Originally published at In The Shadow of Red Rock
As the New Year 1930 dawned across the hills, it seemed prohibition had made little difference to the tough and resilient mountaineers of my home. The cat and mouse game of whiskey men and revenuers seemed to be less-covered by the papers as of late, but it undoubtedly was still being played. Seems the law knew that raids in such a rough and isolated territory should focus only on the big stills, though small ones would occasionally be ferreted out and destroyed.
A new decade began, and the people across the nation were getting mighty tired of prohibition.
Though the headlines in early 1935 were grabbed by the Jasper bank robbery (of which I have written earlier), the whiskey men were still there, in the backwoods, trying their best to not make the papers!
However, some would not be so lucky.
‘Raids in Newton and Boone counties early Saturday resulted in the arrest of 11 men and three women. These raids were made by Prohibition Agents J.R. Jones, J.W. Ledbetter and J.E. Reid.’ – Baxter Bulletin, October 2, 1931.
In this large operation, spanning four counties (Baxter, Boone, Searcy and Newton) a total of 23 men and 4 women were arrested for liquor violations.
The 1930s were interesting times, indeed, with county officials being indicted (and acquitted) for embezzling funds and the local Republican meeting in 1932 becoming a ‘free-for-all fisticuff’ in Jasper, landing two of the attendees in jail (both of them from Mt. Judea, for the record; but we’ll say that’s just because Judea boys don’t run from the law. How’s that?). On top of that was the murder of Pete Cowan, former sheriff, near Fallsville. One would think that the law had their hands far too full to worry about the mountaineers trying to scratch a dollar out of some corn!
On the national stage, however, Prohibition was nearing its end.
After witnessing, among other things, a nationwide crime spree and law breaking, the popular social experiment began to have serious detractors. By the close of 1933, it would be repealed by Amendment Twenty-one to the US Constitution, ratified on December 5, 1933.
Nationwide prohibition was no more.
The papers seem to be quiet on the issue of whiskey raids for some time, but in late 1934 a murder would take place that involved some whiskey men. The Madison County Record of September 6 would reprint an article from the Jasper Informer:
‘Newton County officers, headed by Sheriff Abe Tinsley, Friday were seeking the slayer of John Sullivan, aged 60, farmer, who was killed by a charge from a shotgun at a still near Fallsville, 10 miles southwest of Jasper, Thursday. The sheriff said that Sullivan apparently was slain after an argument with the operator of the still, which was found punctured by a rifle bullet.
Sheriff Tinsley suspects that Sullivan fired the shot through the liquor still. Sullivan was shot once in the left chest, and died instantly.
The still was in operation at the time of the killing, and two barrels of mash had been poured out before officers arrived. Sheriff Tinsley said. The still was located about a quarter of a mile from Fallsville, near the home of John Horton, a farmer.
Anderson Cowan, about 50, is charged with the killing. His relatives are arranging for him to make bond and promised Sheriff Abe Tinsley that they would bring him to the county seat and have him surrender.’
However, ‘Sullivan’ is not the name of the victim, but ‘Sutherland.’ The victim was John C. Sutherland, a 56 year old farmer and, as would be revealed in the article about Cowan’s surrender in the September 13 Madison County Record, a whiskey man:
‘The details of the killing indicates that Cowan and Southerlan were both operating stills and that Southerlan had taken from Cowan’s still some equipment and material and that Cowan asked him to return it, upon promise of giving him a gallon of whiskey. Southerlan had returned part of the stuff taken and demanded the whiskey. Cowan told him he would give him the whiskey when he returned all the stuff he had taken. Southerlan left saying that he was going after his gun and would make Cowan give him the whiskey. When Cowan saw him returning with the gun he left, or started to leave the scene. Southerlan started following him with a shot gun saying that he was going to shoot and raised his gun. Cowan, who had a rifle, fired at Southerlan, killing him almost instantly.’
John Sutherland would not be the only casualty that was related to whiskey; the April 27, 1935 Paragould Daily Press related:
‘Newton County officers reported today they were seeking a man described as Roy Cottington of Yardell in connection with the slaying of E.B. Hopkins, 55, also of Yardell. Authorities said the shooting followed the arrest of Cottington on a liquor charge and that Cottington had blamed Hopkins for information supplied officers in the case’
Yet another sad incident occurred in early 1936, when two local boys, Russell Beavers, 19, and Dennis Davison, 17, were arrested and held in the Huntsville jail on a warrant charging them with the death of a six year old boy, whom they allegedly fed a half pint of ‘moonshine whiskey.’ The boy, whose name was not given, was a child of Inman Estep, who lived near Kingston. The April 2 Madison County Record states:
‘It is reported that they boy was found by his parents Thursday afternoon a short distance from their home in a drunken condition and that he stated Beavers and Davidson had enticed him to drink a half pint of whiskey. He died a few hours later.’
They would eventually be sentenced to one year each in reform school, on the charge of involuntary manslaughter. The April 16 Madison County Record states:
‘In admitting their guilt the boys are quoted as saying “we had seen the child drink whiskey before and didn’t think it would hurt him.” They denied they forced the child to drink the whiskey. It is understood Beavers and Davidson were drunk at the time they gave the whiskey to the child.’
After these tragedies, the papers were strangely silent, as the law apparently had much more to contend with than the whiskey men.
The 1930s closed out with no news of any busts, and the beginning of the 1940s were likewise fairly quiet, most likely because of the brewing conflict in Europe that would soon draw their government into joining the fray; yet again sending young Ozark boys into the mouth of war in a foreign land.
Still, in the hills, the whiskey men stood as they had for generations, passing down their knowledge and practices down to those who came after them, supplying a demand that was always present.
The papers seemed to be more occupied with War news and occasional small local happenings, but it seems the whiskey men almost never made the papers, stretching on into the late 1940s.
One interesting related item was the various Arkansas counties voting to go ‘wet’ or ‘dry;’ that is, allowing the sale of alcohol or not.
Newton County’s election over it was held March 27, 1946.
‘Since the prohibition laws were repealed, 27 Arkansas counties have held local option elections, 24 (nearly one third of the state’s 75 counties) voting dry and three voting wet.’-The Courier News, March 22, 1946.
However, the outcome was not stated. I believe that this was when Newton County went ‘dry’ officially. I have also been told in the late 40s and early 50s it was possible to buy beer and liquor at Jasper, so I doubt most folks noticed!
The whiskey men were back in the papers in The Madison County Record of June 3, 1948:
‘According to the “Newton County News” a mimeographed publication at Jasper, a 150 gallon still was captured last week 19 miles southwest of Ben Hur by Sherriff Russell Burdine and Federal Investigators.
Alvin Pipkin, 34, a single ma, was arrested at his home and confessed to operation of the still, officers said. he pled guilty to the charges against him.
The still was in Pope County, and special arrangement between the sheriffs of Newton and Pope counties had been made before the capture of the still. The arrest was made in Newton County.
Sheriff Burdine and Federal Investigators had been searching for 3 1/2 days when they captured the still. Seven gallons of whisky were taken. All of the mash had been “cooked off” on Monday and plans had been made to move the still.
It was the tenth still Sheriff Burdine has captured since being Sheriff of Newton County.’
Yet again, proof of the whiskey men wisely mixing up jurisdictions! Making whiskey in one county while living in another.
Sheriff Burdine would bust over 90 stills in his short four year tenure in office (1946-1950). His son, Russell Jr., recalled the revenue agents “Would come to our house before daylight and park their car in the barn, then them and dad would go out looking for stills.”
Evidence of Sheriff Burdine’s success begins to grace the papers as the decade draws to a close:
‘Newton County Sheriff Russell Burdine and revenue officers from Harrison destroyed a wild cat still Monday, Dec. 13, in Newton County. The officers found the still two miles north of Jasper and 1/2 mile southwest of the old Taylor school house on Dec. 8. They had been watching it and had made several trips to it trying to catch the owners. No arrests have been made.’-The Madison County Record, Jan 6, 1949.
As the 1940s ended, the whiskey men still soldiered on, as they had since their ancestors had first come to the hills.
And the law would continue to come looking!
The views expressed at AbbevilleInstitute.org are not necessarily the views of the Abbeville Institute.
Here’s to mud in your eye.
When I was 6 years old my father took me to see the movie, “Thunder Road” [1958 release]. Just Dad and me. He had never done that before and never did after. Now why would a Southern father take his only son [at that point] to see a movie about Southern moonshiners?! Thanks Dad!! I got the message.
Oops. Full disclosure, if it matters, I was 7 at the time. Typing skill and editing are important. 😉