Alabamas Moonshine King: Outlaw Bell Tree Smith
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- Опубліковано 7 вер 2024
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Alabamas Moonshine King: Outlaw Bell Tree Smith Documentary by The Appalachian Storyteller #appalachiasdeadliest #belltreesmith #moonshiner #moonshine #appalachiandocumentaryyoutube #appalachianbedtimestories #appalachianfolklore #appalachia #appalachian #appalachianhistory #storyteller #appalachianstoryteller #appalachiastories #appalachiasdeadliest #outlaws #audiobookfulllength #appalachiadocumentary #documentary #audiobook #truestories #outlawsoftheoldwest
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Video from The Appalachian Storyteller
Photos from National Archives, Public domain, and paid researcher subscription to Newspapers.com, Ancestry.com, Proquest.com
Note: This Video Represents History. The video has been uploaded for educational/editorial purposes and commentary and critique on the topic.
Got your book yesterday, rite on time, going to my mother's this weekend and she is having her family from Grundy VA. And my fathers side from Wallens Creek, KY. Gunna be be a good time and I'm going to introduce them to your channel and book, I know they will appreciate your work..God bless you JD, thanks
Aw man, I love that! Thanks so much and tell everyone I said hello
❤❤❤❤❤❤loved the story. Thank you so much 😊
Beautiful country, my mother in law and most of her kin live right close the Grundt, I am jealous , we used to have the best family reunions that lasted 3 days, with dancing and music and I admit it a little shine ,( but only a few men, old regular Baptists kept the others from drinking, But that didnt stop them all from laughing, They welcomed me in and I fell in love with his family! Right near Haysi VA, great times, good memories.
I bought my mother in law JDs book, and she said she reckoned she had 100 stories of her own just as good! ROFL! She wondered if he was even from the hills hisself, I told her she had to listen to really appreciate JD.. To be honest she has become more outspoken at age 90, and she surprised me, and i have laughed and laughed,
I hope you had a great trip and a good visit with the family , God Bless all!
Grundy, the town that switched to the other river bank.
I love your channel, its funny though...give me a minute and hear/read me out. Im from NJ, however my father that i never met, hailed from somewhere in alabama. My mother cheated on her boyfriend who was doing a tour in Vietnam as a dog handler. It was the end of 67 (the summer of love) new year's eve 67/68 in which i was conceived. I was born on October 2, 1968. My mother at the time was in the navy, stationed in San Diego. My father, the unfortunate boyfriend fighting for his life while checking safety for platoons of men waiting for him to clear dangerous jungles so they could advance, comes back from war and marries my mother, adopted me, gave me his name, raised me well, and became a police officer in NJ. I wasn't told he was not my biological father until i was 14 yrs old. Although i never wavered and treated him as my father respectfully as a Normal youngster should i believe. Anyways, my mother after finally telling me this bombshell news, dials the phone in 82' and hands me the receiver and says here is your father. Completely flabbergasted i grabbed phone, heard a man say hello, and after a momment....i hung up. It just was automatic, right or wrong. To this day i have no antomotisty against either of the 3. Still have not met or spoke to my "real" dad. Carry on well with my mom and dad who are both pushing 80. I ended up being a commercial roofer, owning my own business and if i may be so humble. .one of the best, toughest, highly educated roofers i believe ever existed in the state. All this while always being asked why dont you become a cop like your pop, this before and after finding out the story at 14. It was because my real dad, whoever he is from Alabama was a heavy equipment operator and very intelligent and very handsome i might add, lol (in most all your stories, you state these ruffians are good looking individuals) lol, again. Anyways, listening to your stories about these states and the men that lived there are enjoyed im sure from many people from the state on new jersey...but i feel i really get it. There were some great men from the area you speak about, it isnt all about the north if you catch my drift. Although, i didnt grow into a tough guy, in a fighting sense, i was told by very violent men throughout my years i was the toughest they ever seen, confused, I'd say im no tough guy and they say, you the most rugged roofer/worker i have ever seen, and why are you doing this in the first place, you missed your calling. You too intelligent to be doing this. All this from a man, i never met from Alabama, that had the looks, the work ethnic, and the toughness that i honestly dont think i truly would have had if i was just from nj . So to speak lol, sorry i went on but you had to go and bring up Alabama, and ya, roofers drink beer🎉...lol, 😮 peace out boyscout, keep up the excellent work and dont let all the darn commas i use get to ya! Lol, i noticed too.@TheAppalachianStoryteller
Loved your story. I live in cherokee county al. I am 70 yrs old.I have memories of when I was 6 yrs old my older sisters husband hauled moonshine for a family in borden springs. He would take the back seats out of the car and and us kids would sit on the jugs with a board across them so it would look like we were riding in the back seat.
thanks for sharing this!
Ha Ha good one. Thanks.
To me , moonshine stories are the best. Still remembering the very heavy lady who was a moonshiner.
Mahala Mullins
@@TheAppalachianStorytellerDuring the Great Depression, my dad was a very young boy who worked for a moonshiner in the hills of southern Illinois as a delivery gopher. Pop told the story once of how the moonshiner was a very large and heavyset man, and had set off down a steep hillside with a large and heavy jug of moonshine in each hand., while my dad followed behind with a single jug of his own to carry. As luck would have it, the moonshiner stepped on a rattlesnake stretched out across the path. Dad said that that the body of the snake rolled under the moonshiner and the unfortunate moonshiner plopped right down onto the snake. Dad said that the fat moonshiner then performed an act of near self levitation as he sprang off the snake and sprinted down the path away from the snake, all without being bitten. Pops said that it was funny and scary at the same time. He added that the snake didn’t find it amusing, as it was killed by the fat man crushing him from the fall. I asked my Dad how he came to work as a child for a moonshiner, and he said that during the Depression they his family was desperate for money to survive, and since he was a kid, even if he had ever gotten caught,(he said he never was) that there was nothing that the law could do to him as he was too young. He said that nobody suspected him as being a “bootlegger”, as he was a very young child.
Another character that I feel fortunate to be introduced to ...thanks JD.
Thank you Michael! Hope all is well brother
Some men are never meant to grow old peacefully! Thanks for another great story JD. 👍🏼
I couldn’t have said it any better myself
I swear no one can tell a story like you. I love each and every one and share them with my daughter. We love to listen to them together. That’s unbelievable how long he got away with things even killing. Till the next story thanks so much. ❤😊
Thank you so much, Linda. I really appreciate that and I hope you’re having a great weekend. See you next time.
Great story JD. He went out the same way he treated others. Karma got him.
Well said my friend!
Another excellent story & the music! Sir you deserve a tv show & a soundtrack.
Thank you so much 😊
Thank you again for these forgotten stories. God bless you and your whole family...🙏🙏🙏
Thank you, John. Hope you’re having a great weekend, my friend.
What a story of a man that defied the odds and people that tried to take advantage of entrepreneurship.
Much like in everyday life with struggle to earn a living and the government wanting their share .
It’s been that way since the begging of time envy ,greed,and personal laziness makes society hate success.
What a story of a man that lived his life the way he wanted and enjoyed .
He obviously was well liked and admired to have the success of an operation as large as this .
Probably demanded loyalty and respect against a crooked government and a brainwashed society.
Thanks JD
Knocked it out the park again
Well said Gary!
I was telling my brother and sister in law about your channel, and lo and behold, she said that they are subscribed and enjoy your stories immensely.
Wow, thanks so much, Billy. It’s people like you who tell others about this channel that helps so much. I appreciate you, brother.
my sister is too!
Good way to start a Saturday morning. Thanks, and keep it coming. Have a wonderful day.
Indeed
Thank you!
Keeping untold history alive and I'm here for it. Well done, as usual, my friend. Cheers from your northern neighbour 🇨🇦👋🍻
Thank you so much Charlotte!
I really like the moonshine stories! Excellent job on this upload!!!
Thanks so much David!
Good morning and happy Saturday!
Morning Robbie
Recently discovered your channel good sir, and I absolutely love these stories!
Thank you for your hard work and for sharing these tales with us all.
Glad to have you here! Welcome!
This story is so good, I've listened to it 3 different times. Thanks for sharing this my friend.
Thank you so much!
J.D., Thanks, love the Delta-Blues style slide guitar 🎸 😉.
Thanks for noticing the music!
Who's playing that slide ?
I love these stories! Thanks for putting them out!
Thank you Renee!
My Grandfather made Moonshine in Nelson Co. VA in the 1930s. He figured it was easier to transport his corn in "Liquid Form"...: Hey,he had 10 kids to feed. 🙂
I know exactly what you mean by the way did you see the one newspaper clipping that I put in the video that talked about a farmer saying he had eight kids to feed?
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller you'd be surprised what people did to feed their kids.. He had a 3rd grade education but had loads of common sense and ingenuity.
Redefines 'liquified assets'.
Thank you again for the History lesson
Thank you Sir!
WE LOVE YOUR STORIES JD . ❤❤❤ THE WAY YOU TELL IT, MAKES US FEEL LIKE WE ARE THERE. JUST IN CASE NOBODY TOLD YOU TODAY YOU'RE AMAZING
Thank you so much, Christina. I hope you’re having a fabulous weekend, my friend.
This is the first time I have ever heard this story. You did a good job. Thank you so much.
Thank you so much!
Good morning JD! I knew a bootlegger and he paid off the local police and some politicians just to operate. Of course you wouldn’t believe who came and got liquor.
I am sure back in those days it was even more corrupt and violent.
Keeping Bell Tree Smith’s name and life in historical records with your video.
I hope you and your family have a very blessed weekend!
Thanks for sharing this Willow! I hope you have a blessed Saturday ❤️
@WillowsGarden less corrupt than now with weed and fentanyl everywhere
I just found your channel tonight . I already listened to 5 shows. I love it what a great channel
Welcome aboard!
Another good one JD. Keep em coming
Thanks John!
Great story JD thanks.
Thank you Rusty
Territory for outlaws is what Bell Tree’s area was like. Moonshine was big risky business for sure but to ring a bell for service really is an odd way to sell it.
He was a unique character
Love your stories and listening to them. Waiting for a new book 😊
Coming soon !
Another great story and I'm extra proud of this one. I was born, raised and still live on Bell Tree Smith's land. My third great-grandfather was an iron mine constable in Salem/Bluffton.
The commissary stands to this day.
Wow, that’s awesome. Thank you so much for sharing that. I think it’s neat when these stories come to life through the people who live there and modern times.
Thank you for sharing this story
Thank you !
Thanks for another great story
Thank you so much!
Awesome story JD thank you brother👍👍👍 God bless🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Thank you so much 😊
Thanks btw, for doing this story justice.
Thank you so much 😊
That was Great! I never have heard of this. Glad I found it. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I live in Cherokee county. I've heard the history of Bluffton. Been to Bordon Springs many times. Indian mountain is near by and has been developed into an off road park now. I see the local gas station full of ATVs buggies. Side by side each weekend filling up headed to the mountain . Sundays they are back down at the gas stations again filling up all the different vehicles. Moonshine is still made in those mountains today
Thanks for sharing this
Wow! He was heartless. Good story ❤
He was something else!
That was a fine story and expertly told.
Thank you 😊
I grew up in the Ozarks. 'Copperhead Road' is pretty much a true story. But it was the price of sugar and lack of trustworthy labor, caused the switch.
Copperhead road ! DOWN ON COPPER LINE .
Great job, Bud. I hope no moonshine or Outlaws were offended. Love it!
Thanks brother!
Another great story! Loving your book, too. Can't wait for the next one.
Thank you so much, my friend. Have a blessed day.
I’ve roamed the hills where this took place, still do from time to time. It’s a beautiful place with a cool story.
How the town came and went is a great story in itself.
Thanks for sharing this !
Love this story. Love the South and being Southern. You are one of the very few who get the name right about the War Between the States, not the Civil War. Love your documentary on Stump houses. I had no idea.
thanks so much! Have a great weekend!
You have a great way of story telling! Perfect voice for it, too!
Thank you so much!
Thank you , love listening to your stories .
Thank you so much. Hope you’re having a great weekend.
Love the forgotten stories.
Thank you so much, Kim. Hope you’re having a great weekend.
Great story jd, I'm from North Alabama, I've heard bits and pieces of that story but not all of it, keep up the good work and God bless!
Thank you so much Gary!
Born and raised in alabama and im 50 never heard of bell tree smith til today pretty cool would like to know more about him
Thanks for uploading this video. Great educational history lesson
Thank you so much 😊
Thank you for sharing this story with us! ✌🏼😊
My pleasure!!
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller 👍🏻😊
Good story thanks JD
Thank you 😊
Incredible story JD, Thanks for sharing, I wonder who's moonshine was better BELL TREE OR POPCORN SUTTON ❤
If I had to guess I would say major Lewis Redmond had the best tasting
As always your music is 100 proof!
Thanks so much for noticing the music!
Finally one about Alabama. Kudos
Oh he’s cute too.
Enjoyed learning about William A Smith. Your a great story teller ❤
Thank you so much!
Good to see a story from the county I live in. That story of Bell Tree Smith is dead on. He was buried in Bluffton, Cherokee County Alabama. Indian Mountain is full of all kinds of history. Thank you for telling it for everyone to know. There's more history/stories I would like to pass on to you about this area.
If you have stories you’d like to share, email me at theappalachianstoryteller@gmail.com thanks!
Damn great story J.D..my grandfather went to prison for moon shining in Alabama back in the day.
thank you brother!
Sometimes I do not even realize it is your channel, I just see a link and say, hey that must be an interesting story! Well done
Thanks so much, my friend. Appreciate you.
Great work and content as always. Much appreciated.
Thank you Wayne!
Wow jd that was a great story thank you my friend 🎉
Thank you Rebecca!
Thanks JD, always amazes me, these stories of moonshiners. Not a common thing here in Australia but now I live in Tasmania, I have a feeling there’s some of that going on in parts of Tassie, actually my closest friend has 2 stills, for medicinal purposes only 🤣🤣
That's awesome, I have to get down your way some day, Id love to see your land and meet your people.
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller always welcome JD. 😊
Was a good story. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you !
Enjoying this much! Thank you!!!
It's kinda crazy how some criminals are too smart... loved the story!
BTW... I haven't forgot about the ghost girl in Cades Cove... I will never forget seeing her walking down the old road...😯
Thanks JD 😎👍
Thanks Kathy!
Interesting video. Enjoyed it.😊
Thank you!
excellent. thank you. you stories are always great. God bless you.
What a handsome man love the story you’ve done it again fantastic story
Thank you so much. Have a great day.
There was a very similar situation in Georgia. A movie called "Murder in Coweta County" starring Andy Griffith and Johnny Cash was made about it with Andy playing the bad guy. The movie is available free on youtube.
❤Enjoyed!!
Thank you 😊
That was one great story!
Thank you so much, my friend
Wow I never heard of ole belltree but he sure got what he deserved I recon thank you for sharing
Thanks so much, Myers. Hope you have a blessed day.
Sad story of a wasted life. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks John!
Very interesting story, JD. Now I know why they called him Bell Tree!
Thank you Barbara!
Nice story as always Bill was a nice looking man to be so mean take care and God bless you all
that was a great story. if that was a picture of the real moonshiner I can see why he was a ladies man. He sure wasn't hurting in the good looks department. unlike to many people today I bet he would know which bathroom to use. to bad all that manliness came with so much evil.
Thanks Judy!
Thanks JD.
Thank you brother!
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller YW
Old bell tree was one tough man but he got his also it took 20 years
He had it coming to him
You got to hand it to them , bootleggers were one of the greatest opportunist in American history . I've purchased some mighty fine shine from Kentucky and Georgia and it was so smooth and satisfying until it hit bottom , then you knew for sure it's potency 😳💨🔥😁 . Of course it was for medicinal purposes only 🙄😂 .
One day I need to get a hold of some true 'mountain dew'. I never have had true moonshine, but I s'pose there's still time left. Better late than never. I've always heard tell that the only thing wrong with store bought whiskey is the coloring. Me I really like Gin, Rum and Tequila better than Whiskey & Bourbon, But I do like Irish whiskey. I don't guess I would really compare moonshine to anything. I'd just take it for what it is and wake up a week later!
Well said my friend!
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller Hey JD! Might take a while to acquire a taste, at two week taste test intervals. I'll wear my bibb overhalls and just take li'l 'junior samples!' Maybe that'll help? BTW it was nice to hear a story from Alabama! I love that north eastern part of the state. I spent some time up on Lookout Mt. near Ft. Payne back in '94. Little River Canyon is SO beautiful & majestic!
@@allthings2allmen Thanks so much! And I love that part of Alabama as well, Ive camped in Gadsden a few times and fell in love with the area. Many more stories to come my friend.
To JD - If you ever want to know a more WAY in depth story of these situations, get in touch! My wife and I are direct descendants of moonshiners. My wife, a direct descendant of Bell Tree Smith…
You know those hills are still off limits to law enforcement. We have a drug task force here and they were brought in because of the Chandlers.
We don’t live too far from that area. It’s now known as Easom Hill on one side and Dugger Mountain on the other. They are huge rivals in the current-day outlaw world.
That’s amazing. That’s the first person I’ve heard that’s the direct descendent of him. Wow!
Don't tell me,you reckon you're Irish?
@@jamiewilson5679 By our generation, we’re a combination of a lot of countries. However, my wife and my blood are from pretty much all of the Celtic countries. :)
Really enjoyed this video
Thank you so much!
Cool video, thanks
Thank you 😊
Well done Sir, love the tunes.❤🍁👏🎈
Thank you Marion!
Moonshine ran in my family. Winston county Al.
❤️
Is that a true picture of Bell Tree? He is indeed handsome.
Great stories my feiend
Thank you so much, Tony. Hope you’re having a great weekend.
My mama’s from Appalachian Mountains. I’ve slept in the bed where my Grandma gave birth to my mama. My Daddy is from Long Island NY. We had a saying, my mama’s family made the shine, and my daddy’s family sold the shine.
❤️
Still moonshining there on the Georgia side
yes sir!
This is my
great great great great Grandfather.
Wow 😮
Interesting story. He died in my home county. Dixie General Store Heflin Alabama
Wow!
Great story JD , real ironic
Thank you brother
They call me bathtub Mia..strongest bathwater you will ever taste
@ 2:08-2:15
That's a Texas Ranger volunteer Company
Couldn't tell you the date or exact Unit, there is a Jones or 2 in there. Old man had it blown up and hanging on the wall.
Good day and good luck to you all
Wow! Another great “sit on the edge of yer seat” story! I love this channel and if y’all like it too… then be sure you like & subscribe for more stories to come! Oh! And while yer at it, don’t forget to get a copy of JD’s book!! Thank you JD for another winner of a story! Blessings always my friend! ✝️🙏😊
Thank you so much Betty , have a blessed day my friend ❤️
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller You’re welcome! Thank you JD! ❤️🙏😊
there was a sing about staying away from wolverton mtn...but is my part of Ga- it was INDIAN MTN ... i is gettin old 🤫
A new moonshine king thanks jd
Of Alabama at least
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller true
When you live by the gun you die by the gun. Why kill a man for a pig, put him to work... Bell Tree was kind when he wanted to be.
Well said Ghost
I live in Cedar Bluff right in the middle of Cherokee county
Wow 😮
I heard he also was a big fan of "Livestock Loving"......A lot of people fail to mention that.
😂
My pa pa died before I turned 6 in 1961,him and mam maw were divorced and Aunt Mary and Pa Pa lived together on Braswell Mtn.Rd. at dry tussle just a east of Rockmart Ga. eastern Polk County Ga. Pop Pa made liquor and wasn't allowed to go passed the chicken pen and outhouse up the holler. I didn't know it but that's where his still was.My Aunt sold the liquor, didn't know that either, but she got caught and went to prison,but before she got caught Pop Pa and some men were drinking and gambling and after everybody left this 1guy comes back and is on the back porch calling my aunt name's and wanting in to go to bed with her. Pop Pa shoots through the backdoor and killed him,didn't know that either until 1 day a friend and I was helping his dad getting the ready for planting out that way.I was 19 and i told his dad about Aunt Mary and Pop Pa living in the house just pasted the tussle, he asked me what Pop Pa's name was and I said Lee Thomas, he tells me you're not going believe this, I was going to town 1 day and I picked Lee up walking and asked him, where you going Lee and Pop Pa tells him that he's going to City Hall and turn himself in that he killed last night trying to through the backdoor and he's still laying on the back porch. That's when I find all this out and now I understand why that holler was off-limits. There's a little community in southwest Polk County that's maybe just a little south of Cherokee County AL it's called ESOM HILL and the only time back until late 70s and probably 80s the Polk County Sheriff went around was to get that grease money. Fellow told me that back in the day a Revenue pilot out of Columbus was told to look for stills around Esom and when the pilot landed which wasn't wasn't maybe hour and half later, they asked him, You already located the stills, he HELL NO AND IM NOT GOING BACK EITHER THAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY, NOT LONG AFTER I GOT THERE THAT THERE WAS A BULLET CAME THROUGH THE BOTTOM OF MY PLANE ,WENT BETWEEN MY LEGS AND OUT THE TOP OF THE PLANE AND I AIN'T GOING BACK. 😂
I have a friend there. And he makes shine......
That’s awesome