Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-02-20
at Don't Seem Jest Right, -
Says John B. Ingram, Noun
taineer, in Prison.

This is no treatise on the pros and
cons of the illicit distilling question.
1t doesn't even attempt to go into the
question of right and wrong in such
cases made and provided as the gov
eminent statutes have it. 1t simply
deals with personality; just man
great hulking figure of a man, some
six feet in his stocking feet A man
who. as his own simple words declare,
raised family in the fear of God and
the light of reason"
The mans name is John B. Ingram.
Believe it or not though he's a native
Georgian, he can trace his ancestors
back further than most of us can. He
knows he has Crusader blood in his
veins. His face shows intelligence, his
movements are alert, his physique, la
Dor worn, is still that of fighting
man.
He's in Jail now-branded by the gov
eminent as a ''moonshiner" He lays
no claim to being anything else than
that with which he is charged He's
a moonshiner and he confesses to hav-
ing been caught in the act of working
in" a still. Not laboring about the
place or making mash. but just prepar-
ing to go into the illegal business Of
making corn whisky. He and a band Of
men up in Union county, where he was
caught, he declared, were all interested
in the still The copper kettles had
been paid for by a man who escaped
the heavy hand of the Federal officers.
Betrayed by Friends.
When Ingram was caught-he de
clared he was turned up by his
friendS-he was told to go down the
mountain to the Jail. stand trial in the
court and do his term in the PENN
return for which his friends would
stand by him and provide his wife and
his three children, none over nine years
of age, with wood and bread
Taking the word of those friends,
Ingram went down the mountain, was
brought to Atlanta and here he is now.
His friends have not given his wife
wood and bread" They have evident
ly forgotten the little mountain family
and left them all but destitute. In
gram was arrested January 10. Since
that time not one cent has been turned
over to the little group of sufferers in
the Georgia hills The cook stove has
been sold; Ingram tore the fraternity
pin he wore from his coat and sent the
little gold badge back to the sheriff of
the county in which he was arrested
70 sell-so that his wife and babes
might have food Eviction stares the
little family in the face. The father
and provider is held under the Illicit
distiliing charge in bail of $500. He
hasn't cent in the world nor VIII his
old-time friends stand bail for him.
To Ask For Leniency.
In his pitiful drawl, he told a reporter
Amt no use to send a lawyer down
here. | can't fee no lawyer to help me
out'n here. I'll jst go before the judge
in the March term and take Whatever
dose is comm to me. They amt no
hope tibet I'll git off, but I'm goin' to
ask for leniency.
"This is my first time up here and
with my family starvin' and things
goin' to the dogs on my place down
near Blairsville, | can't see very far
ahead, that's a fac.
I'm guilty of what they charge
against me- l swear up to five years
ago | never knew that it wasn't right
to make corn whisky out n your corn
if you wanted to.
"When they arrested an old neighbor
Of mine down there that five year ago
found out that it wasn't right to make
the stuff, but | didn't believe I'd be
held lust because | made corn whisky
for our barnraisn' and home use.
seems pretty tough tibet can't get
out'n here to go back home and help
things along. Seems faint jest, right. |
But | amt complainin'. III take my
medicine and won't holler But it don't
seem Jest right
among the wardens and the officials |
around the county Jail that same spirit |
of amt jest right seems 10 percolate
thoroughly and systematically
Now, draw your own sermons,