The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1926-03-26
EASTLAKE MOONSHINERS
BOTHER METROPOLITAN
Americas Greatest Insurance Company Just
Doesn't Know How To Cope
With Them

With
Will the Metropolitan Life
Insurance Co. with its millions
of resources be able to break
up the manufacture of Illicit
whiskey on its vast domains IN
Dare County and thereby cut
off Elizabeth City and Nor
folks most satisfactory supply
OF liquor?
With the failure of the Dare
Lumber Co. Of Elizabeth city
several years ago, the Metropolitan
Life happened to fall heir to the
holdings of that company, including
a tract of timber of approximately
G9,NOO acres in the vicinity of East
LIKE. in Dare County. Here is one
of the most primitive regions i'll the
Eastern half of the United States.
far remote fri M any rail road and
accessible only by shallow draft
water craft.
\ boggy wilderness of pine.
cypress and juniper extends far
hack from East Lake. the Businesses
of which have been explored only
lv few surveyors. hunters ana
tIapperS. \ narrow and tortuous
little stream known aS Mill Iall
Greek penetrateS this wilderness for
miles and miles.
Mill Tail Creek
Mill Tail Greek is hardly wider al
its widest point than the narroweSt
street i'm Elizabeth city and II Is
aS rrnnked a> IL cork screw. lt Is
far I'D this creek on the property
of the Metropolitan Life Insurance
Co, that experienced mnonshllierS
u,v their trade "n an extensive
>ruIr. One di<tillrry on Mill lall
Creek is Said 10 cover full quarter
al an acre of ground and lo have
\ capacity of 1000 gallons of Wills
KEY a day. There are numerous
smaller diStilIprieS. There Is made
The hest Illicit whi>kry sold i'll Fast
rrn North Carolina and Tidewater
ir.iuia. Small craft plying out III
Mill Tail Creek supply thousands or
Gallons of good. bad aud indifferent
c,rr and rye whi>kic> 10 the markets
of Elizabeth City. Iirrtford. Eden
ten. N,rfulk and the Hampton
( EoadS cities.
And most of these Illicit opera
rinuS are carried um nn the property
, of the greatest life insurance com
. pauy i'm America. Il company that Is
SPENDING millions to prolons hulhail
life and to combat every form oi
intemperance that ShOrtens human
life. Agents of the Metroloii'ah
Life who have been apprised of the
Siruntion i'm Dare County nave
shown much concern about II anu
have discussed all manner Of ways
and means of routing the distiliers
. from the property.
Can't BE Done Says David CoN
/ rut it is the opinion Of many OIL
ri,rrS of the law. and experienced
/ ,rrv.vors that the Metropolitan
/ focps n hopeless task. To DeSiii
! with. il would lie hard to pehe'ra'e
tha East Lake wilderness ana get
to the distillerieS hid away tnereih'
except by way Of Mill Tail oreeA'
! And there is the rub. :,
II don't believe it can he dohe'
declares David Cox of llertford anu
! Norfolk. an experienced civil ehsl-
p.er who is familiar with every toot
Of the ground. Il know just enough
,bout the situation i'll the East
Lake region to believe that MIL
T,u Creek is closely guarded. Any
/ Srispicious craft that attempted lo
find its WAY up that creek would not
o., vnrv far before it would pe
stunned bv a tree felled and thrown
across the creek. If that Dostacie
y,,uld be surmounted, East l'akers
,r. areot marksmen and l wo'lldh I
! rivo 81 cent for the life of any man
nr posSe of men who persisted III
.xnioriur Mill Tail Creek"
! .rhoso who know the East LaKers
have no doubt that if those ehsaseu
in tbe manufacture of liquor were
c,rnered they would shoot anu
shoot To kill. East Lake Is "a.ei
legged. sad and desolate region. he
neople who live there have leu "
! hard and poverty stricken ii'e'
r,,r,irg i almost out of the QueS-
,i,r their low lands being drowned
ou, vcnr after year by hish llues
,,,; ho,vv rains. The natives nave
SrbsjSted largely by fishing anu
hunting, In season they snip many
ho.r and deer to the Eastern
markets and they derive some III
rnme from trapping wild mlma'>
r, put II i n hard life.
Economic Determinlsm
, Once. for IL few years wien '"'
Dare Lumber Co. was III full opera
ton. the people of the East LAKE
region thrived. They found enlpios