Herald's history series: Sheriff Middleton eliminates 'moonshine' stills

By Lynn Hotaling

Under a banner headline that read: "Wood Alcohol For Whiskey Fatal To Three Here," the newspaper announced the following:

Three young white men are dead and several others are recovering from poison effects after drinking wood alcohol which they mixed with water last Wednesday night in a drinking party of a group of painters, all of the Sylva area.

Charles Extine, 30, died in bed sometime early Thursday morning after drinking with the group Wednesday night. The second victim was Hal Gunter, 23, who died about 6 p.m. Thursday. Cole Burch Jr., 20, who was taken to the hospital Thursday, was released that afternoon as being out of danger. He walked to his home, talked with friends on the street on the way, stating "I'll never drink another drop", then died at his home about 10:30 Friday morning. All three men were in a party of some 12 or 15 men who engaged in a drinking party at the home of Burch and Extine sometime Wednesday afternoon and evening. Following the death of Extine, Sheriff Griffin Middleton investigated and found a gallon container half full of wood alcohol which members of the party said had been full, the other half being mixed with water and drunk by the men. The varnish and paint thinner had been secured from a local building supply firm Wednesday.

Each of the poisoned victims died in great agony, surviving members of the party stated. A number of others were deathly ill for sometime.

Coroner Lum Dills said that no inquests would be held as it was evident the men died from drinking the mixture in place of whiskey.

Funeral arrangements were then listed for each of the three men.

Another story on the front page was titled "Sheriff Takes 3 More Stills in Drive on Liquor." Sheriff Middleton and Deputy Frank Allen have taken three more "Moonshine" stills in the last week, which are in addition to the 40 captured in the past five months.

These liquor making stills were taken in the Balsam and Cullowhee sections. On Tuesday of last week the officers captured a 40-gallon outfit and destroyed 400 gallons of mash near Balsam and another almost the same size on Dark Ridge. A 30-gallon still and 160 gallons of mash were destroyed on Cullowhee Mountain the same day.

In commenting on the large number of stills captured in the past few months, the Sheriff stated that this may have something to do with the Sylva men restoring to a quick plan of making whisky from wood alcohol, as their usual source of supply had possibly been cut off in this way. However, this was no excuse for men resorting to such as dangerous practice, he said, the result being fatal for three already.

Finally, what appeared to be an editorial was included on this issue's front page and was titled "Sheriff Middleton Makes 'Moonshining' Unprofitable." Unfortunately, part of the story is missing from newspaper files.

Moonshining in Jackson County is not the safest and surest way to make a living these days. The 40 copper outfits captured by Sheriff Middleton and his deputies during five months of 1948 proved this statement. They poured out 4000 gallons of sweet mash which was enough to manufacture about 400 gallons of "mule."

Had this mash been made into whiskey and legally sold the federal government would have netted something like $3600 in liquor tax money.

When you see Sheriff Middleton and his deputies with their khaki's on, riding away in their jeep, you can rest assured that some one has reported the whereabouts of a liquor-making contraption. If you think searching for them and raw-hiding them over miles of rugged hills is an easy job, then you should accompany the officers on one of their unpleasant searches. In the past few weeks Sheriff Middleton has captured a total of six stills, nearly every one of them within four or five miles of Sylva.

Students in various Jackson County schools are benefitting from the sheriff's adventures. He has presented most of the cooper to vocational departments for the purpose of experimenting in making trays, bowls, baskets, flowers and etc.

It is the belief of Sheriff Middleton that high tax on legal liquor is the cause of the (unreadable) in moonshining and bootlegging in the mountain area. Another reason, he said, is the return (unreadable) supplies of sugar, (unreadable) the availability of copper (unreadable) and barrels for storage, the chief necessities of every moonshiner.

Editor's note: This is the weekly installment of a review of our back issues as The Sylva Herald and Ruralite celebrates its 75th anniversary throughout 2001.

Back to Archive: 04/26/01.