The Red Flannel Rag

As time passed and more people went into the moonshine business, the

competition destroyed the communal spirit that was necessary for survival by

subsistence. Each family was involved in the illegal moonshine business resulting in a

great deal of tension and suspicion between neighbors who had formerly trusted each

other. There was constant competition for prices and customers.

Dad told me that if your next-door neighbor was competing with you, he would

report you to the revenue agents. Uncle Shirley told me a story of how bad the

competition was among neighbors and kin. “Uncle Joe turned my brother Charlie in to

the revenue agents. Even though he was able to avoid going to jail, Uncle Charlie took

revenge on him. He laid in the woods outside Uncle Joe’s house and waited until he sat

down to eat supper. A kerosene lamp sat in the middle of the kitchen table. When

Uncle Joe pulled his chair up to the table, Charlie shot through the window and hit the

lamp. He was lucky the lamp wasn’t lit. Uncle Joe said, ‘Deed and by God, a man can’t

set by his own light anymore unless somebody’s shootin’ at him.’” Uncle Rob was often

reported to revenue agents because of jealousy of the quality of his moonshine and his

connections to the local sheriff and judges. The distrust and resentment that developed

among families during moon shining days lasted for a long time.

212