The Moonshine Raid
Mount Vernon Signal Article
July 23, 1897
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The story
is telegraphed from Harrodsburg to the Louisville Post
that deputy collectors J.C. Wilson of Louisville and Tom Austin of Garrard
county had just made a raid into the great Salt Peter cave on Crooked Creek this
county. From the description given of the cave it would appear to be one of the
most wonderful holes in the ground to be found not excepting the mammoth. This
correspondent claims that two stills of 100 gallon capacity each were found a
mile under ground and several hundred
feet below the surface and that two or three boxes of human bones were
discovered. Half a dozen Winchester rifles were picked up at the two stills that
were singing merrily the lullaby of intoxication as the steam and smoke lazily
rolled up. No mention is made of the officers having seen a human being anwhere
in the cave precincts. Now it strikes us that these correspondents have been
sending in teir cock and bull stories about the mountains long enough and
intelligent reaaders throughout the state ought to know by this time that all
the salt peter contained in the great cvave above mentioned and there are
thousands of tons of it ther, would scarecely suffice to save the reproters on
account of their misstatements whom so often draw upon their imagination for
news items expecially when it has reference to the mountains of Kentucky and its
people. We are heartly tired of this abuse. Of course we have some bad men, but
show us any county or community that is clear of them. Give the mountains a
small rest brothers and look after your toll gate raiders and other lawbreakers
in a land that has so long been lauded to the skies as the greatest on Gods
earth and where every citizen is supposed to be a leader in church and Sunday
School. Give us a rest. |
Article Submitted by Andy Niekamp
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