Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-12-21

Washington. Dec. 2i.--There js a.
wooded section not far from the ma
tion's capital which was once a fa-
vorIte ground for the good old south-
ern sport OF coon hunting. Some OF
the people thereabouts have been
known to pay ~ high as $3.50 for a
coon dog OF good reputation. In
those parts you might slap "a mans
child and get away with IT, but If you
kick his coon dog il IL case Of fight
or run.
And now most OF those expensive
coon dogs are getting fat and stin in
the joints from lack OF use, and the
coon hunters are all disgruntled. The
reason is not any shortage Of 'coons,
either. The reason is that every
branch and gully which the 'coons use
Is now the home Of a moonshine still,
and II you blunder into a still sud
denly and at night with a gun in your
hand, you are more than likely TO
encounter a charge Of shot.
In some sparsely settled sections
not too far from the great thirsty
cities, there II almost a still I'm every
bush. Not long ago a posse was
formed 10 chase a murderer through
the woods of Virginia near here, and
Il Is said that in 16 miles OF travel
they uncovered II stills. Usually the
owners were not at hand. One OF them
was seen, however. He was sitting
on a hilltop not far from his still. a
large flock of turkey buzzards was
circling around over the still, attract
ed, as buzzards are, by the odor OF the
mash. The man had repeating high.
power rifle and ne was shooting the
buzzards as they few over him il
order that they might not betray th'
location OF his still.
! And he wasn't missin' none
either" said a member of the poss'
In recounting the episode.
The posse decided not to arrest th'
man. They couldn't prove that h
owned the still anyway.
The stills are multiplying at al
astounding rate. No doubt ever sine
prohibition there have been man,
stills, both for private supply and 70
commercial purposes, in all parts o
the United States, but the great de
velopment Of this infant industry
in the Appalachian Mountains an
their immediate vicinity. As ever
reader OF romance knows, IL IL in IN
mountain regions that the art of con
|. verting corn into liquor in secrecy ha
long been practiced. The mountsi
men all know how to do it. Befor
! prohibition there was little still hid
den away somewhere in almost ever
mountain neighborhood. Its owne
at some personal risk, saved perhar
b so cents on each gallon Of liquor h
made by evading the revenue tax. 4
best he made a precarious livini
Everyone who has read the maga
zines knows what ne looked like
gaunt. hawk-nosed citizen. wearin
T. no socks and carrying in the hollo
OF his arm rife six feet long.
Then came prohibition, and moor
shine suddenly jumped from a dolls
. or two a gallon to ten or twenty
gallon. The result was inevitabl
! Create any opportunity for anyone
make easy money and that opportun
~ viii be used 70 the full. Nor WI
a spice OF danger in the least inte
fere with the proceeding. And e
pecially Is this true of the mountat
men. They are adventurous fellow
they are used 10 breaking laws whel
= liquor is concerned. they are a.
! customed to the use of firearms, ar
t they have a sort Of clan loyalty whit
= makes it very hard for a stranger
= work among them.