The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1908-08-28
MOONSH|NERS' PLAY |
MADE OUT OF EVENTS THAT
SENT THEM TO PRISON.
Author Is Man Accused of Selling
Liquor Without Federal License
TO Be Presented When
Men Are Released.

FRANKFORT, ky.-A jail Tor tneater,
the cells for dressing rooms and the
corridor for the stage form the equip
ment that the federal prisoners in the
county Jail here, practically all of them
moonshiners, are using in rehearsing
play that will be staged when they
are out of confinement again.
The play is called The Moonshn.
ers" and was written by Sam Shep-
pard, who is accused of selling liquor
without license from the federal gov
eminent. He conceived the idea of
writing the play and rehearsing it to
occupy the time until the date of his
trial.
The actors have met with such sue.
cess in their rehearsals that they have
determined to put the play on the
stage as soon as they are released
from Jail. They are to meet in Corbin
on December l to have their last re-
hearsal before the opening of the sea-
son In the mountain towns. The court
houses will be used as theaters. and
he members of the troupe will not be
far from home if they get stranded.
The plot of the play is laid among
the hills of Harlan county. The first
act opens with a lot of moonshiners
sitting around a STILL drinking the
white whisky and playing cards. Dur
ing this act every detail in making
moonshine whisky will be exhibited.
A spy discloses the still to the rev.
enue men, who raid the place, and the
curtain falls amid revolver fire.
The second act deals with the burial
Of mountaineers who were killed in
the moonshine raid. While the oxcart
hearse is absent in the rehearsals
here is a place for it in the play. The
mountain preacher, who never con
dennis the making of moonshine, be.
cause the moonshiners contribute to
his living, has his part in this act. and
sings the funeral dlrge. while the men
dressed as women gather around the
casket 10 mourn.
The third act deals with the chase
of the revenue men after the moon
sinners. Some OF the moonshiners are
captured and marched into a court
toh0Ns III uduSllNtl vi Ailt ilbuhAtAlAl
Judge pleads for their release. Her
beauty impresses the revenue men.
especially a young member of the par
~, and while she engages him in a
conversation three Of the sinners make
their escape The session of court
breaks up in disorder, and in the last
scene the young woman, rife in hand,
leads the moonshiners in a battle with
the revenue agents. who are routed,
and she gives her hand TO one of the
bravest of the sinners.
In the fourth and concluding act of
the play the spy is captured and the
moonshiners hold court and sentence
ample of what will happen to moon
sinners who give information to rev.
enue men.
The actors and their characters are:
Sam Sheppard, mountaineer of Whit
ley county; OF Wilmington, revenue
man of Whitley county, w S. James.
bootlegger of Rowan county; E. ID.
Richie, 'stiller of Knott county, who
is serving a term i'm Jail for making
moonshine; Sunland Meyers of Row
an county, bootlegger; Dan Trout,
revenue man of Pulaski county; Henry
Boulder, bootlegger of Harlan coun-
ty Ezekiel Anderson, whisky peddler
of Leslie county; VIII Sturgeon, spy Of
Floyd county; Wick Terry, mountain
Judge of Rowan county; Thomas Ma
gee, mountain preacher of Laurel
county.
Magee was selected as preacher be-
cause he has been converted since he
came here to Jail and may join the
Salvation Army after the theatrical
season Is over.