The Washington herald., 1919-06-15
Wage Bloody
Fights With
Moonshiners
U. S, Conducts Losing Cam
paign Against nlicitly-
Made Whisky TickIing
From Stills In Enormous
Volume.
CONTINUED from FACE ONE.


them for decades by Uncle SANS
revenue army have failed to change
their convictions. They shoot back.
quite as straight as che revenue
men. Nine-tenths of the Casualties
IN the unending Moonshine War are
among the moonshiners
mountain moonshining has pro-
ouced millions Of gallons Of whisky.
But IL has been q comparatively
small business compared 70 the in
oustry that IL taking hold in the
cities.
Moonshine -trusts- are bIo,sou-
ing into being all over the country
new type OF -wfldcatter- is devei-
oping. He's not as dangerous an
eoVersary as the mountaineer. Hes
usually yellow" reluctant 70 use A
gun and correspondingiy afraid on a
gun But the city moonshiner has
Dig financial backing. He's putting
emclency and wholesale methods
INTO Illicit whisky making.
Ine government is planning 70 re-
iniorce its anti-moonshine army II
VIII probably be doubled. They ex-
pect TO win in the war against the
big moonshiner. But revenue m.n
ADMIT they haven't a ghost of a
chance TO put the small family SttII
out of business
Fortunes are going to be made IN
the moonshine industry. One 100
gallon still can turn out 15O GALLON,
or whisky day. Mountaineers now
get s6 TO 81 a gallon: city stiIl own
ers IS to s6 a gallon. That's an
output Of about $1,000 a day.
Retail prices in the south nun all
tne way from IS to SIS a quart. That
means a present maximum retail
selllng price of $4,000 for one DAVIS
run" of l50-galIon still.
War Worse as Moonshine so,r
On the underground booze "ex-
change II is predicted that after
July l the price will soar as hien
as sz5 gallon Il o. b." the stfui
They make mountain moonxhine
out OF corn meal. mostly. City
"wildcatters" usually use sugar and
molasses. They can make high
proof whisky-1eO proof. or so per
cent alcohol And a rectifer OF
Splits can make six gallons grow
where one gallon existed before.
/ a blind man can see from these
figures that Old John BarIevcorn
hasn't lost his grip even il the ma
ton is going dry"
These figures. and the predictions
OF the growing scope Of the indus
try and the alarming situation ex-
lstng in the moonshine war. are au-
I thortauve. got them directly
from revenue agents, chiefs ana
! deputies in the service, and from
moonshiners and booueggers.
Revenue men have no illusions
about the big job Uncle Sam is go
/ ing to have. II isn't settled vet
which branch OF the government is
going to try TO enforce nationwide
prohibition. But the revenue serv-
ice is laying plans to stem the big
offensive" The best guess is that
the department of justice win take
over the iob-with the revenue raid
ing force, the experienced men who
have been fighting moonshiners- for
years. transferred 10 this branch
from the Treasury Department
Airplanes to Help Revenue Army.
Soldiers may be used 10 help. II
has been suggested that sirplsnes
be employed. 1t has practically
been decided to make tests Of the
airplsne's efficiency In hunting
moonshinerS.
Veteran revenue men agree that
the legalized use of beer and wine
would greatly diminish moonshin-
ing that leniency in the courts and
the imposition OF state dry laws
have increased noonshining
There are many more Illicit
whisky stills in the country now
than ever before said H. W. Mayer,
Of Washington. acting chief Of rev.
enue agents of the Treasury De-
partment and head Of Uncle Sans
anti-moonshine army.
TT will be worse after nation
wide prohibition goes into effect.
It's almost impossible TO estimate
the number of Illicit stills now in
operation. The number must be
way up in the thousands.
Since January 1 our men in the
1 Appalachian Mountains alone have
destroyed each month an average OF
400 stills and poured out a monthly
average of %. 600 gallons of whisky"
/ The percentage of captures IL
small against stills abandoned when
the chase gets too hot. Unless a
moonshiner is killed or caught ana
Jailed he's back on the job in a
few days.
$500 sharpshooters Fight Moon
sinners.
Tom Curtis. champion revenue
raider of Georgia, estimates that in
Dawson County. Georgia. at least
1900 gallons Of whisky are pro-
duced every month, Using this fig-
ure as a percentage basis, as against
the stills actually found and de-
stroyed in that county. il is a safe
estimate that at least half a million
gallons of moonshine whisky are
produced every month in the United
States.
the revenue service. Every moon
shine raider is n sharpshooter. They
risk their lives daily. Death traps
are laid for them by mountaineers.
They are shot at from ambush ana
they fight thrilling gun battles. It's
all in the days work. They are
paid s125 a month salary and $3.50
cents a day for expenses!
They wouldn't find one-tenth as
many stills as they a. IL il were not
for tips given by law-abiding citi-
zens and vengeful feudists. SheriTs
and deputies often aid revenue men
in raids. But revenue men say an
alarming number OF sheriffs are ac-
tually allies OF the moonshiners,
| Chief Mayer from Washington d.
rects the government forces in the
Moonshine War through nine dis
ftricts, with headquarters in Rich
mond. Va. Greensboro. N. c.. At
lanta. Ca Huntington. w. Va.
Nashville. Tenn. Louisville. Ky.
Little Rock. Ark. New Orleans. La
and San Antonio. Tex.