Bold Mountain Moon Shiners’ Still Raided by Officers

Horse Thieving Gang Broken Up

Outlaws Run Booze Mill Successfully for Three Years in the Hills

July 25, 1907—The El Reno American—Muskogee, I. T., July 22—After stealing horses and making moonshine liquor for three years undisturbed in the heart of the Choctaw nation, the lair of the outlaws has at last been discovered, their still broken up and the place razed to the ground.

The still was in the security of Bald mountain, a place almost impossible to reach, as is attested by the fact that while the still has been suspected by the officers for two years, they had never been able to locate it.

Bald Mountain is twenty miles east of Limestone Gap, a way station on the “Katy” railroad. The country there is a rough and broken wilderness where Indians hunt big game and few white settlers live. One may travel for miles there and not see a human habitation, though one sees here and here an Indian on the grail or a hunter.

Set back in these hills and the trails to it constantly guarded, the still has been successfully operated for three years. In addition to making moonshine liquor the owners of the still were evidently either engaged in stealing horses or were the “fence” for horse thieves, for there had been about thirty horses held at the point near the still. These horses are believed to be stolen from different parts of the Choctaw nation and collected near the still from which place they were run out of the country and sold.

The officers arrested a man who lived in the country near the still on suspicion. For many days he maintained stoutly complete ignorance but from time to time he let drop admissions that finally wound around him so completely that he made a complete confession about the still but denies that he is connected with it further than to buy liquor.

With this man acting as a guide two officers with a posse entered the mountain recesses and found a secret train which led to the still without difficulty. When the still was located there was no one in sight, but four men were picked up who are believed to be the men who were operating the illicit plant.

They have been placed in jail at Atoka. Near the still was a large stable in which there had been almost thirty horses.

There have been lots of horses stolen in this section of the Choctaw nation for a long time and when a horse was stolen it could never be located again. The post office nearest the still location is Wesley, a crossroads store in the mountains and the officers who located the still are Deputy Marshals York and Blackburn.

Transcribed & submitted by: Mollie Stehno

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