Saturday, June 21, 2014

The lot of the small scale moonshiner

The little moonshiner is a more interesting character, if for no other reason than that he fights fair, according to his code, and single-handed against tremendous odds. He is innocent of graft. There is nothing between him and the whole power of the Federal Government except his wits and a well-worn Winchester or muzzle-loader. He is very poor; he is very ignorant; he has no friends at court; his apparatus is crude in the extreme, and his output is miserably small. This man is usually a good enough citizen in other ways, of decent standing in his own community, and a right good fellow toward all the world, save revenue officers.

(from Our Southern Highlanders, by Horace Kephart)

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