The Man Who Smuggled Whiskey as Sweet Potatoes

One of the most colorful figures in Cleveland–Rutherford history was Amos Owens of Cherry Mountain, a notorious moonshiner who repeatedly outwitted federal revenue agents. On one occasion, after being ordered to appear in court at Asheville, Owens arranged for an accomplice to follow him two days later with a wagon carrying a 40-gallon keg of illegal liquor hidden under sweet potatoes and chestnuts. After Owens was found not guilty, he and his helper went around to hotels, barrooms, and private homes selling what they called “taters,” but what they were really selling was untaxed whiskey. Owens returned home richer, having sold both the liquor and the potatoes, and later used the same trick again while supposedly under prison bounds.
Source: Mamie Jones