The Birmingham age-herald., 1923-07-20
CAVERNS PROVE FAVORITE PLACES
 FOR MOONSHINE.
(Continued from Page One)

the thought that Americas con science. power, majesty and might are the forces now engaged, with growing success, in upholding the principles of her basic law; and the further thought that America has never yet set her hand to task to leave it unfinished.
 Men of the prohibition enforcement service engaged in the apprehension of moonshiners are, for the most part, fearless. Many have looked at various times, down both ends of q revolver Bravery is counted among prime requisites in selecting men for these difficult and dangerous posts. Dignity is another one of the essen> tials; the man who fills the office must be neither braggart nor bully. A third requisite is that the agent personally shall be in sympathy with the aim and intent of the law he en- forces.
 Into the MoOnshlners' Cave.
 How far will these picked men go in the performance of their duty? To the place where there is no furthe, way to go. For instance;
 Three prohibition agents set out to find hidden still They worked at night, tramping many miles through woods and fields. Finally, in the E90 d the baked clay of an open field the.- obtained q clue.
 They followed the tracks. Some- times the outline was so faint as to be almost imperceptible. But they hung on. On the second night they came to a windlass disconnected ne~ side hole in the ground. There they stopped and waited
 Presently they heard muffled sounds of human voices coming from the ground beneath them. Apparent ly the moonshiners were at work in the hole. The agents looked around for the dump to which the moon shlners had carted the earth they dug up, but there was no dump Either the earth had been carted lar or the hole was the opening of a nat ural cavern.
 It proved to be the latter. The oldest agent turned the beam of his ilashllght into the opening, but the bottom was so far beneath that the light spent it's force before reaching It. He shouted into the opening.
 w hat are You doing down there
 There was ro answer. He shouted asaln without effect. Using his flash- llsht he found what he had over- looked hefore-a ladder whose end reached to within short distance of the surface.
 You fellows stay here he told his companions. I'm going down and get em.'
 They demurred. Finally he >ou- promised by taking one of the men oown thimself leading the way) and ieaVihS the other on the surface to await developments and, if necessary. to summon help.
 They let themselves down on the wet rungs. The ladder itself stood poIt upright so firmly set against it's support of clay that hardly toe hold could be got on the moldy cross oars: The opening was so snug that at tlmes the men were packeted on ali sides by clay. The second agent tfod more than once in the darkness on the fingers of the first
 But of all tsese things they came to their nostrils and they knew they had run down their quarry. A Quick Surrender.
 When they reached the bottom they found themselves in large cavern. The moonshiners. alarmed py the dropping of earth brushed off hy their unwelcome visitors, were awaiting them. As the q /,nts' flash iisnts revealed them, they held up their hands, grinning sheepisniy.
 well. you got us." one of then '"tu' we uOn | aim too cause SO no trouble"
 They went up. peaceably enough, one at time, to the waiting agent above, who tied their hands as they gained the surface. The agents then explored the cavern and found the stlll quantity of spirits and a store or supplies. The fire was going and the agents traced it's smoke through 70 Jolnts of stoNepipe to an ingeni- ous arrang cement carrying it off through another opening in the ground nearby. Incidentally, the moonshiners were burning hickory wood, which smokes but little.
 After the three moonshiners had been sent to the surface, one of the agents followed and the other re- mained behind to destroy the still. In doing so he attempted to put out the fire and thoug ughtlessly knocked apart the stovepipe. Immediately the cavern began to fill with smoke and noXious gases. The agent climbed up the ladder for his life and was almost when with q fast effort he came within grasp of his compan- ions al the top.
 Underground stills are compare lively rare. One of the largest of which there is record was found not long ago on the property Of a