The Washington herald., 1913-10-26
MOONSHINING in GEORGIA ON NANE

old miller knew what the meal was for.
1t was general knowledge that we
mountain folks made our living out OF
blockading
when 1 was a right peart spit of a
lad first saw the revenuers at work. as
1 can remember. One night was just
going from our cabin to the well 70
draw some water. remember nav
told me to bring It In the big, old wooden
bucket we had, instead OF the smaller
one she used to keep the spring water
IN The moon was high that night. and
as got near the well, which was about
nifty yards from the house, on q bee
line, l saw two fellows standing near
the worm fence which surrounded our
place.
hohered, which is mountain fashion
of welcoming folks at night, but they
didn't answer. Instead, both of them
took to their heels and made on. Now,
that amt the way folks act in the hills,
and went back into the house bnd told
nav.
Paw got back from the settlement
about moon-down. and i told him wha.
l had seen. He couldn't make head or
tail Of IL. Long about 4 o'clock in the
morning-frst candlelight time-I was
awakened by a knock on the door OF our
cabin, and there stood two men. with
short derringer pistols in their hands.
"One OF them yanked me outside and
asked If my paw was at home. Before
I could answer, there was paw. He asked
the men who and what they were, and
they displayed badges Of some sort, and
said they were Federal officers They
told paw he was under arrest for making
and selling contraband whisky against
the statute provided by the Federal laws
of the United States.
Paw said he guessed 1t was all right,
and then went back into the cabin, say
ing he wanted to get his coat before he
started down the mountain with them.
Mind you, that was the first time in
probably fifteen years that any one had
ever molested my paw and my uncles,
much less sought their arrest
Wen, paw took long time in put
ting on his coat. In fact, when the rev.
enuers got tired waiting they went in
side the cabin to hustle paw up, but paw
was gone. The. back door showed the
way he had gone and how.
Them revenuers was pretty sore in
spots for while, and wanted to hold
me as a witness, but nav she begged
on for me, but 1 was told to be ready
to go down the mountain at any time
as Witness-if paw was caught.
Il remember that next fortnight well.
Paw had to hide out'-as we call IL in
the mountains. We carried him supplies
along the little-used trails, and kept
him in touch with things until the reve-
nuers left the hills. Then paw and my
uncles, both knowing they were sort of
marked men, kept right on with the
still work, but they never again tried
to do much more than make enough for
their own and their neighbors' use.
Il started moonshining when 1 was
about sixteen years old, helping paw
and Uncle Ben and Uncle Hill. They
used to make me watch pot as they
call II, and keep the worm-water cool
I'd have to carry water from the spring
and pour it over the coils of the cop
per worm about every fifteen minutes.
1t was hot and tiresome work, but
learned the craft well and got my
schooling from practical sources.
Il blockaded for years. Last winter
1 gave 1t up for good and all when the
revenuers got me. 1 used to make SIS a
day at 1t, while / was working. But
having to hide out that way made the
work just sort Of OF and on so that
my earnings were kind of like a gam
bler's. When I worked / made good
money but my sort Of work was scarce
You can believe 1t or not but I have