The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-12-27

a night will bring forth IL q case Uf
this sort. In the morning the money
is gone and the whiskey is In the jug.
And such whisky! It Is almost col
orless and looks harmless but woe to
the man who drinksit out of a tin
cup. He takes the contract of sort
Of progressive and retrospective jag.
The first day lie is delightfully."- drunk
the second day he becomes mean, the
third he is maudiin, crying drunk
and then it takes':wo or tthree days
10 ascend the scale to state Of So
briefly. One deep, gurglins draught
will do all this. 1t takes-a native to
the manor born" to know now to
mbibe this product Of the worm"
and live to look untlinchingly in the
eyes Of his friends. He touches it
lightly.
The moonshiner has a plausible de-
Tense for his unlicensed night work,
He says he has to do IT to live. This
country, being Highland backward in
the spring produces unlimited guam
titles of peaches. Being miles and
miles from railroads or other means
of transportation, they cannot be
marketed. The same is true of ap.
pies, corn, wheat and rye. The next
best thing is to convert these pro-
ducts into commodity which man be
transported to market, and which Is
valuable in condensed form, and
the most convenient and profitable
thing is to make them hlt0 whisky
and shirk the government dutyrfThe
moonshincr argues, one can get ar
expression from in the case, that IL"
government permits its subjectsIto
market the raw products of their
lands without license and he can.
not see the justice of a law that VIII
punish him for changing the. same
products into a more valuable form
and selling it without license. II
is not a matter Of conscience, with
the moonshiner. The only point he
considers is that Of detection an"
capture. The government is regard
d as a prosecutor, and the moon
hiner the injured persons. When a
eyenue officer meets his doom on
ONE lonely by-path. an act of his
aking OF is done without compunc-
ion. He has to be killed and that ts
i'll there is of 1t, SO faras the moon
hincr is concerned.
1t is remarkable what anum5er OF
aountaineers hereaboutsare engaged
n the Manufacture of illicit whisky
Probably a majority Of tile male in
habitants Have some interest in the
natter as makers; statesmen. so be-
tween ana scouts. 1t Is Carried long
distances by out Of the way routes to
villages and settlements where it is
sold in quantities to suit its way into
the coal regions. The ltchlfconsump-
lion is confined largely to TIE logging
camps and social gatherings.
1t is noticeable, however, that COM
yaratiyely few of the moonshtners
yer become intoxicated. In most in
tanccs they imbibe spqringly every
lay and yet, live to be Old, gri2zled
nd gray.a-. Z. .-a.s
Notwithstanding, il Is extremely
hazardous to come into this region
With gun, yet If one is discreet anu
attends strictly to his own business
he is not likely to catch 4 bulletin
his vitals. 1t is extremely dangerous
o be nquisitive about Illicit dtsttl'
!Gries,
4 fow years ago when ] first
anded at this end of civilization, q
hooked nosed native was put on my
trail. He carried a muzzle loading
..iflc and kept suspicious eye on III!
winchester. He appeared in nj!
oath at unexpected times and places,
ne had little to say, but We Hnder-