The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-09-01
], FoRREs ~. rAIRnATr

~ FORBES w. EAIRRAIRN
& London. Aug. Earthquakes
Whiskey' u the newest name fol
Irish moonShtne. Manufacture OF the
Illicit ''potheen." - the Irish call It
goes m4rrily on In Ireland despite
spectors to check II. It's, q more or.
ganixed industry than the Kentucky
moonshiners ever dreamed Of, and the
product IN sold, according TO Irish,
men. themselves. throughout the
length and breadth OF the Emerald
Isle.
Its q characteristic Irish industry
that Of "potheen'" making. 'Potheen.'
by the way. means the same In Irish
As '.moonshine'' does in Kentuckian.
1t Il called Republican whiskey" be.
cause It pays no duty to the Imperial
Exchequer. It Is made In the out-of-
| the way places---in the picturesque,
isolated and sequestered districts far
of the beaten path and practically
| unknown to the average tourist. And
II liz also made right under the nose
and eyes of the law. in practically
every province in ireland. Even In
loyal Ulster it is said to be a thriv-
| ing industry. But it's in the bogs
| and the fens, amidst the crags and
| the dells FAR off the track of travel
that most of the Irish firewater IS
| produced.
A young military organization
/ makes and distributes the liquor
! Scouts are posted to look out for the
| police and the excise officers The
| general in command changes thesa
guards at regular intervals while
''the pot" is on. And it is highly dan
| gerous to go out unarmed to arrest
| the "6istillers' for a breach OF the
| Irish revenue laws.
| Islands In the middle OF lake are
| excellent spots, for the erection and
| operation OF stills Here none car
approach without giving warning and
the still and all the evidence OF illici;
manufacture can easily he removed
| before discovery.
! On one occasion the police sus'
pected certain island contained an
Illicit still that produced great guam
titles of the ''hootch." They made
numerous raids, all carefully planned
Dead o. night with muffled oars did
no good. They simply weren't cut,
enough to catch the mouse who per
sisted In playing. the wiles and STRAIT
j egy of the cat Notwithstanding. Tina
still can only be reached by secret
passaEeway known only to the dis
tillers. and so far they have eluded al
I attempts at capture.
"Potheen" has a kick In il worse
than the we'll known government mule
when II is not properly matured
II is liquid fire with an ahominahlt
flavor but. boy, ii stands right up or
its hind legs and slaps one in the face
One glass is guaranteed to break NJ
the most affectionate home in tn.
world That is, except among tbs
boys who are brought UP on H.
"Potheen" makers are not content
with making small quantities of the
'juice," Operations are often con
Quoted on a very large scale. Fot
instance, a few weeks ago the police
seized 500 gallons of wash in a West
of Ireland farmyard. "Potheen" Is
distilled from wash.
The high cost and scarcity of whis
key does not affect the population
in those districts where 'potheen" IL
manufactured Moreover the distil,
! lers are now believed To have agents
! in various parts Of the country, whC
Offer to supply saloonkeepers with as
much as they desire. AS there liz nt
! duty paid IL is sold a, very reasonah bis
! prices, considering the present pros,
teering charges
"Potheen" varies in quality As Ill
, must be distilled with the utmost
rapidity owing to the possibilities OF
calls by the constabulary. 1t is otter
very inferior stuff.
Some of the manufacturers make 4