Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 June 1893 — HOME OF “MOONSHINE.” [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HOME OF “MOONSHINE.”

■STILLS HUNTED OUT BY REVE- ‘ NUE OFFICERS. Service in Which They Are Engaged by Uncle Sam — Moonshining on tbe Increase in the Mountains One* Vourth. of Kentucky’s Whisky Outpqt Illicit. Foes of Illicit Distillers*

PIKEYILLE, •J® kS Ky., corregjßfA spondent o f Bpfju th e Chicago sgpftJ Times says Hlpf that many changes have recently been 2 s made in the revenue officers of the

State, and, when the interests of the •moonshiner" of the mountains of Eastern Kentucky are involved the entire community is more or less effected. While the element actually -engaged in the illicit distillation of whisky is an inconsiderable portion -of the inhabitants of this section of the South, it is hardly an exaggeration to estimate those indirectly connected with the traffic at 50 per cent, of the people. For this reason the ■entire valley of the Big Sandy, extending over the watershed of the Cumberland into the “knobs” of East Tennessee, have been awakened to 'the fact that many new faces have been recently introduced into the ranks of the small army of Federal officials engaged in destroying illicit -stills and chasing the dangerous individuals who operate them in the Kentucky mountains. Kentucky is srecognized in Federal circles as the legitimate field of the class of offenders commonly known as “moonohmers”—those who manufacture and sell whisky without complying with the regulations of the government relating to the tax on the product of the stills. Wliat Made the Moonshiner. Before the expenses incurred by die Government in the civil war ren-

dered the tax on spirits necessary, private stills in Kentucky were considered quite essential, and it was the boast of many of the historic characters of the State that the finest article their sideboard afforded was the product of grain raised and manufactured wholly on their plantations. When the tax on distilled spirits in 1861 was suddenly increased from 10 , (Cents per gallon to $1.20 the idea of j -avoiding the collector of internal j revenue became an object to men ■who manufactured thousands of gallons of whisky for the country trade, j This drew the country manufacturer dnto the depths of the mountains and I was the death knell of private stills i conducted in an open way. This gave iairth to the “moonshiner.” The ueadiy conflicts that have tak- ' «n place between revenue officers aud the moonshiners in the mountains of Kentucky since the close of the war would till a dozen volumes and furnish some of the most thrilling stories of daring, desperate courage and cowardly assaults. To day the industry is in its zenith. The recent agitation on the subject of increasing the tax on whisky, thereby augmenting the profit of those who avoid paying the duty, has increased the force of illicit still workers until every secluded spot in the Kentucky mountains is. concealing one or more unali stills which are being operated day and night. The favorite locations of these stills are on the bluffs overlooking tbe Big Sandy River and 4&s branches, to which access is diffi-

cult and probably known to none out those residing in the neighborhood. There is little danger of the native Kentuckian betraying to prying revenue officials thd knowledge they Though in later years the business of illicit distilling has grown in sufficient proportions as to be regarded In the light of a distinct industry in the mountain regions of Kentucky, the crudeness of a quarter of a century ago continues to characterize the manner in which the alcohol is -separated from the whisky. And yet the art of distilling has rapidly advanced among Southern moonshiners, «s even a novice can attest on sampling the article turned out by the mountain still of to-day and that of « few years ago. How ‘‘Moonshine*’ Is Mat’.e. The still consists of an immense oven constructed of stone, on which * large covered iron kettle is placed. •From this leads a small iron or copper pipe, through which the vaper escapes into a vessel, after being con deoscd by passing through a coil of pipe. The eutirc outfit can be pur--chased for SSO. The quality is determined by the skill manifested in leaping a regular fire under the kettle- If the heat becomes too intense, 4listillatioQ occurs too rapidly. Then

the output of the still becomes bitter, due to the great quantity of fusel oil secured. To remedy this, the liquor must be redistilled or be permitted to stand for years until mellowed by age. From these crude stills whisky successfully competing with the finest .article manufactured by the trust is being daily produced. That the moonshiners are well organized and have a chief who directs ths, common affairs of the craft in the Kentucky mountains is no secret to the revenue officials. At present Joe Bowman, one of the best-known moonshiners in the South, occupies that position. He has had undisputed charge of this element in Eastern Kentucky for years. Skill with the rifle and innate shrewdness has thus far enabled Bowman to defy the Federal officials. Several times he has been cornered, and on such occasions his daring and disposition to die rather than be captured has always been too much for the detectives. He has been shot a score of times, and on such occasions disappears from his usual haunts for months at a time, but finally returns from his enforced

exile more active in getting the product of his stills to market than ever. The death of several revenue officers is charged to his ready rifle; but, whether justly, is a question, as the fight between the moonshiners and detectives usually occurs when a number are represented on both sides and the tiring is general. Under these circumstances, those familiar with the terrible contests assert that it is not pessible to tell who fired the fatal shots. Be that as it may, the chief of the moonshiners has been present when several deputy marshals have been killed in the mountains, and will stand an excellent chance of being hanged if ever captured. Tlie Intreplft Hendersons. It has been a few weeks ago only that nine detectives, making a raid in the mountains near the head waters of the Cumberland, where a number of stills operated by Bowman’s men arc known to be located, engaged for a tew hours in an animated encounter with the moonshiners' chief. The party was in charge of Harry and A 1 Henderson, two of the best revenue officers in the country. Bowman and three other moonshiners were surprised in a small glen in the mountains. The surprise was equally as great on the part of the officers, as no moonshiners were thought to be in that locality. Theofficers were on top of a hill overlooking the camp of the outlaws befoie either side was aware of the presence of-‘the other. The discovery was made by both about the same time. Tney were about 100 yards apart. The rifles of the moonshiners were leaning against trees some distance from where they were at work renovating an old still. The guns of the detectives were leveled in a moment and the outlaws called upon to surrender. Two of the men, observing the slight chance they had to escape, promptly threw up their hands. Bowman paid no heed to the challenge. He at once jumped for his gun. He was followed by his third companion. The posse opened fire on the two men. At the first tire the man who followed Bowman received a bullet in the leg that tumbled him over, but the chief was not touched apparently. He reached his gun, and (lodging behind a tree returned the j fire of the posse. This was characteristic of the man. He stood his i ground for several minutes, butnotic- ' ing that his companions w'ouid do nothing to save tnemselves he slowly

retreated into the mountains despite the efforts of his pursuers. He wounded two officers slightly. The Henderson boys sent the posse here with the prisoners and followed Bowman. Neither party dared expose sufficient of their persons to afford a target for a Winchester bullet, and the chase was slow. Bowman finally escaped after shooting the hat off A 1 Henderson’s head at a distance of 200 yards. The Henderson brothers are the heroes of a number of exciting conflicts with moonshiners. The last fatal affair of the kind in which they figured prominently occurred near Cumberland .Gap last fall, in which they, with three companion officers, were ambushed by ten moonshiners. Two moonshiners and one detective were killed in the fight. The revenue officers were accompanied by Bob Clay, who enjoys the distinction us being the only negro deputy tuar-

shal In the South. He has earned the reputation of being a most efficient officer by several years’ experience in Kentucky and Tennessee, during which time he has found it necessary to kill several moonshiners, and carries several testimonials of the esteem of Bowman and his men in the shape of gunshot wounds. An Awful Fight. The fight in which the Hendersons and their negro deputy distinguished themselves particularly was the sequel of a raid they had made In tho mountains of Northeastern Tennessee a few months before, in which they had surprised several moonshiners at w-ork and captured them and destroyed their stills with a quantity of illicit liquor. In return ten of the friends of the prisoners watched their chance and surprised the Henderson brothers as they were en route to their home in Kentucky. They were riding along the mountain road, when they were suddenly fired upon from the timber a hundred yards away. Their horses were' killed at the first fire and one of ihe brothers shot in the arm. The other was

caught beneath his horse and could scarcely manipulate his rifle. He was doing his best to keep their assailants at a distance, when the negro Clay and two other officers riding in the rear heard the firing and lost no time in coming to the rescue. The outlaws were closing in on the Henderson brothers when their companions came up. One of the officers was killed a moment later, but tho intrepid manner in which Clay and his companion charged the ambuscade compelled the moonshiners to retreat. A 1 Henderson succeeded in extricating himself from his dead horse about the time the re-enforcements arrived, and, springing on the horse of the man who had been killed, joined in the chase of the enemy. He killed one and wounded two

others, while his negro companion shot one fatally and captured another. In the fight both the Hendersons were shot almost fatally. I’robably one of the most efficient assistants Uncle Sam has in suppressing illicit distilling is a young lady of this vicinity, Miss Hattie Hart She is a school teacher, and knows every glen and cavern in eastern Kentucky, having spent much time in the woods with her father. She furnishes revenue officers all the information in her possession on all occasions. She is a typical Kentuckian, and declares that she is opposed to moonshining because she knows it is productive of evil. She is the only person in the State who ever defied this lawless element and lived unmolested. Sho

has frequently been warned to leave the country, hut merely laughs at the threats of the moonshiners. The efforts of the revenue force in Eastern Kentucky appear at present to be directed more against preventing the moonshiners marketing the product of their stills than toward destroying the source. The new officer in command in this district, Col. John D. Edwards, has declared hi/ intention of deviating from th< course adopted during the last twenty years in dealing with illicit distillers, and threatens the source through which their whisky is placed before the consumer. The usual course is to ship it down the Big Sandy in flat boats to the Ohio, where secret agents see that it is distributed all over the country. This channel is to be closely watched in the future as an experiment. Time will change everything but a counterfeit dollar.—Elmira Gazette.

AL AND HENRY HENDERSON.

AN ILLICIT STILL IN FULL BLAST.

JOE BOWMAN, CHIEF OF THE MOONSHINERS.

THE AWFUL FIGHT OF THE HENDERSON BROTHERS.