Shadows on the Road: Bootleggers, Moonshine, and Lawlessness in the Cascade District

Introduction: The Seamy Side of the Springs

While the Cascade area was known to many as a place of healing waters and refined resorts, archival records from the early twentieth century reveal a much darker narrative. The dense woods, winding dirt paths, and heavy tree canopy of Southwest Atlanta provided the perfect cover for the manufacture and distribution of illegal liquor. Long before paved highways dominated the region, this corridor was traversed by Model T Fords loaded with contraband. From high-speed running battles between county police and rum-runners to the discovery of elaborate underground distilleries, the Cascade district served as a primary theater in Atlanta’s war on moonshine.^[1]

The rum-runners who engaged in high-speed shootouts along Cascade Road were racing toward the city center to supply protected speakeasies, known locally as “blind tigers.” The undisputed ruler of this downtown market was Nat McWhorter, whose Courtland Street operation relied heavily on the illicit liquor flowing in from these rural outskirts.

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Chapter 1: The Tin Can Still and the Slaton Arrest (1916 to 1919)

Historical Context: Georgia’s Early Prohibition
The cat-and-mouse game between local farmers and county police began well before the 18th Amendment ushered in national Prohibition in 1920. Georgia had actually enacted its own strict statewide Prohibition law in 1907, forcing the local liquor trade into the shadows over a decade before the rest of the country.

By May 1916, local authorities were actively hunting these hidden operations. Lieutenant Oliver and Officers Carter and Baker of the county force received a tip that a farmer named Carlyle was manufacturing whisky on his Cascade Road premises. Arriving shortly before nine o’clock at night, the officers searched the dark property for several hours before finding a covert setup in an abandoned house at the edge of the farm. They confiscated fifteen gallons of liquor stored in glass jugs and lard buckets. More notably, they captured what was dubbed “the smallest still on record.” The highly efficient, one-gallon contraption was manufactured from two tin cans, a 50-pound lard bucket, and three feet of iron pipe. The unique plant was taken to police headquarters and put on public exhibition, a testament to the ingenuity of backwoods distillers.^[2]

As the liquor trade became more lucrative, the operations grew larger and bolder. In March 1918, county policemen discovered an illicit still operating in a farmhouse near the springs, arresting a man named P. C. Slaton and confiscating thirty gallons of liquor.^[3] The arrest caused a minor scandal when the local press mistakenly reported that the still was located inside John Zaring’s popular Cascade Inn at Cascade Springs. The newspaper was forced to issue a correction the next day to clarify that the hotel was a properly conducted, delightful place and had absolutely no connection to the raid.^[4]

The conclusion to Slaton’s legal troubles came in April 1919, when he entered a plea of guilty before Judge William T. Newman. In a rather creative defense, Slaton maintained that he had not even succeeded in producing a drinkable grade of liquor before the revenue officers interrupted his operations. Unmoved by this technicality, Judge Newman imposed a fine of $100 and sentenced Slaton to thirty days imprisonment in the Fulton County Tower.^[5]

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Chapter 2: Illegal Checkpoints and Elaborate Concealment (1919 to 1922)

As the 1920s approached and national Prohibition took effect, the volume of illegal liquor flowing through the Cascade corridor exploded, leading to desperate and sometimes corrupt measures by local law enforcement. In August 1919, the County Board was forced to investigate its own police officers for setting up illegal checkpoints. Two citizens, identified as House and Moon, brought formal charges against the county police for stopping their automobile on Cascade Road and searching it for liquor in an arbitrary and unwarranted manner without a warrant.^[6]

The rural roads were heavily monitored. In May 1921, County Policemen Donehoo and Atkinson intercepted a truck on East Point Road near Campbellton Road. Finding two gallons of barley mash inside, they investigated further and uncovered an 80-gallon capacity still nearby, arresting Fuller Gates and Will Moon.^[7] Later that year, in December 1921, Lieutenant Carroll and county policemen raided a 40-gallon still in actual operation near Utoy Creek, just off the A., B. & A. railroad. Officers poured out one hundred gallons of beer and two gallons of corn brew, arresting W.R. Astin and Calvin Astin of Cedartown as the suspected operators.^[8]

To evade these increasingly aggressive police patrols, moonshiners turned to elaborate concealment. The ingenuity of these operations was often startling. In April 1922, officers raided the home of 38-year-old Mrs. J.H. Spearman on Sewell Road [now Benjamin E. Mays Drive]. They discovered a massive 75-gallon copper still set up directly in the second story of her house. To avoid detection, the outlet for the smoke was cleverly connected to the home’s main chimney, making it appear as though the smoke was simply coming from a fire in the grate. Officers confiscated 100 gallons of moonshine and approximately 3,000 gallons of beer.^[9], ^[10]

Perhaps the most astonishing discovery in the district’s history occurred in November 1922. In a subterranean chamber forty feet below the earth’s surface, W. G. Whitner and C. J. DeCamp were caught operating a fifty-gallon still near Cascade Road. The underground room was accessible only through a tunnel connected to the shaft of an old well. Officers gained entrance by letting themselves down the dark well with a rope, eventually discovering an opening about a yard square. Inside, they found a hidden chamber, approximately twelve by fourteen feet, fitted with electric lights and a supply of running water. To avoid detection from the road, a subterranean pipe cleverly conveyed the smoke from the distillery to the main chimney of the Whitner home forty feet above. Police confiscated fourteen barrels of whisky beer and dismantled the subterranean fortress.^[11]

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Chapter 3: The War on “Chicken Houses” (1920 to 1921)

The illicit liquor trade in the rural outskirts was not limited to hidden stills; it also fueled a booming network of illegal roadhouses. The pushback against these establishments began as early as January 1920, when Solicitor General John A. Boykin met with frustrated residents of the Ben Hill section. Citizens complained that a so-called “chicken house” located on Campbellton Road was operating as a “dance hall, eating house and rest room,” creating a “scene of revelry at all hours of the night.”^[12]

By the summer of 1921, county authorities and local citizens declared all-out war on these establishments. Residents complained bitterly that “midnight joy-riders” infesting the roads were creating massive disturbances and threatening the safety of the developing suburbs.^[13] In response, Sheriff J.I. Lowry and County Police Chief George Mathieson launched a highly publicized crusade against “night-riding” in the suburbs.^[14]

By July 1921, the Fulton County grand jury returned true bills indicting multiple roadhouse proprietors for operating a “disorderly house.”^[15] The epicenter of this activity was Mayson and Turner road [now Joseph E. Boone Boulevard], where eight different operators, Ed Ware, Terrell Lewis, J.A. Lancaster, V.E. Bell, Roy Capes, Robert Allen, John Mayo, and Charlie Miller, were all indicted simultaneously. Prominent local figures, including Recorder George Johnson and Dr. John W. Ham, personally appeared before the grand jury to give testimony regarding the “pool room and ‘chicken house’ situation.”^[16]

Solicitor-General Boykin joined forces with outraged citizens to seek temporary injunctions to permanently padlock the offending establishments. The closures were not merely bureaucratic. When Judge John D. Humphries granted an injunction late on a Saturday afternoon, Deputy Sheriffs J. Gordon Hardy and Jim Garrison physically rode out to Mayson and Turner road to serve the papers and shut the place down on a Saturday night, right as the weekend revelry peaked.^[17] While the initial wave of closures targeted Mayson and Turner road, authorities explicitly announced that the injunction campaign would target the notorious “chicken houses” operating along Cascade Road, Adamsville Road, and in Buckhead.^[18]

However, the legal battle against these establishments proved incredibly difficult. On August 27, 1921, the Atlanta Journal reported a massive blow to the county’s crusade: Ed Ware and Terrell Lewis actually won their court case, successfully defeating the temporary injunction and reopening their Mayson-Turner roadhouse.^[19] This legal victory demonstrated the entrenched power of the roadhouse operators and set the stage for a decade-long battle between the county’s moral reformers and the illicit taverns of the western corridor.

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Chapter 4: The Era of Rum-Cars, Girl Drivers, and “Joy Juice” (1918 to 1925)

The western outskirts of Atlanta were not just manufacturing hubs; they were major transit routes that saw a constant, chaotic flow of contraband. The vehicles transporting this liquor, known as “rum-cars,” were frequently involved in high-speed chases and devastating accidents. As early as January 1919, the local press was reporting incidents of illicit vehicles being wrecked by collisions, with the bootlegger drivers abandoning their smashed cars and fleeing into the woods before police could arrive.^[20]

In April 1919, Lieutenant J.C. Oliver engaged in a frantic fifteen-mile pursuit of a Ford automobile carrying nineteen gallons of corn liquor. The chase tore through Adamsville and Ben Hill, finally ending on Campbellton Road when Oliver drew his pistol and shot out the tires of the fleeing machine, though the two suspects managed to jump from the moving car and escape into the woods.^[21]

The rum-running trade was characterized by a colorful cast of recurring characters, most notably C.M. McIntyre. McIntyre’s notorious career was frequently derailed by sheer bad luck and talkative associates. In September 1918, McIntyre and his partner were transporting 45 gallons of “joy juice” (moonshine) into Atlanta when their car’s carburetor broke down on the side of the road. While they waited for repairs, a “preacher from Alpharetta… in a communicative frame of mind” drove by, caught a whiff of the massive liquor stash, and promptly tipped off the sheriff.^[22] During that same week, revenue agents busted a 50-gallon copper still and seized 300 gallons of “syrup beer” simply because the operator, S.L. Whitfield, got drunk on his own supply. The press noted Whitfield was “loaded to the hilt with conversation brand of joy juice” and accidentally bragged about his illicit business directly to undercover agents.^[23]

McIntyre’s reputation became so infamous that it caused collateral damage for innocent citizens. In March 1919, an employee of the Southern Railroad who happened to share the exact same name was forced to publish a notice in The Atlanta Constitution. The frustrated railroad worker begged the public to know that he was “not the C.M. McIntyre who Wednesday afternoon forfeited a $300 bond in the federal court,” explicitly stating he had “never been arrested on any charge.”^[24]

The real C.M. McIntyre continued his illicit runs, culminating in a violent confrontation in January 1923. County police engaged McIntyre in a high-speed running battle that began near the Marietta river bridge and escalated into a frantic seven-mile pursuit toward Bolton. County Officers Vinson and Dickerson literally shot out both rear tires of the fleeing vehicle to bring it to a halt. McIntyre threw a .32-20 revolver from the speeding car before leaping into the woods. Police captured the vehicle and recovered 31 gallons of corn whisky.^[25]

As law enforcement cracked down, the syndicates adapted, changing the demographic profile of their drivers to avoid suspicion. The rum-running trade was not exclusively a male enterprise. In March 1923, police captured a “Girl Driver and Liquor Car” after a long chase where two men leaped from the speeding auto, leaving the female driver to face the authorities.^[26] In December 1923, authorities intercepted another rum-laden car and captured three young women who were operating as couriers.^[27]

These sophisticated operations required significant capital, proving the liquor trade was not merely a backwoods endeavor. In December 1923, federal dry agents publicly hinted that a ring of legitimate downtown “bankers financed” the bootlegger networks, underwriting the purchase of the vehicles and the massive quantities of liquor flowing through the western corridors.^[28] The smugglers utilized this capital to brazenly manipulate city infrastructure. By April 1925, police captured a liquor car that had been explicitly equipped with a police siren. The bootleggers were utilizing the fake siren to force civilian traffic to pull over, allowing them to speed their moonshine into Atlanta unimpeded.^[29]

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Chapter 5: The Edwards Operation and Georgia’s First Roadhouse (1927 to 1931)

By the late 1920s, the scale of moonshine production in the district had reached industrial levels. The illicit activity on Sewell Road continued throughout the decade. In February 1927, B.B. Hegwood was indicted by the Fulton County grand jury on three prohibition counts after officers raided his Sewell Road premises and confiscated a 75-gallon still along with twenty gallons of illicit beverage.^[30], ^[31]

On a Tuesday afternoon in April 1929, a squad of county police descended on the Cascade Road property of J. H. Edwards. Before the officers could spring their trap, Edwards made a run for it, fleeing the property and leaving his wife to face the raiding squad alone. When police searched the property’s barn, they discovered a major operation. In addition to the distilling apparatus, officers seized a staggering 500 gallons of illicit whisky. Mrs. Edwards was arrested on the spot, and by that Friday afternoon, the Fulton County grand jury had jointly indicted the couple for the manufacture and possession of whisky.^[32] The sheer scale of the raid was impressive, though the local press accidentally exaggerated the operation tenfold; a stray keystroke by a rushed Linotype operator at The Atlanta Journal transformed what The Atlanta Constitution accurately reported as a standard 75-gallon still into a massive, physically impossible “751-gallon” behemoth in the evening edition.^[33]

The illicit activity on the property persisted, culminating in August 1930 with another massive raid on the Cascade Road house. Officers discovered 30 gallons of finished corn whiskey and an astounding 800 gallons of beer, leading to three arrests.^[34] (Note: By 1930, records list the operator as W. H. Edwards, suggesting either an alias to evade authorities or another newspaper misprint).

“The industrial scale of these operations brought deadly risks. On a Thursday night in September 1930, a massive whisky distillery exploded near Niskey Lake, off Campbellton Road. The blast completely destroyed a 200-gallon copper still fed by a large galvanized iron boiler. The explosion instantly killed G.C. (alias Bob) Withers, blowing him high into the air and tearing off his right arm and leg. Two other men, L.O. Breedlove and Clarence Smith, were severely burned and scalded but managed to crawl from the wreckage to Cascade Avenue, where a passing motorist rushed them to Grady Hospital.”^[35]

The flagrant lawlessness eventually forced federal intervention. In October 1930, Federal Judge E. Marvin Underwood ordered the immediate padlocking of the Cascade roadhouse operated by Edwards. The establishment, located about two miles from the city limits, was declared a public nuisance for repeated violations of the Volstead Act and the National Prohibition Act, and was ordered closed for one year.^[36]

The padlocking was a significant victory for the moral reformers of the city, effectively shutting down one of the district’s most notorious speakeasies. The legal aftermath extended into the following year. In May 1931, the establishment, which the press notably referred to as “Georgia’s first automobile roadhouse,” finally posted bond to reopen. Mrs. W. H. Edwards, the legal owner of the property, was forced to go to Federal Court and post a $1,000 bond. To regain access to her property, she had to legally swear that no intoxicating liquor would ever be manufactured or sold on the premises again.^[37]

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Chapter 6: The Final Raids and a District Transformed (1932 to 1933)

Despite the federal crackdowns and padlocks, the liquor trade stubbornly persisted into the final years of Prohibition. In August 1932, county police conducted a major raid on a property on Utoy Springs Road, located just off Cascade Road. During the Utoy Springs raid, officers confiscated a working still, 150 gallons of beer, and a quantity of whiskey. Two men were held, and a woman was put under bond.^[38]

The era of moonshine and lawlessness in the Cascade district eventually faded as Prohibition was repealed in 1933 and the area became more integrated into the residential fabric of an expanding Atlanta. This transition was physically marked by local civic groups reclaiming the corridor. In January 1933, the Cascade Garden Club announced comprehensive plans to beautify Cascade Road, planting dogwoods and crepe myrtles along the very routes once dominated by rum-cars.^[39] However, the archival records of these raids, high-speed chases, and underground stills serve as a potent reminder of a time when the healing waters of the springs shared the landscape with the white lightning of the backwoods.

Related Reading:

• Nat McWhorter: The Blind Tiger King of Atlanta
• Cascade Springs: The Healing Waters

Footnotes & Citations (Click to Expand)

Citations:

1. “Liquor Is Found Buried in Creek On Fulton Farm: Smallest Still on Record Found by County Police,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 28, 1916. ↑
2. “Liquor Is Found Buried in Creek On Fulton Farm: Smallest Still on Record Found by County Police,” The Atlanta Constitution, May 28, 1916. ↑
3. “Illicit Still Discovered,” The Atlanta Constitution, March 21, 1918. ↑
4. “WHISKY NOT FOUND IN EATING HOUSE,” The Atlanta Constitution, March 22, 1918. ↑
5. “Cascade Springs Man Confesses to Still,” The Atlanta Journal, April 4, 1919. ↑
6. “County Board To Investigate Search Charge,” The Atlanta Journal, August 7, 1919. ↑
7. “TWO NEGROES JAILED AND STILL CAPTURED,” The Atlanta Journal, May 15, 1921, 6. ↑
8. “Still Raided; Two Jailed,” The Atlanta Constitution, December 13, 1921, 9. ↑
9. “Woman Is Held As the Operator Of Large Still,” The Atlanta Constitution, April 29, 1922, 6. ↑
10. “Woman Is Arrested For Making Whisky,” The Atlanta Journal, April 29, 1922, 8. ↑
11. “Underground Still Raided by Police; Two Arrests Made,” The Atlanta Constitution, November 2, 1922. ↑
12. “Action Against Chicken Houses Is Promised,” The Atlanta Journal, January 10, 1920. ↑
13. “‘Chicken House’ on Mason-Turner Road Closed by Injunction,” The Atlanta Journal, July 31, 1921. ↑
14. “‘Chicken House’ on Mason-Turner Road Closed by Injunction,” The Atlanta Journal, July 31, 1921. ↑
15. “‘CHICKEN HOUSE’ OWNERS INDICTED,” The Atlanta Constitution, July 23, 1921. ↑
16. “‘Chicken House’ on Mason-Turner Road Closed by Injunction,” The Atlanta Journal, July 31, 1921. ↑
17. “‘Chicken House’ on Mason-Turner Road Closed by Injunction,” The Atlanta Journal, July 31, 1921. ↑
18. “EXPECT INJUNCTIONS AGAINST ROADHOUSES,” The Atlanta Constitution, August 2, 1921. ↑
19. “‘CHICKEN HOUSE’ WINS COURT CASE,” The Atlanta Journal, August 27, 1921. ↑
20. “Whisky Seized in Auto Wrecked by Collision; Driver Makes Escape,” The Atlanta Constitution, January 28, 1919. ↑
21. “19 Gallons of Liquor And a Ford Confiscated,” The Atlanta Journal, April 9, 1919, 16. ↑
22. “Thirsty Atlantans were deprived of 45 gallons of joy juice,” The Atlanta Constitution, September 27, 1918. ↑
23. “Thirsty Atlantans were deprived of 45 gallons of joy juice,” The Atlanta Constitution, September 27, 1918. ↑
24. “NOT SAME M’INTYRE WHO FORFEITED BOND,” The Atlanta Constitution, March 14, 1919. ↑
25. “Rum Car Captured in Running Battle with County Police,” The Atlanta Journal, January 27, 1923. ↑
26. “Girl Driver and Liquor Car Are Captured After Long Chase,” The Atlanta Journal, March 24, 1923. ↑
27. “3 GIRLS CAPTURED IN RUM-LADEN CAR; FREED UNDER BOND,” The Atlanta Journal, December 24, 1923. ↑
28. “BANKERS FINANCED BOOTLEGGER RING, DRY AGENTS HINT,” The Atlanta Journal, December 24, 1923. ↑
29. “Liquor Car Equipped With Police Siren Is Taken; 2 Men Held,” The Atlanta Journal, April 7, 1925. ↑
30. “HEGWOOD INDICTED ON 3 PROHI COUNTS,” The Atlanta Constitution, February 23, 1927, 5. ↑
31. “MAN AND WOMAN INDICTED FOR BIG UNDERGROUND STILL,” The Atlanta Journal, February 22, 1927, 4. ↑
32. “J. H. Edwards and his wife…,” The Atlanta Constitution, April 20, 1929. ↑
33. “Cascade Road Still Indictment Accuses Edwards and Wife,” The Atlanta Journal, April 20, 1929. ↑
34. “Liquor Found; 3 Held at Cascade Road Raid,” The Atlanta Journal, August 2, 1930. ↑
35. “Atlantian Killed By Still Blast; Two Injured,” The Atlanta Journal, September 12, 1930, 1. ↑
36. “Cascade Roadhouse Ruling Continued,” The Atlanta Constitution, October 8, 1930. ↑
37. “Cascade Road House Posts Bond to Open After Padlock Case,” The Atlanta Journal, May 29, 1931. ↑
38. “2 Men Held, Woman Put Under Bond in Utoy Springs Raid,” The Atlanta Journal, August 29, 1932. ↑
39. “Plans Made to Beautify Cascade Road,” The Atlanta Journal, January 29, 1933. ↑

Comprehensive Bibliography (Click to Expand)

• The Atlanta Constitution. “‘CHICKEN HOUSE’ OWNERS INDICTED.” July 23, 1921.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Cascade Roadhouse Ruling Continued.” October 8, 1930.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “EXPECT INJUNCTIONS AGAINST ROADHOUSES.” August 2, 1921.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “HEGWOOD INDICTED ON 3 PROHI COUNTS.” February 23, 1927, 5.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Illicit Still Discovered.” March 21, 1918.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “J. H. Edwards and his wife…” April 20, 1929.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Liquor Is Found Buried in Creek On Fulton Farm: Smallest Still on Record Found by County Police.” May 28, 1916.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “NOT SAME M’INTYRE WHO FORFEITED BOND.” March 14, 1919.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Still Raided; Two Jailed.” December 13, 1921, 9.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Thirsty Atlantans were deprived of 45 gallons of joy juice.” September 27, 1918.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Underground Still Raided by Police; Two Arrests Made.” November 2, 1922.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “WHISKY NOT FOUND IN EATING HOUSE.” March 22, 1918.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Whisky Seized in Auto Wrecked by Collision; Driver Makes Escape.” January 28, 1919.
• The Atlanta Constitution. “Woman Is Held As the Operator Of Large Still.” April 29, 1922, 6.
• The Atlanta Journal. “‘CHICKEN HOUSE’ WINS COURT CASE.” August 27, 1921.
• The Atlanta Journal. “‘Chicken House’ on Mason-Turner Road Closed by Injunction.” July 31, 1921.
• The Atlanta Journal. “19 Gallons of Liquor And a Ford Confiscated.” April 9, 1919, 16.
• The Atlanta Journal. “2 Men Held, Woman Put Under Bond in Utoy Springs Raid.” August 29, 1932.
• The Atlanta Journal. “3 GIRLS CAPTURED IN RUM-LADEN CAR; FREED UNDER BOND.” December 24, 1923.
• The Atlanta Journal. “50-Gallon Still Taken By County Policemen.” April 5, 1924.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Action Against Chicken Houses Is Promised.” January 10, 1920.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Atlantian Killed By Still Blast; Two Injured.” September 12, 1930, 1.
• The Atlanta Journal. “BANKERS FINANCED BOOTLEGGER RING, DRY AGENTS HINT.” December 24, 1923.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Cascade Road House Posts Bond to Open After Padlock Case.” May 29, 1931.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Cascade Road Still Indictment Accuses Edwards and Wife.” April 20, 1929.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Cascade Springs Man Confesses to Still.” April 4, 1919.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Corn Whisky and Auto Captured; Driver Escapes.” August 13, 1923.
• The Atlanta Journal. “County Board To Investigate Search Charge.” August 7, 1919.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Girl Driver and Liquor Car Are Captured After Long Chase.” March 24, 1923.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Liquor Car Equipped With Police Siren Is Taken; 2 Men Held.” April 7, 1925.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Liquor Found; 3 Held at Cascade Road Raid.” August 2, 1930.
• The Atlanta Journal. “MAN AND WOMAN INDICTED FOR BIG UNDERGROUND STILL.” February 22, 1927, 4.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Plans Made to Beautify Cascade Road.” January 29, 1933.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Rum Car Captured in Running Battle with County Police.” January 27, 1923.
• The Atlanta Journal. “TWO NEGROES JAILED AND STILL CAPTURED.” May 15, 1921, 6.
• The Atlanta Journal. “Woman Is Arrested For Making Whisky.” April 29, 1922, 8.