The New York herald., 1922-04-02

tuck 1t easy down in Florida" was an ex-
ception to the rule. 1t Is a speculative
business, and often the entire investment
is lost through the activities Of the raiders
before the moonshiners have made a single
run.
Some mountaneers make as high as
$4,000 on single consignment of whisky,
representing in all about six weeks work
Others, who have small stills and work by
themselves, will not average more than
hundred dollars week profit When it is
considered that money was almost an un-
known commodity some years ago in many
of the mountain districts-corn and liquor
and hogs being used as currency, as In the
days of primitive civilization-the noun
taineers have actually become enriched far
beyond the dreams Of avarice.
Summer colonists who have been in the
habit of going to the mountain resorts in
the Blue Ridge and other ranges in the
moonshine belt have deplored the great
changes that have taken place in these sec
tions. Before the arrival of prohibition the
mountaineers were regarded with a degree
of romantic respect. They were stalwart,
carefree, independent fellows. who per-
formed their tasks with a cheerful willing
ness, were unfailingly polite to the women
visitors and gave little trouble to the au-
tkorities.
Stilling was done on a small scale, and
the authorities did not interfere greatly. In
fact. there was a sort of adventurous fas-
cination in sitting on the hotel porch and
looking over the mountains at wisp OF
smoke stealing its way into the blue
heavens, and realizing that the moonshine
t.0,,t Isnl, t,ttA
the John Fox type has been written were
being conducted within the range OF ones
vision.
Prohibition changed all this. Moonshin-
ing became a sordid commercialized busi-
ness, in which II seemed the entire noun
taineer population was engaged. Workers
were no longer available, and. instead of
the rest and quiet which had been the
chief attraction of these resorts, the visit
ors found themselves In the midst of an at
mosphere OF intrigue and guerrilla warfare.
Shootings were of frequent occurrence
during the night and day.
The most trusted mountaineers we're be-
ing thrown into prison or else wounded by
bullets from the revenue officers. The
mountain passes seemed to reek with
liquor, and women we're afraid to trust
themselves alone on the roads after dusk
had fallen. Many of the resorts reported
that last summer was the worst In the his
tory OF their existence
II saw them loading liquor into cars as
though 1t were water" said one society
woman, in explaining the reason for having
rented the house she had occupied at the
famous Big Creek resort in the Holston
Mountains for q score of summers.
Through the efforts of the Law and Or
der League and the activities OF Deputy
Sheriff Floyd Hopkins who was later ap-
pointed Federal raiding officer, in recogni-
tion of his efficient handling OF the whisky
traffic, this section was cleaned up last
spring and in the summer of 1921 many
of the former summer visitors returned.
Hopkins proved find" for the State au-
thorities. who up to the time of his APP
pointment, despaired Of ever getting the
moonshine situation under control
He had the advantage OF being born in
the district-a typical mountaineer, "a
years old, six feet three inches in height,
a dead shot with revolver or rifle, and
tireless worker on the trail. Unfortunately.
he made many enemies among his coll