The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1916-03-12
MANY ILLICIT
STILLS FOUND
IN MOUNTAINS
Of North Carolina, Tennessee,
Kentucky, Virginia and
Other States.

MiOttGANTON, \. c.. Mar 18th
mountains OF Tennessee. North Caro-
lima, Virginia and Kentucky are full
OF Illicit dIstlIlcrs of whiskcy. Thei
stills usually ara located in ravine
and almost inaccessible save to thOs
acquainted with the surrounding
mountains. their primitive roads ant
rough passes; so there In strenuous
game OF hide and seek between tia
distlllerS and the revenue officers.
II officers locate or suspect the To-
cation Of an Illicit still. their ap
pr0ach Is known generally when they
arc miles distant Nearly every man
woman and child in the district Is &
lookout" Suspicious strangers pass
iii innocent looking mOuntainccr. who
seemingly Is chopping wood or SPUR.
rel hunting. and he passes along the
word. a woman may he drawing wat
er from spring, or a boy or girl com-
Ing from school. and by underground
wire flashes. Revenue 0fIlcers!"
Quickly certain number OF shots will
he fired. or seemingly n dog will bark
In peculiar manner The wireless
IL on Its way and the alarm will be
carried for miles.
When night comes on Il rocket may
he fired from a prominent ridge or
elevation. lantern waved. the loud
boot OF IN owl or the note Of whip
| noOrwill sounded or the twinkling Of
n light shown from distant cabin
window. and In few minutes every
body In any way interested Is wise
to the fact that officers are in the
vicinity.
Difficulty OF Pursuit.
The 'moonshiners" by short cut
save miles Of rough travelling over
which the revenue officers have to
trudge. When they reach the Zslls-
pected location, the still has vanished.
With such system the officers are
cup against IT," Their work is even
more difficult in winter. because the
hardy mountaineers are perfectly at
home in the deepest snow and the
coolest weather.
Several days before the liquor is
to be distilled a LOCATION Is prepared.
the cornmeal and barrels are carried
there OIL The "moonshiners' shoulders
and the mash is mixed for fermenta-
ton. The still is not taken in at this
time. nor does any one approach the
spot until the time needed for the
meal to terment has passed. Then.
at night. the still Is carried in, and
before daylight several runs" are
made. II there is the slightes: sus-
picion that revenue officers are in the
vicinity the still Is carried out and.
most likely. will be put in operation
in some neighboring ravine next
night.
Cheap and Portable.
! Illicit distIlling Is sometimes car
ried on for weeks in very secluded
place. Cheap. portable stills are In
general Use. for when the revenue of
/ flcers capture one II is destroyed, re-
CARELESS OF size or cost, and every
drop of the liquor and "beer"-fer-
mented meal before distlllation-ia
spilled.
Often a number OF stills arc in oper-
alton in the same district. The cheap
est one la left for the revenue men
/ 10 find easily. so that. thinking their
work done. they may leave the others
TO run. The officers have discovered
this trick, but as often as they learn
one ruse. the resourcefll "moonshin-
trs" invent another.
Occasionally liquor is made in the
homes, generally in a basement or
cellar. so arranged that the smoke
from the furnace arises from the
chimney OF the house. But this is
growing less frequent: II is more
I risky: there is no chance for the
householder to deny ownership OF the
still.
"NTean Liuuur."
The old fashioned still and worm
process. by which pure liquor can only
be made, has fallen into disuse. In
the scramble to escape the revenue
officers. any improvised stills are used.
some OF them made from milk cans
nr gasoline tanks No wonder that
the "whiskev" thus distilled Is known
ns mean liquor" To make II mean
CT end more biting the neal Is adu1-
terated with I've. plug tobacco and
other such ingredients. so that bush
ri OF meal yields rlore than its prop
or quantllm.
a mistaken idea is prevalent that
the monnshiners arc a dangerous
class. willing TO risk death rather than
capture; but generally speaking they
puhmIt quietly 10 capture and mako
sure to avoid injury to the officers Of
attempt to kill them. Us they realize
that this means only longer prison
sentence. II not death.
Under a new law every man found
al an illicit still can be captured and
Is chased aB "blockader." even
though he has no interest in the out
I'll, and may be only customer.
A Foot Race.
The moonshiners. instead OF resist
tng the officers, prepare one avenue
OF escape. which is used in every In
stance. unless they are taken hy COM
plete surprise. They know that the
officers have no authority to shoot
them and that the shots are only a
bluff. so 1t becomes foot race. They
l., We previously obstructed the line OF
their retreat with brush. logs and
rocks designed 10 retard the officers.
MoonshIners sometimes start forest
fires to protect themselves from dis
cnvery. because oftentImes revenue
officers lncate stills nv the smoke. even
at distance OF MANY miles. So with
the mountains On Arc. and the air
filed with sr1nke 'hn mnnnsf1iners
ire safe from detection by the smoke
from their furnaces.