Evening star., 1922-07-17
RELIGIOUS PICTURE
M00NSH|NE GUARD
Mountaineer Serves "DeW"
Made on Sunday to
+ Correspondent.
NO FRIEND TO "SNAKES"
Kentucky Highlander Found to
Fear But Two Things, Law
and Future Life.
Nv the Associated Press.

by the Associated Press.
CATLETTSBURG. KY, July IL
Typical mountain moonshiners of
kentucky are not always of the gun
toting' and trouble making kind, 1t
is proven to news correspondents by
visits into the mountain region in
this area of the state. The noun
taineer type of moonshiner. however.
is continually on the alert for deputy
sherifrs. prohibition officers and
revenue agents.
After a trip of thirty or forty miles
into the mountains the correspondents
were escorted to a moonshlner'S log
shack, made from the rough timber
of the hillside and carefully arranged
on foundation of stone.
"Bilr' greeted his visitors with a
keen eye. bit of suspicion. but with
a friendly note in his shout of Wei
come. stranger" Proper inquiries
whether any squirrels inhabited an
adjacent mountainside, where new
ly-beaten path had been noticed,
brought the answer that squirrels
were scarce, and none was found in
the woods. Further inquiries regard
ing the path finally forced BILL to
admit that he visited the hillside
every day. but never learned If any
stills were there.
Unique Contrast.
Within a short time, and when a
friendly spirit developed Uhe visitors
having impressed the moonshiner
tain dew" or, in the language of the
cities, white mule" was produced
from a small handmade cupboard
within the single room of the cabin,
over which hung a religious picture
and other articles of religious
n a SiI ny he
room. over the bed of the noun
taineer. was IA rifle of heavy caliber,
an automatic pistol and a small
caliber revolver. The contrast was
unique.
A pot of homegrown string beans
cooked in mountain style in large
iron Kettle hung over a fire near the
hut. Fingers were used as forks for
the mountaineers luncheon and
moonshine furnished the refreshment,
by the correspondent almost brought
sunderland la Dempsey. In
auiries as to the age of the liquor
brought the answer "Thet's today's
stuff"
Hospitality of typical southern
mountaineer residents if you are a
'friends: IL an enemy-beware, or, AZ
Bill explained it, snakes in the
mountains are killed" "Bill' makes
his farm a payable proposition for
his wife and children, who were at
tending church at the time of the cor
respondents visit, and by occasional
ly cutting some timber.
World Interest Small.
His interest in world affairs is
limited. and weekly trips to the
nearest post Office furnish him with
newspapers from the outside These
are read by one member of the fam
ily by lamp and candle light, to the
others. and often last throughout the
week.
The moonshiners home from the
outside has an uninviting appearance,
but once within the home. while some
Inconvenience are found. the impress
sion of cleanliness is produced. The
height to stoop. The board floor may
creak. but it is solid and high and
dry. In winter cold winds are shut
out by the mud plastered between the
cracks of logs. and by the board and
paper lining of the inner walls. Heat
Is furnished by an oil burner and
cooking is done on a coal range. Oxen
teams haul coal to the home during
the fall months. A yoke of oxen pull
row mountain road explains the man.
ner which enabled the mountaineer to
obtain all the sizable logs used In
constructing his home.
Resources and resourcefulness,
gained only from the "close to ma
ture" life of the mountaineers, en-
able them to succeed where the or
binary citizen would barely get along.
hut the resourcefulness is coupled
lief in hereafter.