The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1909-05-31
THE OLD FAMILIAR JUICE "
The Discovery of Still, Other
wise Known as a Bigger" in
Wishart's Township, Gives
Rise to a Case in Which Much
Interest Is Manifested.

Rise to a Case in Which Much
Interest Is Manifested.
A case in which a great deal of
interest was manifested was
tried here Saturday before JUS
tees Jno. H. Mcneil and J. A.
Rowland. The case came up
from the Burnt Islands, Wish
arts township.
According to the story of wit
nesses, Friday a week ago, Mr..
l.. c. Meares, who lives about
one mile from Bellamy, while
following up his dogs, which
were running a rabbit, came
across what the Burnt Island
ers" call a 'bugger" "a whiskey
still. The still was on what is
known as the Stephens place,
about one mile from Bellamy,
and the place is in the possession
of Mr.. B. C. Todd, he having
rented it some time in February
from Mr.. Joe Stephens, of Lum-
berton. The still was, as Mr..
Meares says, in the woods right
near a small field of some eight
or ten acres in which there is a
house. After discovering the
still Mr.. Meares went home and
came back the next afternoon
and went into the house to see
what he could find, and as
a result of this visit he
carried home a key with some
whiskey in it, a pint of which
was in evidence here Saturday.
The news began to spread that
there was a "bugger' in the
land. Mr.. Meares told Mr.. J. M.
Smith, deputy sheriff of Wish
arts township, what he had
found, and Mr.. Smith came to
Lumberton Tuesday and swore
out papers against Mr.. B. C..
Todd for allowing the manufac-
ture of whiskey on his premises.
After the papers had been is
sued the sheriff and Mr.. Smith
went to search for the still, but
only found where such thing
had been. Where Mr.. Meares
said he saw the still was an ole
brick furnace, but the still hac
taken flight. Off some few yards
from the old furnace were two
molasses barrels with mixture
of molasses and meal in them
and it looked like it hadn't beer
long since there was something
= doing. The sheriff and his par
ty, being unable to find anything
else about the furnace, went owe
to the house in the field, which
, is about rs or 100 yards away
: and broke in, and they found l.
= empty molasses barrels and tw
hogsheads.
When the sheriff served hi
i. papers on Mr.. Todd he also had {
-. search warrant and Mr.. Tod
/, was very free and active in show
. ing the sheriff about his house
s He took his keys and opened a
: of his out-houses and showed hin
:. about anywhere he wished
S look. But when the Stephen
place, which is a quarter of
mile from Mr.. Todd's house, wa
3 mentioned, he said that he di1n'
e know anything about what wa
" going on down there and didn
l. have the key to the house. H
0 said that he had sub-rented tn
Z place to a stranger, who g~ve hi
;. name as Marcus Marsh. fros
Il Moore county. The man cam
e to his house about the last G
+ March and wanted to rent tn
= place and get board. Mr.. Tod
y : said he rented the place to hi
J. for$2. SO a week, but told him h
i could not board him, but afte
II n wards agreed to take him for
~ while. The man told him tn;
20 he wouldn't be there regular ar
d, that he might be late coming
It at night sometimes and ear
getting up. Mr.. Todd said tn;
. the stranger didn't get his mea
" regular and that he came in al
Z. went out at all hours of the nigh
n and that he didn't know VIII
rs his business was.
A Mr.. Todd said that he didn
Z. knowanything about the whiske
ms business that seems to have be,
ld going on in the neighbcrhood f
Ill some time. The first he kne
lr- about it was two weeks ago VIII
pc Mr.. J. D. Duncan, a neighbo
on told him that there was SON
3, thing wrong and that he had b.
I'm ter get clear of that strange
'g- Mr.. Todd said that he told t
an stranger the next day-Mond
lg- that he would have to lea,
NIL that he couldn't board there a
do longer. The stranger, Marc
hrs Marsh, told Mr.. Todd that
would clean up and leave ne
day. So next night at a Ii
Sc. hour the stranger came
-. and told Mr.. Todd t
Use he was going to leave next mo
,rps ing and wanted him to wake
. us' at 2 o'clock, which he did.
60, Co man went off and came b
a on about an hour later and told
;nt Todd that he was leaving
, 'mas would be back in about
81 weeks, if nothing happened;
80 - in case he didn't come b
no. mo+ he would return the key to
ny " house and he would find emo
49, stuff there to pay the rent.
lI e. Todd said there was someb
-. ue with him and he thought t
ou- LII - TL;o ~