THE ET CETERA CHRONICLES - HERE A STILL, THERE A STILL, EVERYWHERE A STILL

HERE A STILL, THERE A STILL, EVERYWHERE A STILL

- Folks in Dublin and Laurens County loved their liquor.  They followed the Apostle Paul's command in his letter to Timothy, "Still do not drink water, but a little wine each day for thy stomach's sake and they frequent infirmities."  In an effort to confound revenue agents and unsympathetic deputies and policeman, liquor lovers put their stills in all sorts of places where they couldn't be found, or so they thought.

D.N. Leonard believed that if he put his still right under the nose of law enforcement officials he would be safe.  Leonard kept a big beer barrel in his house and put his liquor still out in the back yard as if no one would notice.  But, Deputy Federal Collector E.C. Pierce and City Court Sheriff Tindol did.  They found the booze and mash maker within five blocks of the court, confiscated it, and threw the perplexed prisoner in the hoosegow.  

When officers Pierce and Tindol were hot on the trail of more suspected hootch, they discovered the trail ended on the edge of a pond surrounded by trees.   They jumped aboard a bateau they found on the banks.   They found that a a clever crew of moonshiners, headed by Monroe Hall,  concocted a more devious plan than ol' Mr. Leonard.  The men constructed a platform in the middle of a large pond filled with cypress trees.  The shiners cut off tops of several of the water loving trees and placed three large stills.   Also sitting on the deck were 200 gallons of beer, ready for some thirsty throats.   Macon Telegraph, August 1, 1919, October 7, 1919.