured are hard
and fast in jail at Dobson. the county
seat of an adjoining county, where they
were sent for safe keeping
He Was IA Good Booster.
From Harpers Weekly.
A minister was assigned to a small New