Year: 1874




A distiller named Jones, who


lived with his family near the
lower bench Of the Big Smoky
Mountain, had been annoyed a
good deal by the revenue ran
gers, last fall, and determined
to change his location and bu-
siness to a more secluded spot.


To carry out this purpose he
selected the head Of deep
gorge some four miles distant,
walled in with cliffs, where, du-
ring the winter, assisted by
some Of his friends, he erected
log building. AS soon as the
cold weather was over and the
spring fairly opened, the still
and other things necessary were
moved to the place, and the
work Of violating the revenue
law resumed. Several "runs"
were made, and Jones began to
congratulate himself that he
had at last found a refuge be-
yond the prying eyes of the
Government hirelings, where he
could pursue his avocation in
peace.


The still house being some
distant from where his family
lived, Jones rarely visited them
more than once i'll a fortnight.
Everything went on well enough
until about four weeks ago, when
he failed to appear at the ac-
customed time.


Nothing was thought of this
for a day or two, but when an
other week elapsed without the
return Of Jones, the family be-
came alarmed, and they thought
that he had been captured by
revenue jayhawks and carried
to Knoxville or some other
place where violators Of rhe
law are occasionally convicted
and punished. The alarm was
given through the sparsely set
tied neighborno I'd. A small
number Of men gathered, and
accompanied by Mrs. Jones and
her son, o youth Of ten or twelve
years Of age, they started up
the gorge in the direction Of the
still house.


On reaching the building they
found the door closed and fas-
tened, and no sign Of Jones or
any one else could be eeen.-
Mrs. Jones called the name Of
her husband several times, no
response, however, came back
to relieve her anxiety. But up
on attempting to force an en-
trance they were greeted with
those pecGliar notes of warning
which the ear Of the East Ten
ncssee mountaineer never fails
to recognize. The door was at
once broken down, and a sight
met them that caused all to
start with fright and horror.


The form Of the distiller lay
upon the floor, with eyes start
ing from their sockets, the fea-
lures horribly distorted, and
body swollen to twice it's usual
proportions, while the whole in
terror of the building was alive
with rattlesnakes, some in coil
and ready for battle, but the
larger proportion stupid and in
ert, as though they had been
imbibing literally of the illicit
fruit of the still. The mother
and son fled horror-stricken
from the place. A consulta-
ton was had, and as it was i'm
possible to rescue the body of
poor Jones without incurring
fearful risk, it was determined
to reclose the entrance and 9TH
er apertures and fire the build
ing, which was done. The par
ty stayed until the house was
entirely consumed, and nothing
remained but the now useless
still and the caloined bones Of
the miserable distiller.


It is supposed that Jones had
built hismanufactory close upon
a den of the deadly reptiles in
the overhanging cliff, and that
attracted by the heat, or possl-
bly, the fumes of the whisky,
they found their way into the
building in large numbers after
he had closed the door and lain
down to sleep.