‘MAKING: MOONSHINE. THE “COPPER,” THE “WORM” AND THE MAN BEHIND THE GUN. Many Stills In the Picturesque Moun- tains of Georgia and North Caro- lina — The Process by Which the Whisky Is Manufactured. It’s cornmeal when it goes in, and it’s proof liquor when it comes out. It’s a lit- tle ‘“evorm” on the mountain top and a man behind a gun. It’s keep your eye on guard 24 hours to the day and come out at the end of the year as poor as the dully respectable farmer, your neighbor. It's a risky business all the way through, but when it comes right down to the fascina- tion it’s the ideal. It’s “moonshine whis- ky,” that’s what it is, and it grows in the sountry “where there ain’t no Ten Com- mandments and a man can raise a thirst.” The moonshiner is an ignorant country- man, very uncouth in appearance, but as shrewd as a Connecticut Yankee. He is also a prince of hospitality, as may be said of nearly all of the Georgia and North Carolina mountaineers. He lives with a sword of Damocles constantly sus- pended above his head, and no one is more conscious of this fact than he is. As he is in daily, almost hourly, fear of detection, he regards every one with more or less suspicion. Every stranger who arrives in the neighborhood is looked upon as a possible revenue officer, and every knock on the door of his dwelling is answered with inward feelings of doubt and nervousness. The reader must not infer from this that the moonshiner is a coward, for he is not. As a rule he resolutely opposes any interference with his calling even to the*shedding of blood, if this can be ac- complished without too much risk of de- tection. The extreme northern part of the state of Georgia contains some of the roughest, wildest and most grandly beautiful scen- ery in the Union. Througho&t this re- gion are numberless high mountains, roaring torrents, deep gorges and almost impenetrable laurels. Amid such piec- turesque surroundings—in the most inac- cessible parts, at some distance from public roads and trails—the moonshiner sets up his still. The spot chosen is in most cases in the twilight depths of a laurel screened gorge, through which rushes a crystal stream of water. Some- times the apparatus is housed in a cave which has been excavated for that pur- pose in the side of the mountain gorge, but as a rule it is in the open air, being simply covered with a roof of split boards. The dwelling of the operator is seldom nearer than a quarter of a mile. The apparatus is not complex. A cop- per still, dubbed the “copper,” about 18 or 20 inches in diameter and of equal height; a coil of copper pipe several feet in length, called the ‘“worm;” several tubs or casks for holding the mash and for catching the drippings from the worm; a mash stick, or stirring fork, and a small, narrow bottle in which to test ‘tha lianor. these articles comprise the en- tire onifit. The still is set over a stone furnace, while the worm, with one end connected to the copper, rests in a barrel of running water from the stream near by. Coarsely ground cornmeal is carried to | the still, and a certain quantity, depend- i ing upon the capacity of the apparatus, is stirred in boiling water until it is thor- ; oughly cooked. This is called “mash” and is about the consistency of ordinary dough. It is allowed to stand in the fer- menters in which it was mixed for 12 to . 86 hours. After fermentation has taken ' place water is added and the mass broken , up with a mash stick. When it is free , from lumps and about as thick as butter- { milk, it is called “beer.” At this stage , the liquid is not unpleasant to drink. In . fact, large quantities of it are consumed i by the moonshiner and his family and . friends. Rye or, more commonly, corn malt (from a handful or two. to eight pounds to the bushel of meal or tub of beer) is then added to the beer, and it is again al- | 1 i hours. At the end of this second fer- mentation the copper is filled with a semi- liquid (still called “beer’’) and boiled off. The steam condenses on and passes off through the worm, and the first drippings are called “singlings.” When the strength of the beer becomes exhausted, the ref- use, or “pot tail,” is removed and fresh beer put in its place. As soon as enough singlings are accumulated the still is filled up with this liquid, and it is redistilled. The product of this latter and final step in the process is corn whisky or proof spirits. * With the crude apparatus and methods of the moonshiner a bushel of meal will yield about two gallons of whisky, where: ed methods. Contrary to common belief, moonshine whisky is generally of very poor quality. These mountaineer distillers have little or no knowledge of rectification, and fusel oil is therefore present in its original pro- portions; besides, the liquor is sold before it has had time to age. Strange as it may seem, moreover, adulterations are quite often used, such as tobacco or buck- eye bark, for adding to the intoxicating quality of weak liquor, and the addition of soap or lye to make it hold a good “bead.” According to the moonshiner, good, unadulterated liguor when shaken in a bottle will contain numerous bubbles on the surface. If four or more of these bubbles remain against the edge of tho bottle for some minutes it is said to “hold a good bead.” Notwithstanding the poor quality of the average moon- shine whisky, however, the unadulterated article is not infrequently equal to and even above government proof. The product is disposed of in several ways. A considerable portion is sold and given away at the still itself and at the dwelling of the operator. Another meth: od is as follows: A hollow tree oz cave adjacent to the nearest village is desig- nated by common consent of the moon- shiner and some of his friends, one or more of whom acts as agent between the seller and buyer. When a resident of the villagn wishes some whisky, he hands the | nineteenth century. It is determined that "space 40,000 miles an hour, but whence it lowed to ferment, this time from 72 to 96 ' as the same measure of grain skbould yield three or more gallons under improv: | necessary mopey, together with a jug or bottle, to the agent, who deposits both in the secret place and goes his way After a lapse of several hours, usually 12 or more, the agent returns ars finds the money gone and the receptacle full of the desired liquor, which he delivers to the customer. The latter seldom knows who actually made and sold him the stuff.— Birmingham (Ala.) Age-Herald. The toy trade may be traced back in Thuringia to the middle ages. Where Science Stumbles. In a lecture on “The Progress and Tendency of Astronomy,” delivered at Columbian university, Washington, Pro- fessor Simon Newcomb spoke of the determination of the exact motion of the solar system as one of the victories of the the solar system is moving forward in came or whither it is going no one can tell. Mr. Newcomb does not believe instru- ments will ever be discovered that will allow astronomers to prove that rational inhabitants exist on other planets. The only way in which they can judge will be by conditions of other planets which would make it probable or improbable that rational beings such as are on the earth can live there. Mars may be inhabited, but astrono- mers have not been able to draw any evi- dence. on that subject onc way or the other. What changes may come to the earth, the solar system or the universe; can oxly be matters of uncertain specula- tion. Only one. theory can be counted upon, and that is that ‘all things must end.” Philanthropy. “How you must enjoy being a philan: thropist!” said the sprightly young wom: an. . “I don’t quite understand you,” replied the man of earnest manners. “It must be such a pleasure to feel that you have plenty of money and can always be doing good.” “Yes; but the only difficulty is that one can't always Le sure whether he is doing good or being done good.”—VWashingtor Star. Standing In His Own Light, “I’]] never give you up. Miss Perkins never.” : “That’s it, Mr. Hopkins; 1'd be afraid to marry such a determined, obstinate man as you are.””’—Detroit Free Press. Its Changed Appearance. “My, the house locks changed some way!’ said the lady who bad moved out a month or two before and returned to make a call and see what kind of furni- ture the new tenants had. “Yes,” her hostess replied; “we've cleaned it up.”—Chicago Times-Herald. Engagement Confidences, : “You trust me thoroughly, don’t you, ' Ethel ?” “Of course, Edgar; but, tell me, are the installments on this diamond ring all paid off.””—Chicago Record. E OLD TIME TRAVEL. Plenty of Incident and Excitement -In Stagecoach and Tavern Days. Travel in the old times, of which Mrs. Alice Morse Earle writes in “Stagecoach and Tavern Days,”’ may have been some- | what less comfortable than it is at pres: ent, but the leisurely pace and close quarters of the coach afforded opportuni- ties for the study of human nature not excelled by those of the “palace car.” Nor was a journey lacking in incident. There was always the possibility of being upset, of being held up, of getting stuck in the mud and of being drowned in ford- ing a stream. As a matter of fact, acci- dents were rare after the days of turn- pikes, and the driver who had driven 300" days a year for 33 years without an acci- dent was not a great exception. There was, however, the constant ne- cessity of trimming and balancing the coach to prevent it from overturning in the deep ruts which abounded, and the driver frequently called out, “Now, gen- tlemen, to the right!” upon which all the passengers stretched their bodies half way out of the carriage to balance on that side, and, “Now, gentlemen, to the left!” and so on. Occasionally the flow of merriment and good humor, to which both driver and passengers contributed, was abruptly checked. A certain old veteran was driv- ing once from Dover, N. H,, to Haver hill, Mass. During the spring months the roads were often in a bad condition, and six horses, and sometimes ten, were needed to draw the coach. : In Epping, N. H., was a particularly hard place, locally known as the “soap mine.”” Through this mine of mud the driver helped to guide his coach and six, but the coach was heavily loaded; and in spite of the efforts of the skillful driver the team was soon fast in the mud, tho wheels settling to the hubs. All attempts of the horses were in vain. The driver tinally got down from his seat, opened the coach door, made Known to | the passengers the condition of things and politely asked them to get out and lighten the load. This they all positively refused to do. They had paid their fares and did not think it their duty to get out fn the mud. . by the whitewashed bungalows. “Very well,” said the driver, and, quiet: . ly closing the door, he seated himself in the roadside. Ja a few moments the passengers asks ed: “What are you doing?” “I’m waiting till the. mud dries up,” the driver replied. “The horses cannot draw {he Josg, so that is the only thing I can 0. : It §s perhaps needless to add that he did mot wait till the mud dried up. The Wrong Instrament. Irate Father—Here I've paid you no telling how much money to teach my daughter music, and she can't play any better than she did before. Whose fault i is that? Professor Van Note—Ze fault is ze ins strument. 1 haf von instrument in my shop vich she learn to play soon. Irate Pather— Huh! Is it like this? Professor Van Note—It looks like zis piano, but it goes mit a handle. *:- —2 A MILITARY EXECUTION. The Hanging of a Danny Deever Seen by Six Thousand Soldiers. “I was compelled unwillingly some years ago,” says a writer in Scraps, “to be a spectator at a military execution in a great station in the northwest prov- inces of India. There had been so many shooting cases of late that the command- er in chief ordered the execution to take place on the parade ground and all the available troops to be on the ground. It was in the cold weather, two or three regiments were passing through, and these were ordered to go into camp until the dreaded day arrived. “At daybreak the five British and four native regiments were marched to the parade ground and formed up into three sides of a square, on the incomplete side being a wooden. platform which was top- ped by a couple of uprights and a cross- beam, from which a rope dangled omi- nously. As I was a noncom. I had a good opportunity of scrutinizing my comrades’ faces as we ‘stood easy.’ “As I oglanced along the line my thoughts went back to the day when I had seen many of these men engaged in the bloodiest battle of modern days, working their ‘tools’ among the seething masses of heathendom, with that proud flush on their faces never seen except on the faces of victorious troops. Now ev- ery face wore an ashen hue; they fidgeted about, bit their chin straps, twisted their mustaches with unsteady hands and did their level best io appear as unconcerned as possible. A ghastlier failure I never saw before or since. Despite the oppor- tunities afforded me of moving about, I felt, to say the least of it, particalarly uncomfortable, J “I thought what a change the sight of an enemy would effect in those ghastly beings before me! Alas, there was noth- ing to kill that morning, save a poor Tommy Atkins who had run amuck among his fellow men and shot a supe- rior, and now he was to meet his death | at the hands of a half caste. “My musings were broken in upon by the thud of a muffled drum away down Imme- diately the dead march in ‘Saul’ came wailing over the cold morning air. ‘At- tention!” With a rattle our rifles were brought into the order, and then we wait- ed. Oh, such a long time it seemed to me .before the long procession resolved itself into a funeral party, but with the chief character in the procession in the full vigor of manhood. “Leading the procession was an armed , party with arms reversed, then the band and drums, followed by an escort of four men, surrounding a fair haired, handsome young soldier, who marched past us with . head erect and with firm step, the coolest man out of the 6,000 present. The step of many of the band and escort was er- ratic, but the bare headed soldier never made a false step the whole time, he even calling the attention of one of the escort to ‘change step.’ ? “He mounted the scaffold, accompanied by the chaplain, the provost marshal and two men; the band ceased playing, and then began the most solemn of all litur- gies, the ‘burial of the dead.” Ere this, nowever, he was asked if he wished to address his comrades. His words were: ‘Comyades, I deserve my fate. I'm heart- ily sorry for what I've done and hope God will forgive me. Keep away from drink; never lose your tempers. God bless you all. God help me!’ “During the pinioning process the chap- lain repeated the burial service or, rather, extracts from it, and just as the bolt was drawn repeated ‘the words, ‘Lord, receive his soul’ Many ejaculated a fervent ‘Amen! > “Instantly the brigadier’s voice rang out: ‘Fours—right. By the left—quick march!” The whole force was marched past the scaffold -and made to ‘eyes right’ on arriving there, so that every man should see the quivering mass which was suspended from the beam. We marched back to the camp, right glad to get away from the scene; yet, try as we might, we could not cast off the gloom whicle had settled upon us. During the time we were waiting on parade scores of men, principally youngsters, fainted, as their nerves were overstrung at the thought of what was coming. “Although I had seen an execution of a civilian, it made not one tithe of the im- pression on my mind as did this execu- tion.” or HOW Straight Is a Chinaman? A Chinaman is universally considered to be a liar. And so he is. But after a few years of initiation I have never found much difficulty in extracting the truth from any Chinaman, be he milkman or mandarin. Not only so, but I have always felt great confidence in the truthfulness of my own servants, though they often popped out sundry lies. We have our own lies—divorce court lies, club lies, so- ciety lies, husband and wife lies and so on. The distinction is that we lie with a different motive, A Chinaman is thought to be a thief. I always kept the safe locked, possessed no jewelry I had not always on, and I never locked up any- thing but money and important papers; particularly, 1 never locked up wine or cigars. During the whole course of my life in China (with one notable exception, when a thief at an inn walked off with me and my bed in my sleep, deposited me in a handy spot and extracted a valuable fur coat from underneath me) I was nev. er robbed of anything.—Parked’s "Ching, Her History, Ete.” - She Sponge. If you look at the sponge you use for your bath, you will see that it is covered all over with small holes, with here and there toward the top sume large ones. Now try to realize that in life this crea- ture, the skeleton of which you wash yourself with, was composed as to its fleshy parts of small cells. Tho whole structure as it was in life might be com: pared to a city intersected by canals. Wver £0 many little canals gave cotrance to the sea water, which wa: expelled through the big orifices. In this way it wvas managed that ro farge foreign ob- jects could be sucked in, while the sew- ers, as they might be called, were wide enough to drive anything out by. —— Suberibe for the WATCHMAN.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers