Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-04-08
SAYS MOONSHINERS
AT WORK IN OREGON
Revenue Officer Tells of Suspicious
Circumstances Which Tend to
Prove This.

That real DID, unadultered white
"licker" the identical counterpart of
that manufactured in the mountains in
the southern states by the mOonshiners,
is being turned out in this state daily, |
is the statement made today by gov
ernment revenue officer whose name is
withheld from publication by request.
The guardian of Uncle Sam s revenue
laws on liquor, arrived from the south
this morning and related the results of
a search made in and near Leaburg and
Vending, Lane county, Oregon, two lit
tie towns located on the Mckenzie and
the Mohawk rivers, in the fastnesses
of the foothills and an almost impreg' |
nable growth Of timber and underbrush.
He declares that there are several
"stills" in operation in this neighbor-
hood and the operators are without
doubt old hands at the business from
the fact one is unable to proceed for
any distance after certain points have
been reached unless he actually chops
his way through the brush and tangle
of vines barring access to the heart Of
the territory in which the unlawful
liquor manufacturers operate. The Of
ficer states that he has been advised by
hunters and trappers along the Mcken-
zie river and the Mohawk that they
have been halted at the point Of a rifle
and questioned as to their business in
being in that vicinity Of the country
and says that several men have been
warned to keep out Of the district un'
less they "didn't want to get hurt"
On other occasions, the revenue man
declares that other people have been
shot at by unknown parties near Wend-
ling and Leaburg whether by accident
or Intentionally they did not know. New
ertheless, he says, lead whistled by their
ears several times and the man behind
the gun was not far away either.
An attempt will be made shortly to
rout these moonshiners out, stated the
revenue man, but to venture in too
closely without means Of information,
would no doubt result disastrously, he
says. Just where the illegally'made
liquor is distributed cannot be ascer
tanned by the officer as yet, but the
makers have some method If transfer
ring it to market which will be difficul
to solve.
When questioned as to whether or no
> there might be a mistake in defininI
7 the attitude of the men who warned
strangers to remain away, the office
, said:
"Old time residents along the Mo
hawk and the Mckenzie rivers tell mi
that there is no one living in the mids
Of all that brush and timber and If they
did, there would be no occasion to drivt
! a stranger away, as the place is no
worth stealing, and an ordinary sports
5 man out for a few birds is not likel.
| to any great amount of damage. Thcs
l strangers have not only warned sports
: men, but timber cruisers have also beei
l question closely by the mOuntaineers a
r to their business, etc. Another thin
t which leads me to believe still is be
i ing operated in this territory is tina
e different loggers who are not able t
leave for town and who are so far ava
: from any liquor that it is almost in
possible to obtain any, have bee
known to be as drunk as owls for day
OF course, it is impossible to get info
Il nation from them in the event they ar
] patrons Of a moonshiner."