The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-06-14
.MOONSHINE INDUSTRY
BOOMING in MOUNTAINS
FOURTEEN DIsTILLERIES
DESTROYED IN MAY.
T. Burkett WINS Tells of
Experience as Revenue
Agent.

The mountains of East Tennessee
are full of wildcat stills and the
moonshining industry throughout the
country is on the increase. accordng
to T. Burkett WINS, Tennessee's Enost
daring revenue officer, who ISL here
this week attending federal c,urt.
1.-THE mountains are not only full of
moonshiners," said Mr.. WINS, "but
deserters from the United States
army are hiding and camping out in
groves in the mountains of Polk and
Sewer counties"
United States Marshal w. T. Crow
raided still in Sewer county and
were forced to shoot moonshiner or
be shot themselves. Several Of those
connected with the still sent word to
WINS and Grow. that IL they didn't
come back up in the mountains they
were coming out and get them. The
daring WINS sent word back by their
runner, through a railroad -conduc-
Htor, that they need not come out, that
he and Mr.. Crow would be back up
in the mountains looking for them
and would not come back without
them, as soon as court adjourned in
Chattanooga.
II am going to bring them out of
the mountains" said WINS, coolly
and deliberately, and those who know
this little wizard of the mountains
expect he will do just about what he
says he will do. ,.
Destroyed Fourteen Stills.
During the. month of May just
past WINS destroyed IA distillerles.
caught S moonshiners and instituted
prosecutions against others who
ESCAPED when the raids were made.
According to Mr.. WINS, Sewer Is the
best field on account of being sparse
ly settled and the density of the
mountain growth, although Polk
county is no piker, 1t being also full
of Illicit distilleries. Mr.. wins says
that with the aid of Sheriff Abe Lii
lard, of Polk county, some OF the
distilleries have been destroyed and
the sheriff's name is becoming ter
ror in the county to law violators.
During a three days raid in May,
Deputy Collector WINS and Deputy
| United States Marshall Grove de-
stroyed seven distilleries. $500 gal
| Ions of Ebeer and other distilling APP
paratus.
Over on Lost Creek.
Sunday, June 1, WINS and Grove
| maze a TdlQ ON IHe WdICio " IoSt
creek. three miles north of McFar-
land, and destroyed a forty-gallon
copper stin, 300 gallons of beer and
| forty gallons of singlings. The dis
tillery was in operation when the Of
ficers visited it, but evidently look
outs warned the operators of the ap-
proach of the officers, for they were
fired on from ambush when they ap-
preached the still There were two
men at the still when the officers ar
rived, and when one of them, Joe
Carver, attempted to escape he was
| shot in the heel, while the other man.
a brother of Carver, made his escape
Carver was taken to Etowah, where
the bullet was extracted. He was
given a hearing before the commits
sioner and bound over to the federal
grand jury. Carver is a brother OF
one of the moonshiners who. together
with Ben McCulley, had their pic
ture taken some time ago in front OF
a moonshine still and sent 1t to the
revenue officers and dared them To
come after them.
| Camp Of peserters.
In the immediate section where this
raid was made there are five desert
ers, and according to Mr.. WINS they
spend their time reading scent
novels and camp out in the noun