Mr. Wilson,
Yes, we have them in Oklahoma like that on top of trailer houses in the deep woods and in the fall they serve as a deer stand as well. There is no end to the folk wisdom that surrounds us, if one has eyes to see it.

Thanks for the advice, but even I'm not that stupid.

There was an old moonshiner in these parts who once had his still, of all places, on his roof, on the backside of the house. The revenuers came looking for the still, and poked around in every nook and cranny of his property, but never looked up at the roof. I kid you not, it actually happened. That was before they used planes.

I hear that Indian reservations were a good place to put stills in Oklahoma. Put them just inside the line of the reservation and they couldn't touch it. The Indian lawmen didn't care.

Making likker is not that difficult but do not put the set up in your basement.

McCallum

The claim is that Lincoln was the progeny of an Enloe riding judge from either Rutherford or Macon Counties in North Carolina.

In fact, I had two fraternity brothers who swore that he was their kin and they were Enloes from Macon County NC.

McCallum

We were in Haywood County and right near Canton. We took an exit and worked our way over and through the hills. The barns were right up beside the roads and the turns were tight, nearly 90 degrees in some cases and this was not mountain side driving. There were old homes about and plenty of trailers. It has always amazed me how most of those trailers get hauled up into the mountains and placed in the spots where they are placed since a flea couldn't turn around in most areas.

But as we drove we came upon a sign that said, and with a large painting of a dog sporting bloody teeth, "this property protected by pitbull with AIDS". An open invitation to investigate more so we pull along side a trailer with signs covering the entire property. One specifically said "this is the property of Popcorn Sutton. Anyone caught trespassing will have their damn a$$ shot off by my 12 gauge shot gun"-signed Popcorn Sutton.

I took more trips to Knoxville over the years and we always drove up toward Popcorn's place. We stopped and spoke with him a few times. I can not say that I ever bought likker from him since my taste in likker generally runs along the Sparta/Piney Creek areas of the Blue Ridge Mnts but he was interesting to say the least.

Walt Wolfram of North Carolina State has featured Popcorn in several of his linguistic preservation studies. These works are worth a look.

The likker making area Popcorn hails from, Cocke County Tennessee, still turns out plenty of likker. I do not consider it to be at the level of North Carolina mnt likker but it can be passed off to gentlemen.

My Popcorn story. Rest as best you can.

McCallum

Absolutely true. I know younger members of the family that "adopted" him; and my wife, Mary Beth, knew Henry Todd. Before I wrote the piece, she called and confirmed some of the details, including the location of the Todd estate in New England and the name of the woman who corresponded with her parents and sent some money for his support. She was somewhat reticent about telling all this -- probably because of warnings her parents had given her. I saw no reason to keep the secret, since all the principals in the arrangement were long since dead.

I'm surprised no one has raised this question before. When I wrote the essay, I fully expected the Lincoln worshipers tp descend on me like the winged monkeys. I guess they don't read Chronicles.