Our story begins in the rolling Pee Dee River hills just north of where Big Mountain Creek runs into Pee Dee River at Grassy Island. A ford was once used to cross the creek there but since then several new bridges have been erected at different places along the creek.

In the early 1800s, this area was fairly populated, with farming and a fishery being a big part of the community living. Small schools and churches were setup in the area, but as time passed more people moved toward the Ellerbe and Rockingham areas of the county.

Today, only Bethel Baptist Church and a few hardy souls that live close to the river remain. All the old farmland has grown up in pines and time seems to stand still in this area of Richmond County. Hunters, fishermen and sightseers are ‘bout the only traffic on the old river road. The old Uwharrie mountain range still provides a good view of the winding river and the ongoing majestic landscape that seems to just roll up from the river bed below.

One of these high hills is called Cagle Mountain. It is here in the late 1800s that Caroline Cagle bought 80 acres of land and made her home. It was here that she and her daughter Mary, with the help of a wealthy plantation owner, built a log cabin type of house. The house was built on a high hill just north of Mountain Creek. As you gazed from the porch of the house, you could see a long way in every direction.

Folks just assumed that Caroline never married, but later on her grave marker, it stated that she was the wife of a Branson Cagle (although no one in the neighborhood had ever seen or heard of such a person). Ms. Caroline is said to have come from Anson, Moore or Randolph county. She had a child by the name of Mary or Mollie Cagle who would become the mother of Eben, Willa and Pearl Cagle.

Times were rough in them thar hills as Mary brought up her children. Folks learned to work at an early age, taking care of livestock and working in the patches of cotton, wheat and vegetables. Mary loved animals and kept up a watering spring on her property. She kept it washed out and the water was clean for man or livestock alike to drink. The cool spring water ran through a V-shaped trough into a wooden box beside the main road. People stopped there to water their horses and refresh themselves with the cool water. Even today, if’en you know where to look, the spring still lies just off the hard surface road.

As Mary’s children got of age, they walked several miles over the hills to what was called Possum Tail School; which also served as New Hill Church. In rural areas like the river-hills, children usually just went to school three months out of the year and only to the sixth or eighth grade.

As Eben and Pearl Cagle got older, they roamed the hills looking for wild game to help feed their family. They also became excellent shots because lead and shot were hard to come by. Even as teenagers both boys wore their hair shoulder length when it wasn’t popular and thus they attracted attention. Eben’s hair was dark and Pearl’s blond. Eben became more personable than his brother. It wasn’t long though, for their own protection, both started carrying pistols. Eben had a Colt six-shooter that he wore on his left hip for a cross draw while Pearl concealed his shooting iron under his clothes.

As the boys grew older, folks said they became even more outlawish. To make more money from the hard clay soil, they started making their own moonshine. But the laws had changed and with the passage of the Watts Act in 1903 it became illegal to sell whiskey unless you lived in incorporated towns — thus making it tough for people who lived in the river-hills to make a living selling shine.

In 1919, with the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, prohibition became nationwide. All this just made the bootleg whiskey business grow even stronger. Why, with a bushel of any type of mash and 100 pounds of sugar, you could make 11 gallons of potent whiskey. It didn’t take many runs to help a farm family through the winter.

With their acquired knowledge of making great-tasting moonshine, the Cagles’ shine became a word-of-mouth sensation. Folks came from everywhere, but also along came lawmen trying to destroy their profitable business.

As long as folks stayed on the main road to buy the Cagles’ homemade brew, everything was fine, but woe be unto someone who strayed looking for the Cagles’ still. The word soon got around that the Cagle’s meant to be left alone in their business venture. A man entering Cagle Country was considered a customer as long as he stayed on the trail, but as soon as he failed to do so, a crack of a rifle could be heard as lead fell around him. Why, if’en the stranger didn’t soon find his way back on the trail, he might never find it again.

In Cagle Country they were their own law, and a man risked his life and limbs if he brought the law into their land.

Next week I’ll tell you more stories of these legendary Cagle boys and how their fame grew.

J.A. Bolton is a member of the N.C. Storytelling Guild, Anson Co. Writer’s Club, Anson and Richmond County Historical Societies and the Sandhills Rod and Gun Club.

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J.A. Bolton

Storyteller