The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-21
RUNNING DO wv MOONSHINERS IS DANGEROUS WORK
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dSd!u. As this is written the police man is fighting for his life. The out laws were all captured.
 Two southern gents sent into Ar kansas to rid a county of its long standing plague of -moonshiners found the entire community terror lzed by the numerous members of a single family whose progenitors had been pioneers half 8 century before. The county was sparsely settled and the mandate of it's reigninG family settled virtually all affairs. Moon- shining, train robbery and murder flourished.
 Agents In Confidence Of Murderers.
 A stranger coming to the com munity had to satisfy the members of this family and their connections and allies that his nilsson was not inter- ference with their lawless activities, Also he had to win their approval If he failed, he had the alternative of going away voluntarily or being hauled away in pine box. Men who disresarded the warning mEsterious- ly disappeared; others Were found cead of bullet wounds on lonely roads or in other out-of- -the-way places.
 Into this lair if kith-and-l1in criminals wenS the two agents. They stayed at the nome of sawmill operator. This man conducted his business with the aid of his son, and his mill gave employment from time to time to such of the outlaws as cared to work. Largely on that ac- count his presence was tolerated by them.
 The agents posed as scouts for a big development company seeking mineral rights. In that supposed ca- racity they explored the country to some extent. but were unable to ap- proach the carefully hidden stills. The names they assumed disarmed suspicion omewhat. for by coinct- dence one of the names happened to be that of the original pioneer. Some of the outlaws sought to establish kinship with this agent, and with his aid succeeded, to their own satisfac- tion in doing so.
 Lying In Wait At The still.
 One night a party of the outlaws, the two agents. the saWmiu pro- prietor and his son went coon hunt ing. As they walked through the woods they were startled by the fall of rotting tree near by. The older agent put his hand on his pistol He thought the report was pistol shot The sawmin proprietor. seeing the movement, smiled and presently whispered to him:
 There's a still just q short dis tance away from where that tree fell" he said
 That was all the agent needed. He noted the locality carefully, told the outlaws he was going lame" and had enough of the hunt and went home As the affair was given in his honor, the party then dispersed. An hour later the agents had settled their account with the sawmill own CT and were qTfetly doubling back to the still.
 They had not gone far before it quite cold. but they kept on. After hours of tramping they lost their way and lay down, drenched and mlser- able, to sleep on the bare ground,
 The next morning q heavy fog lay over the woods. The agents walked all day and ate the last of thelr scanty food supply. At sunset the weather cleared. At midnight they found the still.
 In the light of the full moon they lay down to await daylight ard with 1t the appearance of the men who would come to operate the still Not long after daybreak the first of the moonshiners appeared. His appear ance was quickly followed by that Of a second moonshiner, third and fourth. Then the agents with drawn revolvers, raided the still and cap tured the astounded moonshiners.
 They waited a time, destroyed the still, which was one of the largest found in that section. and with their prisoners went out to the road to strike back to the county seat. They had not been long on the march be- fore the hills snd valleys began to disgorge moonshiners, all armed. None of the. armed men made any pretense of offering to fight; ap- parently they came to see what was going on, but the agents taking no chances, disarmed them one by one. After the cartridges had been extri- cated, the prisoners were given the weapons to carry. Later the weapons were loaded on wagon and re~ turned from the county seat Witnesses Shot To Death.
 Within less than two months father and son of the sawmill firm, two of the governments chief witnesses, Were met one night by dozen or more criminals on q deserted road way and riddled with bullets The local authorities showed no molina tion to apprehend the murderers, so the two federal agents were ordered .1. l.. T-,..