The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-03-22
M0ONSH|NERS'
STILL FOUND
IN OKLAHOMA
Makers Illicit Liquor Sill Flour.
iSh In FastReSS Of Eastern
Portion Of The State


Ridden away Ia the Businesses of the
Eniamiehi mountain range in Eastern
Oklahoma the monshincr's still is
said to flourish despite the l3ng
years Of effort on the part OF Marshal
Grant Vic'or and other federal Of
ticers. The Kiamichi region is rug
ged and wild ana offers as great OPP
ortunities for the Illicit distiller as
do the ranges Of Missouri, Arkansas,
cnnessee and Kentucky The H.
licit distilleries do not flourish 10
such an extent as o prove a menace,
bur they are there.
These moonshine stills are likely
to prove the heritage OF every Unit
ed States marshal. The question na-
rrally arises why have these
stills not been raided and destroyed.
i Is impossible 10 comprehend the
safeguards that are thrown about a
moonshine still unless one is familiar
with local conditions. The average
moonshiner like your average boot
logger, is a pretty crafty person. It's
Judgment OF human nature IS uner-
ring and his cunning Is almost be-
yond belief, while he has nerve taat
never ialters ion the face Of danger
or exposure. He is surrounded BY
people who are his friends and who
believe that any man has the riaAt
@ make whlskey ana sell it If he
wants to and the officer who inter-
fcrcs does not better his community
any by interfering 1t Is almost i'm
possible to convict Il moonshincr an
less he Is caught red-handed al his
still. And this is hard TO do for i Is
poorly guarded still that does not
have enough scouts out to notify the
operator that officers are coming.
There is mighty little inducement
for officers to raid stills 1t means
4 fight eyerytime 1t is undertaken
and moonshincrs are desperate men.
Still Costs Little
II does not cost much to begin Oh.
Grating a still. Not so long ago a
small but complete still could be
secured for $40. 1t can be carried
ty two men or Il can be packed on
mule or hauled in light wagon
anywhere It Is so constructed hat
Il can be placed on cooking stove
- kitchen and liquor making
started at once. Such still has a
capacity OF between Two and three
gallons OF white liquor per day. A
Eioonshiner operating such a still as
this can SHIFT his base Of operations
AZ will He can carry it to neigh
bor's house or hide ii in moments
notice. AT the same time his opera
tons are scarcely interfered with.
The larger stills, of which very
few are running, have capacity of
Is gallons per day. A barrel of
liquor Is considered a pretty good
weeks work. Where ii Is retailed
II sells for rs cents per pint or $5
Per gallon. To establish his kind Of
still costs about S4O0 and requires
considerable preparation They are
therefore located in the most seere-
tive places and carefully guarded.
A Way OF Tracing Moonshiners
II is difficult matter TO market
he products Of the stills sometimes.
OFTEN the barrels, partly filled with
liquor are iloated down stream to
a point where they can be hauled out
and taken to an accessible market
The malt from which the liquor is
made frequently ge's into the stream
and will drift for miles This 5 a
fsYorite way Of tracing the stills and
officers viii often follow a malt trail
tor miles up the stream.
In hunting through the Kiamachi
range one will often come across a
small patch OF pop corn and won6er
why i was planted there and how the
owner win ever get ii to market.
asked how he expected to get his
corn to market one old mountaineer
not long ago replied rim barrels"
fis answer was to the point for that
corn was o be made into moonshine
whiskey.
Nearly every mountaineer knows
how 10 make moonshine whisky.
They inherit the knowledge and the
custom will never be permitted to
Gle out until the present occupants
or the Kiamichi are forced 10 make
way for a new and higher type OF
civilization.
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