Moonshiners' caches

[MoonWalkThePlank]

I have been trying to think of some creative ways of finding new ground to search for caches. One idea that seems mildly intriguing is to find old records of arrests that were made on moonshiners. The idea being that those moonshiners that were arrested may have known the law was hot on their tales, and so they squirreled away their savings (in the ground) maybe they then died in prison or simply forgot where they buried their loot.

Does anyone have any ideas where records of arrests for the 20's could be found, and how they might be filtered to only prohibition related arrests?

[truckinbutch]

There are caches like that found from time to time . Can't help you on how to narrow your research .

[Kentucky Kache]

A few week ago I was doing research on a cache and accidentally ran across a moonshiner cache lead. I was looking at a 1959 newspaper on microfilm at my library. Give it a try.

[Shortstack]

Moonshiners were running off illegal booze all down through the years. The reason they were illegal is because they were UNLICENSED whiskey producers. No license; no tax numbers, no tax stamps. That type of ops are running today. So don't get hung up on the Prohibition era alone because shine has been runoff for decades / centuries. Just check the arrest records and cross reference with obituaries and then the probate records. Thimk.

[Kentucky Kache]

Here is that article.

[GrayCloud]

My Grandfather, who was born in 1880 and died in 1973, was head of the Arkansas Regulators in the twenties and thirties. So, did I have since enough to pick his mind of all the doings in South Arkansas? Nope, too full of myself, gonna be a big time defensive back and make big bucks. Did not happen. Knowledge lost forever. Did I mention he was on both sides of the moonshine business. Dad said he sure could make some good shine.

We have become a society that disregards the roads these Old Timers have traveled. Knowlege of history, work skills, plant life and usage, gone back into the ground... Talk to them before it is too late. You know, like on Fried Green Tomatoes.

[Tnmountains]

Most moonshiners were pretty smart. We have lots of old stills around here. Thats a pretty cool idea. I used to work with an old guy that ran shine.They would haul it up river with mules and turn the mules loose and they would know their way home. He was sitting around the pot one night with some guys and the revenuers snuck up on them and shot them with out warning. Killed two.They shot him 4 times but he lived and did a stint in Fed prison.He said it was the life back then.Three square meals and a roof over his head.I remember him saying he never had it so good while he was in prison. I remember seeing the silver dollar hole scars in his chest and back. Worked with him on the rail road he ran an old bucyrus crane. Was still alive couple years ago. He was never hurting for money. I was a pall bearer for another guy that ran shine . He did very well during prohibition and until his death. Never owed a soul.
Good luck with your treasure hunt. Sounds like a plan. I do know they did not keep $ around the pots.
TnMountains

[truckinbutch]

My Grandfather, who was born in 1880 and died in 1973, was head of the Arkansas Regulators in the twenties and thirties. So, did I have since enough to pick his mind of all the doings in South Arkansas? Nope, too full of myself, gonna be a big time defensive back and make big bucks. Did not happen. Knowledge lost forever. Did I mention he was on both sides of the moonshine business. Dad said he sure could make some good shine.

We have become a society that disregards the roads these Old Timers have traveled. Knowlege of history, work skills, plant life and usage, gone back into the ground... Talk to them before it is too late. You know, like on Fried Green Tomatoes.

I hear ya . Spent my formative years every day with my GP and learned much . Could have learned so much more if I had asked more questions .

[Shortstack]

When I was in Jr. and Sr. High School, there was a bootlegger who lived a few miles out of town and if you wanted some beer, just pull up to his gate and he'd walk out to your car. You'd tell him what you wanted and he'd disappear for a couple of minutes and then bring you what you wanted. His beer was ALWAYS ice cold. Whenever he'd hitchhike into town, he'd walk around with a long barreled 38 long Colt in his waist band. The City Marshall knew he "carried" but never messed with him because he (the Marshall) knew the man would not START any trouble while in town. The man reminded me of pictures of Wild Bill Hickok........long dirty white hair and old felt hat. He lived alone and never moved to town. A shorttime after he died, his house burned to the ground kind of mysteriously. There's no doubt in my mind that he put some bucks into the ground out at his place and "one of these days" I'll trackdown where he lived by doing a title check at the courthouse. I also have no doubt that the rest of his family did not have enough smarts to figure out where he put his stuff. I knew some of them and they were NOT rocket scientists.

[truckinbutch]

When I was in Jr. and Sr. High School, there was a bootlegger who lived a few miles out of town and if you wanted some beer, just pull up to his gate and he'd walk out to your car. You'd tell him what you wanted and he'd disappear for a couple of minutes and then bring you what you wanted. His beer was ALWAYS ice cold. Whenever he'd hitchhike into town, he'd walk around with a long barreled 38 long Colt in his waist band. The City Marshall knew he "carried" but never messed with him because he (the Marshall) knew the man would not START any trouble while in town. The man reminded me of pictures of Wild Bill Hickok........long dirty white hair and old felt hat. He lived alone and never moved to town. A shorttime after he died, his house burned to the ground kind of mysteriously. There's no doubt in my mind that he put some bucks into the ground out at his place and "one of these days" I'll trackdown where he lived by doing a title check at the courthouse. I also have no doubt that the rest of his family did not have enough smarts to figure out where he put his stuff. I knew some of them and they were NOT rocket scientists.

You got a solid , first person , lead . Go for it

[GrayCloud]

Shortstack, when the wife and I get back home this Winter, do I need to come camp out over there. Between the two of us old dogs, we may just find that Old Boys loot.
Don't forget that other project in my area. Whenever you get time to study the maps, let me know.

Love this cache hunting.

[Shortstack]

TButch, I've been thinking more about a buried castiron pot one of my Uncles told me about. That sucker is close to the site of a onetime stagecoach stop and, according to my Uncle the pot is haunted. He was 12 years old and was taken by his daddy and an uncle to dig up that pot. Well, according to him, when they got that pot uncovered, the sky clouded up and lightning started hitting all around and they got the H--- out of there. He told me, within a half-acre, of where they were digging. Since I've been reading these posts about the KGC, I've begun to wonder if that cache might be a satellite one those folks buried because of what is in the immediate area of that puppy. But, of course, it probably doesn't and I'm just "wishful thinking".

GrayCloud, a big part of looking for that cache is getting around all of the POSTED signs. Everybody around here have their land posted and if a certain family owns that place now, we'd never get in. There's a lot of angles to work on that deal. Now, that haunted pot is on county land and I found out that the property is not posted by the county. Soooooo, that's another reason I'm looking at it instead. The only problem with it is the woods covering the area are as thick as hair on a dog's back which means ticks, redbugs, and snakes. The only time to look in there is in cold weather when the snakes get slooooooooow.

[GrayCloud]

Not a problem. Tensas and I need to finish that other project this Winter. We may have to work around the deer hunters for safty sake.

[Shortstack]

If the hunters over there are anything like many of the "hunters" here, wearing those international orange vests and caps just make you better targets.

[Tnmountains]

Please at least wear an orange cap for safety. We do not expect to see other people prowling around our property and those with out permission even worse... well just be safe.Going slow swing a detector would get a hunters attention even from hundreds of yards out and if you are on public land that hunters dollars fund no telling who is out there. If you go in Febuary like we do you sstand a better chance not to disturb anothers hunt.
Later

[Shortstack]

Many years ago, a deer hunter shot another hunter out of his deer stand that was mounted 15 feet up a tree trunk. The shooter's excuse was, "I thought it was a deer." Since then, I don't trust ANY hunter. That happened in East Texas where you'd THINK they knew how to hunt, but apparently even THEIR cityslickers are dumb as rocks, too.

[TURNMASTER]

Don't forget marijuana grows... Modern Moonshine

[MoonWalkThePlank]

Hey thanks for all the great responses. I love this site!!!

weed growers is a pretty good idea.... Well creative at least, probably not too smart.

Just out of curiosity what land are we allowed to detect on without permission? State parks, National parks, ? ?

[digincali]

I remember seeing a story in my local paper a few years ago, although I can't find any record of it on the net. A guy was doing some yard work and unearthed a few 5 gallon glass jugs filled with prohibition era whiskey. It would be a great place to metal detect however I wasn't into the hobby at the time and have since moved out of the area. If they were burying the product, they were most likely burying some of the proceeds as well. I'll keep hunting for that article. It was in the Santa Cruz Mtns in California.

[TURNMASTER]

IF... I was currently willing to spend the time hunting a state or national forest, I would go thru state records and find busts from the last few years. I would hunt the busted site as it no longer is a criminal enterprise. As for how you would explain why you are there, you have a metal detector. Now many of the busted grows are Mexican in origin in WA st. The grow is gone so the bad guys should be also... Or one would hope (and pray)...

I might think a person would find things like food, money for supplies and modern weapons. You would have to take the weapons out with you. Can't just leave something like that lying around, someone could get hurt. That would be irresponsible! Should you decide not to keep them you would have the opportunity to turn them over to the proper authorities, your choice.

Furthermore it would be no more or less dangerous than looking for a moonshiners stash. Those guys are still running shine and likely of ill disposition when found accidentally.

As for the feds fingering you... show them this post

HH
Jeff