Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-12-23
THREE large STILLS
FOUND AT LAKESIDE
Forty Barrels Of Mash and One
Prisoner Arc Taken
in Raid.
MO0NSHINE GUARD ESCAPES
Illicit Plant Camouflaged by
Pine Needles and Boughs
in Deep Gully.

Unfolding q new chapter in moon
shine raids. Internal revenue AGENTS
last might Within i've miles OF Viz
-inia's state Capitol, half mile north
of the Lakeside Road, f"rrctcd out the
secret haunts of m0Onsh!ncrs, found
three large stills and forty barrels o.
mash ana dealt tho heaviest blow TO
Illicit liquor trai,ickcrs about Rich
mond in recent. years.
As . result of the raid Henry
Harris. negro IS under arrest. ana
search is being prosecuted FOR another
negro, Nathan Grey, who escaped from
lone guard. fleeing across the snow
covered wood armed with Il rifle and
dc:ying capture
Moving swiftly seven government
officers and Detective l.. II. Hal. Of
the Third Police station, South Side.
FOUND the fires under the great copper
boilers stili burning ana the discovery
Of food leads the officers To the belief
that the stills were bcing worked three
shi!ts OF eight hours cach daily by
.tn organized band.
Follow Eo"tprint Trail.
Working on Il tip. the officers drove
10 di!apIdatcd farmhouse, where they
found licury Harris. He avcrrcd he
lived thcr. alone sud denied KNOW
tho nCighboTNood. officers came upon
a barrel OF lime, which, Il Was stated
~ used by moonshiners 10 destroy the
scent OF mash This strcngthcncd the
suspicious OF the slcuths, and their
Investigation took them outdoors.
Following footprint leading from
Harris cabin TO nearby creek, the
revenue agents discovered an aban-
Goncd siti and further down the
stream thoy came. upon several kegs,
evidently placed there TO be cicanscd.
~ ,hs tuncturc 81 negro. walking
along tho top OF ridge with rifle
under his arm. was Intercepted and
a e. med hgrf 1t, n
formation to his intcrroGators. He
gave TIE name "t Nathan Grey.
Hidden D.. Cam"uMarc.
II Grey had no, beer, wearing.
style his SILENCE might have bafiicd the
officers Eut The pattern. cut deep
into the snow. enabled the investi-
gators to trace mis- footsteps into a
gully, over Well beaten trail Ten
feet away stood an enormous still
camouiiaScd under shelters OF hourhs
and pine needles. Two other stills
We're uncarthcd. with rows OF barrels
II mash hiddcn under the boughs. y
ire burned hr.ssly under one Sill.
ANA the nd"r of mash WAS easily de-
tectcd The mash was in various
stages OF manufacture. and some OF i,
would have bccu raw whisky by morn
inS. II is declared If the raid had not
sfmpnrd It's manufacture.
Thoi The greatest surprise OF all
@rcetcl the eight officers They found
and the water conveyed through pipes
10 the most convenient place for use
hy the, distillerS Food was abundant
cgs.
Auto Driver Questioned.
Trees had been cut down. but invcs-
legation disclosed the fact that fuel had
hr"n nau!cG from other sections for
us. Every physical factor about the
siiils afforded protection from prying
'N'S, and even The topography was
typical of Kentucky moUnshininE meth
m automobile drove into tho wood
w hlc III" officers were inspecting Tho.
suits. The driver was ques;io hut
h" Insisted that he came to see abou,
sumo fuel he Was having hauled. How
Grey and Harris were left in the Gus
i"dy OF guard while the rcmaindcr
% 4. ne reycnne agents returned to
Nichmond I" secure warrants for the
arrest or the two negroes. Grey man
a@ed to clnde the guard. taking with
were employed by a Richnonder whose
identity was not revealed.
Origin OF Traffic Here
The hSsoption employed by the, moon
tmd the stills and mash The belief
IS adyanced hy the officers that the
ground" traffic with Richmond boot
!cgGcrs and that much of the Corn"
whisky which has poured into this city
come from this source. ''"
At the current price OF Christmas
moonshinc whisky of $50 a quart. il is
aNcrrcd that the seizures yesterday
amountcd to several thousands Of dol
. lars The officers believe the Illicit
business. judging the quantity OF mash
being fermentcd Automobiles loaded
with revenue men and trucks TO bring
back the copper stills as evidence were
dispatched from Richmond last night.
inc TASK OF destroying the forty bar
hours OF the morning. The three
stills were so large that two men
could not lift any one OF them from
the ground.