Year: 1878

1 had not been very long in his presence
accordingly before noticed that he was
observing my face inter by. Possessing in
au eminent degree, so hr as he was con
cerned at least, u mems eonscia recH, hesi-
tated not to look him squarely in the eyes,
and, turning my own ltislrous orbs full upon
HIM, he was enabled to gaze down into
their liquid untathomable depths and read
friend at their very bottom The search
satisfied him apparentl y-therc is no resist.
ing Sullclcssness like mine-he tahishcd
suspicion and treated me thencclortb with
something more than confidence SO aonr as
[ remained with him.


V~s~eisp9Es RIsHbN9 STREAM,


After few minutes rest we arose and,
Redmond showing the way, climbed around
the mountain side until we came to a par
tlcularly steep place down which VIC STUN
bled and fell and scrambled and slid after
HIM, and got up and scrambled and STUN
blcd and fell again and again, until we
reached the bottom of a glen where foot of
man or beast hath never or rarely been, and
where certainly deputies cease from troub-
ling and even moonshiner may be at rest
We halted on the brink Of falling toaminc
stream, whose waters, clear as air, revealed
the rocky bottom at any depth, and cold
almost as snow, presented us with drink
sparkling as champagne and pure as hcav-
ems own dew. Mixed with mountain dew,
colored like rose with the tonic Juice of
wild cherries, it constituted draught which
might have been likenened to nectar flow
ing down from some illicit still Fun in the
private interest Of the gods up thero on the
blue wooded Olympus above. 1t was a
s'ngularly wild and beautiful spot, even for
mountain glen, and any element of ro-
nance that might have been wanting was
fully supplied by the presence of tho outlaw
in our midst, whose somewhat picturesque
garb was not out of keeping with the
character Of the scene. ARid such sur.
roundings the hunted outlaw told his st6ry
while we sat and listened until the setting
of the sun behind the mountain,s cress and
the approach of darkness adMoaished us to
return to the outer world while as yet the
devious path might be safely traced.


%ta THE Outlaws TALE. sssss
so The ont law q tale was a long IONS. .-tand
viii not s6a . Passsis fSssSsss s. & nv, Is
limits of one letter. It. wass taken down
almost verbatim, in short. hand, in note
book On my knee as sat by his SIDE, and
will be given as nearly as possible in his
own words. Leaning his gun against tree,
but retaining his formidable side arms and
keeping bright eye on guard the while,
he began his story:


''I WAS BORN IN GEORGIA"


he began, "but VIC removed to this State
when | was quite young. My father was
old and infrm, and my mother was bcdrid-
den. L have had to take care Of them, and
OF several sistcrs-onc Of whom was a Grip
pie, and could not move without the aid, of
crutches-sincc | was a child. l am now
twenty-thrce years Of age, and will be
twenty-four on the Oath of next Octobcr-if
l live" This condition was asded with a
smile that was sadder than sigh, and re-
minded us that the speakers life was at the
mercy Of any man who chooses to take it.,
by day or night, on the highway or at home,
on in the rocky lair to which he has been
driven like hunted wolf. 1.-The revenue
of6sasssxsntt to capture me" he continued,
"for the sake Of the rewards which, have
oSSh ohCASu 10 cdSlCT lOr tuCUl
to make their money in that way than by
working for it," (Thcy may Gnd them
selves mistaken in this view.) "My father
owned still all his life, as did all the farm
ers about here, before the revenue laws
were passed, and | worked it for him. We
were very poor, and he could do very little.
| worked on the farm all day, and at the
still at night to make living for U.S. |
have often worked all day ploughinaSepd
then run the still all night until BREAKFAST.
| would be so tised next day that have
gone to sleep in tile corn row between the
plough handles, and would wake up only
when my horse stopped at the end of the
turrow. This kind of life was too hard for
mo and soon broke me down, SO that / got
to working one night at the still and sleep.
ing the next. l worked in the farm every
day at the same time. They (he revenue
officers) pressed me so close after while
that quit distilling and went to hauling
whiskey and selling it in North Carolina.
They found out that was doing this, and
warrant was issued for ny Arrest.


THE Ffssr rad pBlE


| had with the revenue dificers was:a all on
my side, as they captured and destroH ID. for
me one hundred and twenty three gallons
of whskey. had paid one dollar per
bushel for the corn that made it, besides