The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1913-08-09
M0ONSH|NERSALERT
Strangers Swallowed in Certain
West Virginia Districts.
They Often Can Be Very Generous
Information Concerning Illicit Dis
tiIlers II 10 Well for Visitors
to Possess.

Pocahontas, w. Va. The merry
moonshiner is a picturesque character
on his native heath, possessed OF all
the cunning Of a hunted deer-shrewd
and suspicious and as dangerous as
edged tools in the hands OF novice
to those suspected of having evil de-
signs upon his peace and welfare. but
generous to a fault toward those who
he is satisfied are his friends. He Will
shoot at the drop Of a hat or divide
his last meal, as the case may be. no
stranger comes around into these
mountains without being Swallowed
from the time he comes in until he
departs and is we'll out Of the country,
writes a Pocahontas CIV. Val CORE
srondent Every stranger Is regarded
as a government spy until he is proved
to be otherwise beyond the shadow
of a doubt. A perfect system OF
espionage is In vogue and no man can
expect to come in and go out Gnherald-
ed. Me may not know 1t, but the
watchful mountaineers in the nelgn-
borhood keep the strictest tab on mis-
movements At the first demonstra-
ton revealing his mission he Is met,
Unexpectedly to himself. and shot, or
commanded to move out of the country
at once.
No stranger can buy whisky face to
face with the seller. Not even in case
of snake bite will he sell it that way
II one wants a jug or bottle OF this
young and peppery mountain produc'
there is a way to get it, however JUS
casually remark in the hearing OF
native that it would require gallon
jug of real, genuine moonshine Il
make you happy and he will find way
out of the dilemma for you. He VII
solemnly declare to you that he hash
the most remote idea where there Il
an Illicit distillery and he does no
know any one that deals in the stun
but he is of the opinion that II yo
leave the jug and the price of a gallo1
of the fluid at a given point you ma
get some relief. 1t is remarkable wha
a night will bring forth in case
this sort. In the morning the none
is gone and the whisky is in the jus
And such whisky! 1t is almost colol
less and looks harmless. but woe I
1 the man who drinks 1t out OF a Il
: cup. He takes the contract OF a sol
I " progressive and retrospective ia,
The first day he is delightfully."- DRUM
q the second day he becomes mean. tn
. third day he Is a maudlin. cryin
q drunk. and then 1t takes two or thre
y DAYS to ascend the scale to state
sobriety. One deep, gurgling dra
will do all this. It takes a native
the manner born" to know how
< imbibe this product Of the worn" ar
live to look unfiinchingly In the ey'
=. of his friends. He touches 1t lightly.
The moonshiner has a plausible d
Tense for his unlicensed night wor
He says he has to do 1t to live. Tn
lie country, being high and backward
Ie the spring, produces unlimited guam
; ties of peaches. Being miles al
of miles from railroads or other mea
,r Of transportation. they cannot be m'
n keted The same is true OF apple
d. corn, wheat and rye. The next be
ST thing is to convert these commoditi
g. into a product which can be transpo
e. ed to market and which is valuat
e. in condensed form, and the most &C
venient and profitable thing Is to cc
70 vert them into whisky and shirk t
a government duty. The moonshin
argues, If one can get an expressi