Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-04-21
JUDGE COCHRAN A
MOONSHINE SAGE
Famous Federal Judge Has Play.
ed A Large Part In Clean
ing Up the State


a front page story and picture
of L. S. Judge A. M. J. Cochran
who holds federal court here
twice year and will hold his
spring term here beginning April
.24th. The Posts story will be
retd with interest. 1t says:
Rea d ing the newspapers
Judge A. NJ. ]. Cochran, of the
Federal District Court Of east
crn Kentucky, learns these days
that police are smashing moon
shine stills in tenement houses
of the cities that thousand gal
lon stills are being uncovered in
city attics; that moonshiners
peddle their stuff on the crowd
ed highways OF the great centers
OF civilization; that men perish
or 90 daft from the poisons dis
titled by the city moonshiners.
When he reads these things
his heart chuckles for his state,
which has been much naligned
, as the home of moonshine. where
the m0untaineer distiller battled
with the revenuers.
So he says:
"Kentucky is no longer the
moonshine state. Its status has
changed" .
He lives in Cincinnati when
conducting court III Covington.
Long ago he qualified. as the
nations leading authority on the
moonshiners and their ways.
When prohibition was being
preached only in churches, Coch-
ran was sending moonsllinefS to
the penitcntiary.
In 20 years he estimates he
has fined or sentenced to prison
$1,000 1noonshiners and bootleg
gers.
"On one occasion u moon
sinners were taken to prison
from my court" he says. "a
special car was needed to haul
them all.
Those were the days when
there was romance in moonShin-
inc and the best authors wrote
novels around the moonshlner on
his lonely mountain trail. e.
Judge Cochran has found them
to be square men, being Ken
tuckians. There have been oc-
casions. he said, when to go to
prison Immediately would inter
rupt the moonshiner's spring
planting or his harvesting. thus
causing distress to Its family
which depended on the crop for
its livelihood.
So Judge Cochran has permit
ted the prisoner to go home on
bond, finish his planting or his
harvesting and then come back
to begin serving his sentence.
And no Kentucky moonshiner
ever has failed him.
So it must warm tie judges
Kentucky heart when he COM,
pares the native Kentucky
moonslliner. BAD as he is, with.
the sordid samples Of lnoonshin-
ers who infest the large cities. !
1t is estimated by Kentuckians
that in a city like Chicago more
moonshine IS produced iii & week
than was produced in the Ken
lucky mountains in a year in the
old days. |
fudge Cochran does not be-
lieve the Volstead law treats
moonshiners rough enough. +
He points out that under the
old revenue laws he could send a |
moonshiner to the penitentiary.l
Now the worst he can do with
one. under the Volstead law, is !
to send him to jail for g months +,
and fine him.
Despite the hundreds OF moon
sinners and bootleggers passingI
thru his court, Judge Cochran
has faith in prohibition and its
ultimate triumph.
prohibition is respected more
and more" he says. Each year |
its enforcement will be less diff
ficult, for the people see it is a |
good thing. They can't help see
ing the good of it. despite its Vi
olation by the minority. The ma
jority of the people are for law
enforcement"
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