Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-08-08
RAIDS STILLS or
M0ONSR|NERS
VETERANREVENUE AGENT TELLS
OF STIRRING INCIDENTS IN
NORTH CAROLINA.
KIRKPATRICK WRITES
Scares Negro Who Was Attending
Illicit Still-Asked to Address
The Old Soldiers and
Settlers.

A letter has been received by G. b.
Huyck. 100 Iowa avenue, from SAINT
Kirkpatrick at Greensboro, N. c., IN
which the we'll known agent of the
internal revenue service tells OF ex-
periences in chasing mConshiners.
The wide acquaintance of the writer
lends public interest to MS letter
which follows:
Greensboro, N. c., Aug. 5, 191l.
I sometimes say that I'm not FORM
ing new associations, just renewing
old acquaintances. Thus, | might say
that l like better to take care OF OLD
correspondents rather than be hunt'
ing around for new ones.
Raids Still Country.
What have been doing for q
month past? AS an enemy to evil
doors I have not been idle, my war
with crime and criminals still goes on.
| would lead montonous life without
two or three scalps dangling from my
belt and the war paint rubbed on.
Tuesday last week was called to
Reedsville, N. c., twenty-four miles
away. From there took private con-
veyance fifteen miles in the country
and destroyed an entire moonshine
outfit. The still and worm had been
removed from the furnace and hid In
the woods, but the old sleuth and
scout raided rs hiding pace. 1t was
g. fifty gallon copper still, capped worn,
one worm tub, eight fermenters, and
six hundred gallons Of beer.
The operator had raised small
crop of rye and instead of taking it to
the mill and having it ground into
-four to be used for bread In family
of eight, he had soured the whole
crop with q view of making rye
flicker"
After emptying the beer into the
creek, the whole looked like q stream
of buttermilk. The operator Is still at
large, but will be apprehendea later
on. .,.
Repeats the Visit.
Night before last I was called to the
same town, and at a. M, the follow
ing morning was eighteen miles In the
country, where by a diagram furnish
ed by negro preacher we quickly To-
Gated the still, seventy-five gallon at:
fair. one cap, two worms, and two
worm tubs, nine fermenters and four
hundred gallons Of beer. There were
three of us, and for two and half hours
we lay in ambush, waiting the return
of the distiller and sure enough, just
as the day had fairly dawned he came,
a big burly negro, Weighing about two
hundred pounds. l could almost see
him with my glass eye. He was sure
footed, and came down the path as
quietly as a gum shoe politician.
Scare Moonshiner. ..
l was to flush the game. He poked
up the fire under the still. He seemed
happy, got in a meditative mood, as II
reckoning the profit to be derived from
the days work. The growing Of an
old rooster at a nearby farm house re-
minded me of Peters epistle and that
was to break the stiffness Of the air
and the monotony OF the occasion by
firing signal from 3S caliber rife,
and "spang" went Whistling Dick, i'm.
mediately followed by q fusillade OF
the ether boys and Mum Graves, the
negro, jumped fully ten feet in the
air, coming down heavy end first,
full a quarter of an hour elapsed be-
fore We could persuade Mum that he
had not been touched, he claiming
tEdI over one uuHuTeu UdllS uAu pleIC-
ed his body. Mum was enveloped in
powder smoke, but every shot went
fully thirty feet wide of him.
The foregoing is only a very mild
happening as compared with some Of
my experiences with these people.
Colored men as rule are used as lab.
orers in the operation of these gin
stills.
l am invited to attend the picnic of
the old soldiers and settlers Of Wap-
clio county to be held in Ottumwa in
August. may not be there in body,
but will be looking around in the
spirit. Will prepare a paper addressed
to the Daughters of the American
Revolution" Although am ineligible
in the order still I may have some
thing to say that will interest some
body.
Tell all the boys to use their influ-
ence to keep my name off the death
roll as long as possible.
With kind remembrances,
Sa1- III,