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' ..
. THE TRUE LIFE
-- -~
-OutlaW~ and Moonshine
•
• .
Ey ~: .A.. 00:SE~
Of IViorganton, N. C.
- -- .-
RALEIGH, N . C.
· EDW,tRDf 'iRoupHTON & CO., Steam Printers and Binder;.
~\ 1881 · •
• . ,,
\
..
THE TRUE LIFE
OF
Maj.1~wis RicllarO R~OmonO,
J J THE NOTORIOUS
OUTLAW
AND FAMOUS
MOO H NER,
WESTE~ NORT
WHO WAS
:Born iu Swain County, N, C., in the Year 1855, and Arrested
April 7th,' 1881.
-Written. Hy
R. A. COBB, Deputy Collectot" of the Sixth District of
North Carol'ina, Morgan.ton, N, C.
RALEIGH{
EDWARDS, BROUGHTON & Co., Steam Printers and Binder!!.
1881.
.. ,.
..
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_ "..;-:._- ......... ~~
~i~
H onrn OF REDMOND-See pages 9 and 17,
PREFACE.
Feeling that it is but just to the subject of this sketch to
place him aright before the public, I have undertaken the
task of compiling the account of his varied and adventurous
career, which follows.
Redmond has been greatly slandered by printers' ink.
He has committed murder, he has violated the Internal
Revenue laws systematically and with defiance; but he
never did either the good things or the bad things which
the lives heretofore published of him make him do.
One of those so-called lives, published in Philadelphia
under the attractive title of "The Entwined Lives of l {iss
Gabrielle Austin and of Redmond the Outlaw, written '.by
Bishop Crittenden, of North Carolina," is a hoax, and
fraudi:dent hoax, throughout. It is sufficient to say 111 regard
to it that there is no Bishop Crittenden in North Caro•
lina and that Redmond has no female acquaintance by the
name of Gabrielle Austin. So that the" entwining " aforesaid
is a pure matter of moonshine, originating in the back
streets of the Quaker City by some poor penman hungry
for bread.
There are many sorts of lies, as we all know. Great
writers have classified and illustrated. the different species;
but the lie of the dime novel, the lie written to feed a hungry
belly by some starving hack, who harrasses a diseased
imagination for the substitute of facts-that type of the lie
carries with it such a ~ry for charity that even good men
smile, pity, and pass it by.
Iu this blood-and-thunder pamphlet Redmond kills a
United States Commissioner, Irwin C. McDowell, in the
post-office at Asheville, N. C., kills the Hon. Arthur Spates,
a Judge of the Circuit Court, in the court-house at Frankli,
n, Macon county, and has a Charleston company of infantry
and the " Charlotte Grays" detailed by Governors Vance
and Hampton to capture him.
,
PREFAC:11;. IV
Now there is a post-office at Asheville and there is a courthouse
at Franklin and the names of the Governors are right,
the rest is a bad sort of a lie badly told. In fact, there is a
murder to the page of this little pamphlet, and when horrors
have actually palled upon the composer, he quits with
this amusing entry:
"RECAPI'fULATION.
Number of men killed from September 15, 1867, to October 4, 1878, by
the band of which I am a leader, 227.
Number of men killed in whose death I am directly concerned-54,
Number of United States Marshals killed--12.
[NOTE BY THE EDr.roR.-'l'his list. up to the date given, is a correct
one; but in the pa~t few months Redmond has shot, and either killed or
se!·iously wounded many more. Up to the hour of publication he had
not been captured. To give anything like a cletailed account of Redmond's
many adventures, narrated wit.h great fidelity in the manuscript
p)lli(leQ I~ Miss Austin's hands, wonld be impossible in a volnrne of this
size; ire have therefore selected some of the most prominent, and give
e ,' - a condensed form.]''
l ~ve not time to speak more of this print, which
gro&·J libels the people of my native mountains. It is the
life of an outlaw, but not the kind of outlaw Major Redmond
is, whose wor,, I have for it that, while he may deserve
the Albany penitentiary, he ought not to be paraded
in print as a second Murrell.
He has never baby farmed or advertised himself in the
He:ralcl as having studied abortion in Paris, followed by an
appeal for patients. He never knew Mary Stinard, as her
pastor and guide, and would really have given poor Jennie
Cramer a helping hand on that dark night by the sea-beach.
His killing has been confined to men, and to men in open
daylight with guns in their hands. He would beg his Philadelphia
publishers to make him a remittance and to confine
their enterprise .for the future to that part of our broad
domain which is more fruitful of matter for the uses of" Illustrated
Covers," than the plain but proud Old North State
can ever hope to be.
In conclusion, whatever is hr.rein set down hath at least
this merit: It is the tale as told me by Redmond himself.
I give it as I got it. THE AUTHOR.
THE TRUE LIFE
OF
Maj. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
Major Lewis R. Redmond's Parentage-His Early
Life, Disposition, Habits and Marriage-Aspiration
to be Called a Bully by his Comrades.
While the lives of hundreds of men have been written
and eagerly sought after by those who spend sleepless nights
poring over the pages with as much zeal as the miser does
in delving after hidden treasures, and after those books have
been read and reread, we are at a loss to know whether
there ever lived such a man as the hero, and whether the
mighty deeds so vividly portrayed by word and illustration,
are true or false. In presenting this work to my readers, I
propose to give the truth, and not fiction.
Maj. Lewis Richard Redmond was born in the county of
Macon, now Swain county, North Carolina. His father's
name was Richard Redll!ond, his mother's name was Rusk.
Major Redmond was born in the year 1855, making him at
the time of his last capture twenty-six years old. His education
is quite limited. In fact, a near relative of his informs
me that he has known him from infancy; that he
never went to school a day in his 1-ife; that he 1rnver manifested
any fondness for books from childhood to the present,
but that his mind always seemed to run in a different
direction. His disposition has always been wild and roving.
He has never been satisfied long at any one place.
Richard Redmond, the Major's father, lived in Swain
6 THE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
county until Major Redmond was seven years old. He then
moved to Transylvania county, where he lived until the
year 1870. About this time the Major's father and mother
both died. He then courted a Miss Ladd, whom he afterwards
married. His wife wa~ born and reared in 'I'ransylvania
county, North Carolina. Before they were married
some suspicions arose in the neighborhood that Redmond
and Miss Ladd were too intimate for people who were not
married. Redmond, having some apprehension that the
law might be enforced, went to South Carolina, where he
and Miss Ladd were afterwards married. 'I'hey have lived
together ever since. Two children were born to them before
marriage; they lived together from the time they were
married in South Carolina until the• year 1877, when they
moved from South Carolina to Swain county, North Carolina.
Major Redmond is six feet high, weighed when arrested
190 pounds; is of rather dark complexion, with black
hair and moustache, blue eyes, with a pleasant countenance
and a commanding appearance. He is one of those men
who once seen is never forgotten. Redmond also possesses
the tact of exerting a powerful influence over men, and
especially young men, whose character is not formed, and
whose habits are not fixed. He is fully aware of the famous
reputation that has gone abroad about him, and seems to
take pride in the name of "Redmond, the outlaw."
On all occasions he seems to exert himself to sustain his
reputation as a bully among his followers. It is his _custom
when any person manifests a desire to form his acquaintance,
to introduce himself thus: "Sir, you say you want to
form the acquaintance of Maj. Redmond, the outlaw. This
is the man l I am Maj. Redmond, the famous outlaw of
whom you have beard so much talk; the man who has
killed so many men ! Sir, take a good look at me, so you
will know me the next time you see me." Men who are
familiar with his life, say that when he introduces himself
Hrs EARLY LIFE, DISPOSITION, MARRIAGE, ETc. 7
rte a stranger or any person whom he would be likely to
.come in contact with at any time, he endeavors to expand
his muscles and cause his personal appearance to pre,:ent as
formidable an aspect as possible.
Redmond has not only gained a well earned State
reputation as the king of "moonshiners," but bas a
11ational reputation. Soon after the last capture and
arrest of Maj. Redmond in Swain county, North Carolina,
the following appeared in the Polirx News, a newspaper
published in the city of New York, which I herewith quote
to give the reader some i<lea of the reputation of the subject
of this volume. When Redmond was arrested, comments
were made and long articles appeared in nearly all the lead:
ing newspapers throughout the United States:
(Comments from the Police News of tile 7th :M:ay, 1881.)
"Major Lewis R. Redmond, the Outlaw, Captured-The Famous
Moonshiner, tlw American Robin Hood, al last in Jail,
with six Bullet Wounds.
"Maj. Lewis R. Redmond, the notorious moonshiner aud
outlaw, who has so long and so succe,:sfully evaded arrest,
has at last been captured. He was placed in Asheville jail
on M-0nday the 25th April, being taken to that place from
ihe mountains by a guard of six men. He fought like a
tiger for bis freedom, and .carried in his body six bullet
wounds, the result of liis obstin ate resistance. Redmrmd is
really the ki.ng moonshiner of the United States. He is a
,Georgian by birth, and is only 27 years old. He and his
Jath€r both have been engaged in 'rransyl vania county,
North Carolina, in the distillation of illicit whiskey. 'I'he
old man attended to the distillery while Redmond Jr. trav€
11ed about and sold the proceeds of the old man's labor.
The Major's first notorious crime was the murder near Brevard
in Transylvania county, North Carolina, in the spring
,of 1875, of United States Deputy Marshal Duckworth .
.Redmond agreed to su1-ret11JPr to Duckworth, and when the
8 THE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOMD1
latter lowered his pistol, Redmond drew his pistol and shot
him through the throat, producing death in a few hours. A
price of 600 dollars was soon after put upon his head. His
headquarters have been in South Carolina, in the heart of
the Blue Ridge Mountains, near the junction of the White
w·aters and 'roxaway rivers, where his log cabin could be
approached only by two narrow mountain paths. Shortly
after this change of base, over 500 able bodied mountaineers
were organized in this wild country under the lead of Redmond's
dare-devil spirit, who heralded every approach of
the revenue officers by beacon fires at night, using signal
horns by day. Spies have been mercilessly shot or hung.
In the winter of 1876 Deputy Marshals Bastin, Moore and
Gray, with two citizens, captured Redmond by an ambush,
but he escaped from them, borrowed a gun, and shot Bastin
and another man. Bastin was badly wounded, and before
he recovered, Redmond visited his residence and proposed
to hang him. He confiscated Bastin's horse and one hundred
dollars in money, and was satisfied to depart after
Bastin promised never to molest him again. Capt. E. G.
Hoffman had good success in bringing in some members
of Redmond's gang, but the outlaw chief continued at large,
although rewards aggregating fifteen hundred dollars were
offered for him. Three years ago the State militia was,
called out to pursue him, but accomplished nothing. The
full details of his escapes from revenue officers would fill a
volume. .
"In September, 1878, Redmond married Miss Bell Ladd,
one of his numerous mistresses. At the time- of her marriage
she was the mother of two children, of whom Redmond
claims to be the father. Of the extent of Redmond's power
and influence some opinion may be formed from the fact
that 378 of his followers plead guilty to illicit distilling at
one term of the Federal Court, and as many more were released
on bond.
11 The c.ircumstauces of Red mand'scapture were as follows ,=~
THE KILLING OF DUCKWORTH.
He was at his house, when some revenue officers went to
arrest him, they having concealed themselves in the bushes
near by, but being soon detected by Redmond's dogs,
Redmond took his gun and went to investigate the matter,
when he was hailed by the party to halt. He immediately
raised his gun to shoot, but was fired upon by the officers,
some of whose balls took effect, and will in all probability
result in his death. He said to Deputy Marshal Ray and
his gang, who shot him ~'You have shot me. I have never
surrendered, nor ever would have done so.' His capture
took place in Swain county, where bis house is on the banks.
of the picturesque Tennessee River, ingeniously ensconced
among the cliffs. His front yard had this deep and rapid
stream for a fence. On the south is a mountain, whose perpendicular
side next to the house is entirely impassable.
On the east and west are cliffs, which, while they are not so
perpendicular nor so high, bad never been trod by the foot
of a human being, and these, closing in and projecting over
the river, make the best natural fo:i:tification one can imagine.
It this natural enclosure are about six acres of alluvial
soil of remarkable fertility. Here,. for the last three years
Redmond has been farming and enjoying the sweets of domestic
happiness, if such a wild and tameless spirit can be
said to enjoy anything. No illicit stills were found anywhere
on the premises by those who accomplished the arrest.''
The Killing of Deputy Marshal Uuckworth-The First Important
Event of Redmond's Wonderful Life.
The first time we saw the name of Maj. Lewis R. Redmond
heralded from fireside to cross-roads, from town to city, then
over the telegraph wires throughout our great nation, was
in consequence of bis killing Deputy Marshal Duckworth,
near Brevard, in Transylvania county. In the year 1876,
Redmond, as bas been said, was engaged in illicit distilling.
He had frequently sent word to the officers that distilling.
10 THE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
whiskey was a privilege that he had a perfect right to, and
that be intended to make whiskey at all hazards, and defit:id
the officers to molest him under pain of death. Redmond,
being guilty of illicit distilling and retailing whiskey, which
was contrary both to the State an<l United States laws, a
warrant was issued for his arrest and placed in the hands
of Deputy Marshal Duckworth, who felt it to be hi8 duty as an
- -~ce ;~--~ ~-~
-c==- -
-:7~
I
,,
"
~
~3
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'£ HE KILLING OF DUCKWORTH.
offirer of the Government to execute the warrant and bring
Redmond before a United States Commissioner to answer
the charges against him. Consequently Duckworth proceeded
to arrest Redmond, and in doing so he told Redmond
he had a warrant for him charging illicit distilling, whereupon
Redmond replied that it was all right-that he would
go with him and give him no trouble, but that he (DuckREDMOND
IN SOUTH CAROLINA. 11
worth) must not take his pistol away from him. The two
men Rtarted ~ff quietly together, and Redmond making such
fair promises, Duckworth had conf.dence in his word, and
was in the act of putting tbe warrant in his pocket and
his pistol in its sheath, when Redmond drc,w his pistol in an
instant and shot Duckworth through the neck, the ball
striking Duckwortb's collar button, and killing him instantly.
There being no one near at this moment, Redmond
made his escape to the mountainE'.
From the Killing of Duckworth Redmond Gains Great Notoriety as
a King Moonshiner and Notorious Outlaw.
After the killing of Duckworth Major Re·dmond gained
great reputation as a desperate character. All men, after
they form a character for bravery, and have success in their
undertakings, wbethe_r good or bad, invariably have follow-
ers. rrhis was the case with Major Redmond. The killing
of Duckworth gave him a reputalion for bravery among his
brother mountainers, who consequently regarded him as
their leader, as in fact he was regarded by all the moonshiners
of Western North Carolina and South Carolina.
From that time on he enfate11. under his banner a host of
ruffiarJS of like passions with himself, and these, organized
into a band, made a formidable resistance to all officers of
the law. When any attempt was made to interfere with
the illicit distillation of whiskey in Western North Carolina,
or the northern part of South Carolina, Redmond bad only
to sound the signal and bis warriors were ready to march
at a moment's notice. For fi ve or six years any attempt on
the part of the officers to arrest Redmond or any of his gang
was considered a forlorn hope and a hazardous undertaking.
Redmond in South Carolina Baffles all Efforts to Arrest him by
State Authorities.
Redmond, after the killing of Duckworth, extended his
erritory to a much larger field. Instead of apper. ring in
12 TnE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
Transylvania county and a few adjoining counties, he operated
in South Carolina and in Georgia. He became known
in South Carolina as a desperate character and outlaw, and
baffling all ordinary attempts to arrest him, and his illicit
whiskey dealing became a nuisance to the good citizens of
the State. The authorities being anxious to rid its citizens
of this outlaw and his traffic in whiskey, the State authorities
offered the sum of six hundred dollars for the appre•
hension and arrest of Redmond, but this failed to secure his
arrest. A portion of the State militia was afterwards called
out to secure the arrest of Redmond, which force had a number
of encounters with him, but his sagacious mind, keen
perception and alluring manners baffled all their skill and
generalship, and at last left the Major lord of all he surveyed,
king of the woods and cock of the walk. Thus, after
the skill of the State militia was exhausted, the State authority
was at an end. In 1878, however, a squad of reveuue
officers from South Carolina pursued and captured
Redmond with his wagon and team, loaded with illicit .
whiskey, and feeling so confident that their long-sought for
prey was secure, Redmond, with his characteristic shrewdness,
took advantage of an unguarded moment and again
made his escape to the mountains, leaving his wagon, team
and whiskey to be dealt with as the law might direct. In
pursuit of him by the revenue officers they mistook Redmond's
brother-in-law for Redmond himself, and endeavoring
to arrest him, as he belonged to the outlaw band, he
offered that same stern resistance which Redmond was accustomed
to do himself. He was shot and killed on the
ground in attempting to make his escape. This occurrence,
wh!ch resulted in the death of one of his gang, and also one
that he mainly relied upon when he had a big undertaking
to perform, Redmond felt deeply, and was greatly euraged
thereat.
Our outlaw had by this time become convinced that he
would be executed if cv0r ~aken, and the terror which his
REbMOND IN GEORGlA. 1:3
name caused among the peaceable people of the neighborhood
where he might happen to reside, was, perhaps, the
one gratification of his life at this time. It was in the
highest degree satisfying to bis rude vanity when he witnessed
the travail of poor abject souls who heard his name
pronounced by himself, on some secluded mountain road,
on which he might be met at almost any time, going to or
returning from some visit to the many illicit distilleries of
which he was the Cerberus.
Redmond in the State of Georgia.
Raven county, Ga.,is one oft.he most noted counties in that
State for illicit distilling and resistance to officers. Major
Redmond's fame had ere this time reached this section. He
therefore thought this locality would afford a fine field for
him to operate in, and to pursue his much cherished occupation
of illicit distilling, and changed his base of operations,
for the time being, to this new field. All went on very well
for a while, but, unfortunately for Redmond, Raven county
was supplied with field officers, and Redmond, not being a
native of the State, these men told him he would have to be
content with a Lieutenant's place; but this did not suit the
outlaw's ambitious disposition. If he could not be the biggest
man in the woods, he was not content with being second
in command. Hence, after thoroughly surveying the
ground, he decided that his native State, and the hills of
Western North Carolina and upper South Carolina, afforded
a finer field for lii to operate in. Further st.ill, these
Georgia moonshiners, being familiar with his fame, had
become jealous of him, and thinking, too, that his presence
in their midst might operate against their illicit distilling,
they failed to give him that encouragement which he expected
to receive at their hands. After making two or
thri;:e unsuccessful attempts to establish what he considered
to be his rights, and that honor which he:thought his just
\
14 TIIE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND,
merit, and after making several narrow escapes from capture
by the revenue officials, Redmond made his way back to
South Carolina. I have no reliable information which induces
me to believe that during his residence in Georgia he
was guilty of any greater offence against law or morals than
the making of blockade whiskey. The following sensational
account of a supposed incident in his Georgia career is
wholly without foundation, as I have the best of reasons
for knowing. It is taken from one 0£ several sensational
lives of Lewis Redmond, to which reference has been made
in the first part of this little volume. As a lie out of the
whole cloth it deservedly ranks high, and in that connec•
tion alone it is offered:
[ From Bishop Crittenden's Life of Redmond, pages 76 and 77.J
• Redmond has a Desperate and Bloody Encounter with Deputy United States
Marshal Edward Findley, at Shallow Ford, Ga., on the Banks of the Chattahoochie
River--He is wounded Several times, but finally Kills Findley.
Redmond had sworn to kill Deputy Marshal Edward
Findley, for the unprovoked and cowardly murder of one of
his lieutenants in the jail at Asheville. , Findley belonged
in Halt county, Georgia, and had the reputation of being a
brave and desperate man. After his discharge by Oommis-
, sioner McDowell be returned to his home, and thither Redmond
followed him, but did not succeed in meeting him.
Five years passed away, and Findley had probably forgotten
the whole matter. Redmond, however, still harbored
revengeful feelings toward the deputy marshal, and swore
that if be ever met him, he would have his life, or give up
his own.
It so happened that the fourth day of July, 1874, was to
be celebrated by the residents of Gainesville, the seat of
Hall county, Ga., in an unusually patriotic manner. Redmond
was in the neighborhood and determined to join in
the festivities. With tbi3 object in view he mounted his
A S ENSATIONAL M u RtJER. 15
horse early in the morning, and rode toward the town~
He crossed the Uhattahoochie river at Shallow Foard, and
was ascending the bank on the Gainesville side, when he
espied Findley riding towarrl him. Drawing his pistol, Red·
mond awaited the approach of his enemy.
When he was in range he fired, and put spurs to hi9
horse to dash forward. Findley returned the fire and alsc,
pushed forward his horse. Th us they approached eac
other, still firing. Redmond was wounded once in the lef
shoulder, but still kept firing. In this way they emptie
the contents of their pistols and neither had been kille
By this time they were as close to each other as it was po
sible to force their panting and frightened horses.
"I've sworn to have your life L" cried Redmond, sprin
ing to tlie ground and drawing a huge bowie-knife.
"Take it tben !" was Findley's defiant reply, also j uiup~
ing to the ground.
Both were determined, and with fiashiug eyes and dis•
tended nostrils tbey confronted each other, knife in hand,
and watched for an advantage.
"I am Redmond!" cred the outlaw.
"That don't frighten me!" sneeringly replied Findley,
who was bleeding from a bullet wound in his cheek. !'Come
on!"
Redmond sprang forward and the two men closed in a
ter, ib1e conflict. Their b1·ight knives flashed in the sun•
light, and anon dripped with blood. It was a frightful
combat. At first neither man seemed to have the advan~
tage. Finally an adroit thrust from Redmond broke Find•
ley\; guard, and tbe keen knife entered to the bilt in the
deputy marshal's breast. It was a mortal wound, and with
a gasp of <lespair Findley fell to the ground. Redmond
sprang toward him and completed the act by drawing the
keen edge of his knife across tbe wounded man's throat.
He was wounded himself in many places, but managed to
re.ich one of the branch distilleries where 1Hil remained
until his wounds healed.
16 THE TR'UE LIFE OF MA-J. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
Redmond Again in South Carolina-His Friends Advise him to Seek
Other Locality for his Field of Operations.
In the year 1878 Redmond was again in South Carolina,
;and upon arriving in that State, he of course assumed command
of his old veterans, consisting of desperadoes and
~oonshiners, and having such resources at his command he
felt all confidence in his ability to accomplish anything that
be saw proper to undertake. After holding a council of war
ith his colleagues, it was decided to establish-a regular line
f communication between the moonshiners of Western
orth Carolina and the whiskey dealers of upper South
Carolina. Redmond set about to find men in whom he
wuld place all confidence-men who lived along the line
between where the whiskey was made and where it was
to be sold. He soon succeeded in E:ffecting this arrangement
and a regular line for the transportation of illicit
whiskey was established from East Tennessee down the
Tennessee River through Swain, Jackson, Macon and Transylvania
cotrnties, N. C., into South Carolina. This arrangement
continued for about two years in successfol operation
before any suspicion arose that such a traffic was going
on, or if any ::iuspicion did prevail, the name of Redmond at
the head of it was enough for those people to know, that
caused them to keep it a profound secret. But as all uniawful
transactions and evasions of the law must come to naught
sooner or later, this wholesale traffic in illicit whiskey was
finally detected by the revenue officers. The first encounter
the officers had with Redmond on this line was in the year
1879. They overtook him about the North and South Carolina
line with a wagon heavily loaded with blockade
whiskey and seized his wagon and team; but Redmond,
with that determination to EJVa(k the law and to escape from
justice at all hazards, made his escape, barely saving his
life, 'as the officers fired a number of carbines at him while
running. His lines now being broken, hewasatalossto know
HE RETURNS TO HIS NATIVE STATE. 17
what course to follow, but his strong determination was not
to be baffled by small difficulties. He soon recovered from
this loss and began operations on the same line on a more
€xtensive scale with probably a few changes in his places of
deposit of whiskey. About this time or soon after, some of
his kinsfolk, being a little more considerate than himself
and foreseeing the difficulty that Redmond was likely to
bring upon himself and his friends, persuaded him to change
his base and occupy a different field, as his movements were
becoming known to all classes in that section. His friends
and kinsfolk proposed. to him if he would leave tho country
and emigrate where he was not known, they would give
him a wagon, team and outfit for travel. He agreed to do
so, and was soon on his way going, as his friends thought,
to parts unknown. Three days' travel, however, brought
him to Swain county, on the Tennessee River, one of the
most mountainous and rugged portions of Western North
Carolina. 'rhis was near the spot where he was born and
where he spent most of his boyhood days. After careful
consideration Redmond decided that the place was especially
adapted to the business that he wished. to pursue-namely,
illicit distilling and evading the revenue officers, he set
about to secure and make all necessary arrangemerts. The
land then belonged to Mr. T. N. Freeman, to whom he represented
his wish to lease the same for the purpose of engaging
in stock raising, promising at the same time to put
some improvements on the land. He leased the land for
three years, built a small cabin and cleared a small patch
for a garden. Being thus cut uff from the world, he was
permitted to enjoy the even tenor of his way for a length of
time, but, like a young lion, could not be content in so
small a cage as the one he now occupied.
2
18 THE TRUE Lr'irn OF MAJ. L:E;wrs R. Ril:nMoND.-
Redmond again in North Carolina, his Native State, where he Con- ·
tinued to Live Until his last 4'J.resf.
When leaving South Carolina at the solicitation of friends
and kinsfolk, Redmond was careful to make t_he impression
on all that he was going to parts unknown ; but when they
next heard from him, he was near his old home in Swain
county, on the bank of the Tennessee river. As I stated in
the preceding chapter, Redmond repreaented to Freeman
that his object in coming to this place was. for the purpose
of farming and raising stock. He went to work, built him
a cabin out of logs twenty feet square, a small barn for hisstock,
which was the extent of his improvements, and with
the exception of a small patch he cleared as a blind to leave
the impression he was farming for a living. After selecting_
this secluded spot, which cut him off from the world and ·
the balance of mankind, his name he thought would soon
be forgotten, and bis deeds would be remembered against:
him no more; but when we would do well, evil is always,
before us. Redmond, in his quiet little log cabin,. began to-·
reason within himself thus: To raise corn on these rugged
hills at 25 cents per bushel is nonsense, to raise stock would
necessitate my coming in contact with the outside world to·
sell these stock, but to make illicit whiskey I can be cut off
from the world, and only have intercourse with men of like
disposition with myself, And. so the next we hear of Maj.
Redmond, he has a large illicit distillery in full operation.
on the bank of the Tennessee River, within a mile of hisbouee.
His fame as a desperado and outlaw soon followed
him. His friends and sympathizers flocked to him, and he·
was at once proclaimed their leader. His gang was again
organized, while blockade distilling commenced all over thecounty
at once. When 3:ny attempt was made on the part
of the officers to detect and suppress iliicit distilling, these
moonshiners all took shelter under Redmond-'s wing for·
BECOMES A TERROR TO \'.)1)\FICERS. 19
protection, and Swain county from 1879 up ~ the time
Redmond was arrested, April 7th, 1881, was considered one
of the worst blockading counties in Western North Carolina.
It was considered more dangerous by the officers to execute
HOME OF 11,J,:DMOND.
the law there than in any section o( the State, and this arose
principally from the character Maj. Re(lmond had acquired.
We would not, however, have our readers to believe that
20 THE TRUl!: LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
~tJmonld 'Was guilty of all that was charged to have been
MJnelby him. It is similar to a General in the army, whatever
de . . >erate deeds are done by the soldiers under his
Oommimd, whether done within his knowledge or not, the
whol · s clrnrged to the General, and he is held personally
resp sible for them all. The same applies to Maj . .Redrn
.md. He was the acknowledged chief of the moonshiners,
and any violation of the law, such as distilling, selling and
resisting officers in that section went to the account of Redmond,
the outlaw; and we think justly so, as his fame as a
desperate character was heralded all over the country, and
an officer was considered in great danger who incurred bis
displeasure. This gave boldness and energy to all the moonshiners.
Consequently in the section of country where Redmond
operated it was almost impossible to execute the laws,
and while many good citizens would have been glad to have
had the illicit traffic in whiskey put down, yet they could
not afford to incur the displeasure of Redmond or any of
his followers, upon pain of death or great private injury.
Those moonshiners had so much faith in Redmond's ability
to protect them that they would make threats agai nstany man
who dared to report them, and would carry the same out at
the risk of their lives. In this way it was impossible for the
officers to get any clue leading to the detection and suppression
of illicit distilling in the Redmond territory.
Redmond at a Baptist Association in Swain County.
The following incident I have from a reliable party, who
was present and witnessed the whole scene:
It is common in the western part 0f North Carolina for
members of Baptist churches to hfj.ve annually what they
call an Association-something similar to a Methodist
Conference or a Presbyterian Synod. There the delegates
of all the churches meet together and transact the business
pertaining to the welfare of their churches. These
0.APT. BRYANT'S R.AID. 21
meetings invariably bring together a large concourse
of people, and on one such occasion, in the summer of
1880, in Swain county, North Carolina, Redmond presented
himself, and after the hour for service was over, very cordial1y
invited all persons who wished to buy some good
blockade whiskey to come out to the woods with him and
he would sell them as much as they wanted. A United
States Commiesioner, who came to hear preaching, was
present. Redmond at once discovered him, and with his
gang offered every insult imaginable in order to bring on a
row ; but the Commissioner saw that the odds were all
against him, that Redmond was armed and prepared for
a fi ght, and to avoid any difficulty, was forcecl, with a friend,
to make a premature ride from the church to Charleston the
same evening, and several hours sooner than they would
have done. Thus you see that a man with Redmond's
reputatiou, and following the life that he did, loses all fear
of God, respect for religion, and regard for his fellow-man.
Capt. A. C. Bryan and his Squad of Special Force in Pursuit of
Redmond in the Winter of 1879.
Letters being frequently sent to the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue at Washington, D. C., for relief by the good
citizens of Western North Carolina, stating that the illicit
traffic in whiskey was assuming large proportions, and that
it was becoming a source of great annoyance to the better
class of citizens, from the fact that those moonshiners had
become so bold in their illicit traffic they had bid defiance
to the civil authorities, and rendered the law powerless.
These letters were referred to Dr. J . J. Mott, Collector of the
Sixth District of N01·th Carolina. Dr. Mott resolved at once
to re<1der such aid as he had at his command, to relieve the
citi7,ens of this alleged annoyance, and, if i,csr-;il:>le, to stop
illicit distilling in that section. He therefore dispatched
Capt. A. C. Bryan, who was in charge of a strong special
22 THE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
force, with instructions to make a thorough canvass in all
the Western rounties, to destroy all the illicit distilleries he
could find, to aid the marshals in bringing all the moonshiners
to a speedy trial before the proper tribunals, and if
possible to capture Redmond, the outlaw, and all of his followers.
Bryan reached the vicinity of where Red mood
lived and was operating early in the spring of 1879, and
went to a distillery said to belong to Maj. Redmond. It was
after"·ards ascertained that he was a partner in this distillery,
but by the aid of his spies and by signals given, when
the officers were approaching the outlaw made his escape
into the woods about twenty minutes before Bryan reached
the distillery, which he found in full operation. Bryan and
bis squad captured in the distillery at work a man by the
name of Walls, who was long obstinate and positively refused
to surrender, and had to be taken by force. He swore
that he was attending to his owu business and that no man
had any right to interfere with him.
The feeling which dominates in the breasts of all such
men is admirably voiced in the following interview had
with Redmond. Speaking for his class he said, or is supposed
to have said :
"Th2 custom of distilling liquor from grain and fruit is
one immemorial in the western portion of my native Rtate.
The people are a hardy, resolute body, and are continually
warring with nature for subsistence. A lack of corn m unicative
facilities with the outside world necessitates the conversion
of our staple products into the smallest possible
bulk. As is well known, our principal products are fruit
and corn. These are taken to market in the shape of distilled
liquor. Before the \var there was no tax upon liquors,
and when the Federal Congress imposed a duty ns a means
of affording revenue to pay the interest on the enormous
war debt, the burden fell heavily on these hardy mountaineers.
For reasons which I shall not here attempt to explain1
it is impossible for the small farmers to pay the tax
'REVENUE OFFICERS STILL IN PURSUIT. 23
,on distilled liqu0rs with profit to themselves. But they must
live, and they can only live .as their fathers lived before
.them, by growing corn and fruit, distilling it into liquor,
and selling it to the outside world, free of tax. I believe the
Jaw taxing liquor an unjust and tyrannical imposition. We
have a right to protest .against laws which injure us. If
-0ur protest is not heeded, the document which declared us
a free and independent nation instructs us to exercise our
right and duty, and 'throw off such government,' and the
men w,ho are associated with me believe that the law which
forbids us to manufadure the products of our own land
without first paying the government a tax thereon unjust.
We believe that we are right in resisting this law, and to
resist it we have mutually pledged to each other' our lives,
,our fortunes and our sacred honor.'''
,R. A. Cobb and Squad of Special Force in Pursuit nf Redmond ir:
February, 1881.
Redmond remained at ease at his favorite occupation
,from 1879 to 1881, when Capt. Cobb, in charge of the special
force, in February, 1881, made a raid into Swain county,
where it was rep0rted Redmond was entrenched and ope,
rating an illicit distillery.
On the night of the 28th of February, 1881, Cobb and his
force left Charleston, Swain county, at 11 o'clock, for Redmond's
house, which they reached about 3 o'clock in the
worrning. :Near the house they dismounted and left their
horses in the woods-the mountains where Redmond lived
being so rugged it was impossible to ride. The men had to
-crawl on tlrnir knees most of the way, and the ground being
frozen very hard, it was impossible to avoid making
some noise. When within fifty yards of the house Redmond's
dogs, being trained to the business, discovered the
men and gave the alarm. In an instant the moonshiner
.sprang from his bed ,and made his escape .through a smaL!
:21 'IRE TRUR LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
<loor or hole in tl1e rear of his house. He did not have time
to even get his pants, boots or coat, but left all behind. The
men called to his wife to make a light, wl1ich she did very
reluctantly. As soon as the light was made +J, men rushed
into the house, but Redmond had made good his retreat in a
laurel thicket, from which he called to the men saying : "I
will let you off this time without hurting you, but the next
time you come back I will be better prepared for you." The
men started in the direction of where they thought Redmond
was, when he fired two shots at them, which they returned,
but no damage was done, and the night being very
dark, and Redmond having all advantage of the location~
further attempt to pursue him that night was deemed unwise.
'rhe force then came back to Charleston, where Cobb organized
for a second attack, having by this time become
more familiar with the country, and having secured the
services of some additional help. Pending this arrange•
ment Capt. Cobb received a dispatch that the special force
was discontinued, and all the job was then turned over to
the deputy marshal of Swain county, who carried out the
plans as agreed upon by Capt. Cobb, which resulted in the
arrest of Major Lewis R. Redmond, the outlaw.
The Arrest of Maj. Lewis R. Redmond, April 7th, 1881, by Uniter!
States Deputy Marshal K. S. Ray and his Guard.
From the 1nformation obtained through the raid just
made by Capf~'in Cobb and his squad of special force, Mr.
Ray, a Deputy Marshal, who was also in the company with
Cobb when the first attempt was made to arrest Redmond,
took up the same arrangement, and employing the same,
guides that were engaged to assist Cobb, left Charleston on
the 6th day of April, 1881, on foot, with three days' rations.
The party reached the vicinity of where Redmond lived
about sunset, and concealed themselves in the woods in.
THE CAPTURE OF REDMOND. 25
sight of his house, and remained there until daylight next
morning, when Redmond's dogs discovered them and began
to bark, whereupon Redmond took his gun and went to inquire
into the cause. Redmond came within thirty yards,
of wLere the men were concealed, when one of the men
c0mmanded him to halt. At this Redmond tlirew his gun
in a position to fire, when a shot was fired on the opposi~\:)
26 TrrE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
side of him. At this time Redmond realized the situatiou
and started to run, when two shots struck his gun and
caused one barrel to explode. He did not run far before he
fell, but he sufficiently recovered t0 make a dista11ce of half
a mile, having six balls shot into him. He became so exhausted
by the loss of blood that he was compelled tu surrender.
When the party came up with him he was standing
supported by a tree, but soon became very sick from
the effect of the wounds, and had to be carried to his house
:in a sheet. His wife seemed to have as much ner\Te as her
husband and bore the shock with great calmness and composure.
Redmond was taken to his house and received
<every attention from the men who arrested him that the
surrounding circumstances \\ ould admit of. A physician
was at onoe cal1ed in-Dr. Lyle, of Macon county, who ren,
dered all the aesistance possible, but with all the doctor
thought he could not recover. Yet hi, strong constitution
.and a determined will survived the shock, and after he remained
six days at his ,house he sufficiently recovered to be
removed to Charleston and from Charleston he was taken
to Asheville in a ambulance, where he was committed to jail
in d ne form of law. He reeei ved every attention from the
kind jailor, Col W. R. Young, that could possibly have
been expected.
Some apprehensions prevailed that he would be released
by bis numerous sympathizers and friends, from which a
,guard of four -men was placed at the jail, to prevent any
successful attempt to release him. He seemed to bear his
-confinement with as much composure as it is possible for a
man to do that has passed the wild and roving life of Redmond.
He seemed to appreciate any little act of kindness
that was done or tendered to him. During the Federal Court
many conjectures were rife among the masses as to what
disposition would be made of Redmond's case. His trial
,was continued from day to day by the Court, thinking that
.he would sufficiently recover from his wounds to be able to
REDMOND IN JAIL. 27
be brought into Court and arraigned before the bar of justice,
to be tried by the laws of his country, for the many deeds
alleged to have been done by him. A.t th@ Spring term of
Court, 1S81, bail was fixed in the sum of twenty-five hundred
dollars for his appearance at the Fall term of said Court,
where it is to be expected an impartial trial will be had before
an intelligent court and jury, and if twelve of his
countrymen shall decide, after hearing the evidence, that
Redmond, the outlaw, is guilty of violating the laws of his
country, judgment will be prayed, if not a verdict of not
guilty will be pronounced.
Redmond While in Jail Manifests Great Care and Affection for
His Wife and Little Children.
I visited Maj. Redmond while in jail frequently and be
never failed to speak in the kindest terms of his wife and
children at home, and his greatest punishment while in
jail was his absence from his home, and his greatest care
seemed to be for his little babe. He regretted so much he
could not get to see it, but from the character he has estabtablished
it would seem contrary to his uature to manifest
any affection for even his wife and children ; but it is said of
the great warrior Napoleon after he bad conquered nations
and caused gallons of blood to be spilt on hundreds of
battle fields and had the homage of kings, and potentates,
but when he came home and found his little babe lying
cold in death, and with his own impress on its tender
cheeks, the great warrior and general clasped bis hands to
his face and bathed bis eyes in tears and exclaimed: Oh,
my son, my son! So parental care and affection is the same
in every condition in life, whether among civilized nations,
heathens, savages or outlaws, it is a natural instinct and
wisely so for the parents to care for their offspring, either
in human or animal kingdom.
28 THE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
Redmond's Financial Condlfion.
Judging from the reputation that Maj. Redmond has as
an incessant blockader, and that he has continued in the
business for the last ten or fifteen years, one would think
that he had accumulated a nice little fortune during this
time. But the experience of all violators of the law in the
traffic of illicit whiskey is, the longer a man continues to
engage in it the poorer he becomes. Redmond now Ii ves on a
small rugged tract of land, a part of it so steep that no
human foot has ever trod its surface, and even this tract is
owned by another man. His dwelling house is a small log
cabin fifteen by twenty feet. The cracks are stopped by mud
and straw and yet are open enough for the winter winds to pass
through. 'rwo scanty beds for himself and three chiluren
supply the furniture. Many an African so surrounded
would think he was poorly fixed. A small crib with a rail
pen for his stock to shelter under represents his barn. One
mule and two oxen make up the stock in trade owned by
Maj. Redmond after being engaged incessantly in the traffic
of illicit whiskey without suspension since the war. 'rhe
poor accommodations about his premises may be taken as a
criterion of what fortune has in store for all men who pursue
a like occupation with Redmond.
A Word of Advice to all Moonshiners, Outlaws, and Persons who
Engage in any way in the Illicit Traffic of Whiskey.
In conclusion, permit me to add a word of advice to all
persons who are inclined to violate the law in order to evade
paying the tax which is levied upon whiskey by the government.
The Jews, when our Saviour was on earth, en•
deavored to entrap him, thinking they would prove his disloyalty
to their government by asking him if it was lawful
to pay tribute unto Cresar or not. He called for a piece of
ADVICE TO MOONSHINERS. 29
money; he asked them whose superscription it had on it;
they told him, "Cmsar's." He said unto them, "Render,
therefore, unto Cmsar the things that are Cresar's, and unto
to God the things that are God's." Therefore all good citizens
should do likewise, living in the glorious land of freedom
that we do, and enjoying the religious and political
liberty, having the enjoyment of life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness, and after enjoying all the inestimable
privileges and blessings heaped upon us as American people,
we certainly should not hesitate to render unto the government
the things that belong to the government, and unto
God the things that are his. From the early history of the
world to the present time, all governments have taxed their
subjects to defray the expenses incident to run its machinery.
So the Internal Revenue law is no new thing, but has existed
from time immemorial. Our Saviour also teaches that
we must be obedient to the law, both human and divine. He
says, " He that disobeys the human law shall be beaten with
many stripes, and he that disobeys the divine law shall be
punished with the wrath of God." So it has been with Redmond;
so it will be with all those who violate the laws of
their country. Compare the life of Redmond with that of
the most humble citizen who honors and obeys the laws of
his country and of his God; see the man who abides by and
supports the laws of his country, whether rich or poor, old
or young, he moves on in the even tenor of his way. If he
has but little, he makes the best of his lot, and is thankful
and happy, and when he lies down on his humble cot at
night he feels a consciousness within that he is at peace with
his fellow-man, his country, and, the best of all, with his
God. This makes his slumbers sweet and his dreams delightful.
But see the man that is at enmity with his fellowman,
his country and his God. He "fleeth when no man
pursuetb," and his slumbers are as the raging waters casting
up mud and clay. So it has been with Maj. Redmond.
He is only 26 years old, and his trials and troubles have al30
TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
ready been sufficient to make the account for a man of 80
yean;, Outside of the remorse of conscience, resulting from
the conviction that he had taken his fellow-man's life, he
has, for the past ten years, been hunted by both officers and
citizens, as the hunter would scour the forests for the roaring
lion or the fleet deer. His life has been one continual
strain from one difficulty to another-first avoiding arrest,
next resisting officers, next breaking the peace, then violating
the laws of his country, and finally, through a combination
of the special force, Deputy Marshals, and good citizens
of the section in which he lived, he was arrested on the
7th day of April, 1881, on the 'I'ennessee River, in Swain
county, N. C., was transported from there to the Asheville
jail, to await his final trial. Thus you see the result of the
life of Maj. Lewis R. Redmond, the famous moonshiner and
outlaw, and a similar result will happen to all men who
lead tlie life that Maj. Redmond led. Take warning in
time!
Thus closes my account of the outlaw who is said, in the
book to which I have referred, to have gotten that name in
this way; but the whole story is false:
"Early in the following spring a large force of marshals
established themselves at Asheville, and assisted by a eompany
of United States troops, began to raid through this
section of country quite extensively. They watched the
roads closely for blockaders, and it required considerable
skill and ingenuity to get through their lines. I made the
trip several times, however, and at last excited their suspicions.
I now drove four mules, and concealed the liquor
under a pile of miscellaneous truck, shucks, chickens,
eggs, butter, etc. I al ways went well armed, and was prepared
to make desperate resistance. I would dri Ye slowly,
and four members of the band always accompanied me, they
making the journey on foot, and keeping concealed on each
side of the road, in close proximity to my wagon. I made
several trips in this manner without adventure; but one
PosTSCRIP.r. 31
evening when but a few miles from Asheville, a squad of
soldiers and two deputy marshals, one of whom was the man
Crowder, before alluded to, sprang op from their place of
concealment among the bushes, aud made a rush for my
wagon. I knew that prompt action was necessary, and
drawing from my pockets a brace of revolvers I dropped the
reins and taking cool and deliberate aim at the two marshals
di~l('~1 arged shot after shot unt· the chambers of both
pistols wPre empty. The smoke cleared away, and revealed
both meu prostrate in the road. My allies had not been
idle, but had attacked the soldiers from both bides of the
road. Not knowing our strength, and demoralized by the
downfall of their leaders, and this raking cross-fire, they
broke and fled. Without waiting to count the number of
the slain, I turned my wagon toward the mountain and
drove rapidly back, arriving there in safety. That was the
last of my blockading. It appeared afterwards that both of
the marshab had been killed, five of the soldiers, and several
badly wounded. Asheville and all the adjoining country
was placarded with printed bills offering a reward of
$1,000 for the murderers, 'one Redmond' and bis accomplices,
and the startling adventures which followed this catastrophe
gave me the name,' REDMOND, THE OUTLAW,' which I have
borne ever since."
Since the foregoing was sent to press Redmond has been
taken by Deputy Marshal Kennedy, of South Carolina, under
a warrant of Judge George S. Bryan, of that State, from
the A:,;]1(:ville jail to Greenville, South Carolina. There he
was pnt upon bis trial and sentenced to ton years' at hard
labor in the Albany penitentiary.
Ifo was convicted under eight distinct indictments, not
• including his murder of Duckworth, which, as yet, goes
unpunished.
It i:;ocms strange that this man, with six bullets in his
32 'THE TRUE LIFE OF MAJ. LEWIS R. REDMOND.
body, with no other medical attendance tha·u that of a
country physician, and enduring the fatigue of a wagon
journey of one hundred miles over high mountains and
rough roads from Swain county to Asheville, followed by
close confinement in a crowded jail, should y;t live to undergo
a long t.rial at the bar, ancl recerve unnerved a sentence
• of ten years to Albany.
James A. Garfield, fnsident of the United States, died of
.a little pistol shot, though he had Bliss for a doctor and
_koumiss for nourishment, and rode to Long Branch on a
rubber bed, and had the White House instead of the penitentiary
to cheer him to recovery. Inscrutable Providence
that spares the out1aw and dooms the chief magistrate!
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