Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1919-07-10

The. traffic in moOnshine whisky In
,lie mountain Businesses OF Kentucky
and Tennessee continues undated, de-
spite the efforts of the government to
out an end to the Illicit diStillation OF
liquor In some quarters the volume
of business done by the moonshiners
has even increased. Their output has
been supplying thousands of peo-
pie with "booze" in an otherwise "dry"
territory.
The moonshiners are desperate men
and skilled marksmen. They have
succeeded in concealing their stills in
the forbidding mountains of the South,
end their friends and neighbOrs are
banded together to protect the indus
try. Lookouts stationed in the wood
ed valleys and i'm the Shadowy receSseS
scan every approach and are prepared
TO shoot first and ask questions after
ward. 1t is for these reasons that Off
GERS Of the internal revenue depart
nenl, Familiarity known to the moon
sinners az 'revenuers," have failed to
stop the industry. Many government
officers have met death in their unsuc-
cesSfuI efforts to locate the mountain
stills and to arrest the moOnshiners.
p. ohibition Aids Moonshiners.
The moonshine business has been
made an unusually tiourishing bust
ness recently because of the numerous
localities that have gone 'dry" as a
re. ut Of local option laws. Despite
the heavy penalties for operating
still there have been few convictions.
Tie center OF the moonshine district
l.: in Kentucky and comprises Clay,
Laurel. Leslie, Knox and Jackson coun-
ties. These neighboring counties are
in the southeastern part of the state,
and bUt Il short distance from the
Tennessee line. 1t has been estimated
thar there are at least 20 moonshine
stills in Clay county.
In Clay county, home of feudists,
where for years good craftsmanship
has been the only price of safety to
members of the fighting families, the
mnOn-hiners and their associates are
said tn he more numerous than in any
other part of the state. London in
|. urcl county Is the nearest railroad
point TO the heart of the mOonShne
district.
Travellers are not welcomed in the
moonshine country. A stranger tour
ing the mountains can expect at any
mumVnt to see rifle barrel CLEAN
from ont of the underbrush and mt the
Same time receive a warning to Leave.
Should the visitor. however, be youch-.
ed for 10y mountaineerS who can guar
antre that he is not a "revenuer,
curious stranger or possible enemy
to The inOonShine industry, he is free
to enter the danger zone. Very few
strangers, however, can secure this
personal guarantee of safety.
Raise Their own Corn.
The moonshiners raise their own
carl to be used in the manufacture of
whisky. While the mountaineers
n!airt&il that the corn is raised for
commercial purposes and for fodder,
very little Of the grain Is devoted to
these ends.
The moonshine business thrives in
the urtumn after the crops have been
harvested. In the spring and summer
the stills are not operated extensively,
owing 10 the fact that the moonslliners
are bu:iiy engaged in taking care Of
their grain and garden truck. During
the day the men spend most Of their
time in the little mountain villages.
After nightfall, however, they gather
around the stills. When darkness
GENES the smoke from the fires is not
visible and as result detection is not
easy.
The mOuntaineers of the moOnShine
districts are supplemented, but hos
pi,abIc. They will take the stranger
in. feed him and keep him overnight.
lie is watched continually, however.
The houses are mostly one-stOry log
cabins. There are no carpets and the
pl,nks in the floors have wide cracks
between them. Despite their Illicit
business, the moonshiners are devOut
churci,coers. Every Sunday they go to
the nearest church. Sometimes a
muon;iner may meet an enemy In
church. They will leave the service
and shoot at each other with big-cali-
Der r.rolvers. If one of the mountain
ecrs is lucky enough to survive the
shooting affair, he may return to
church and hear the rest of the SER
mon.
Lawsuits Popular In Mountains.
The moonshiners take great pleasure
in going to court. They will bring
lawsuit against neighbOr on the
slightest pretense The man who loses
will likely secure revenge by shooting
the winner.
The accurate shooting of the manu-
facturrrS of "mountain dew" make 1t
difficult to arrest the moonshiners, and
revenue officers have frequently hidden
in the mountains until the mountain
GERS have left tbs still before enter
ing the llarlts. The government agents
9eeb to destroy the copper coil in
which The vap0f is condensed. These
coils are difficult to replace, as they
have to be brought from Ohio, which
is nearly 200 miles from the moonshine
district.
City dealers will not always sell coils
to mountaineers, and as a result the
moonshiners often have been forced
to employ a confederate to make
the purchase for them. When the coil
finally has been secured, the moonshin-
er has The difficult task of taking II
home unobserved, ARRIVING at LONDON