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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 18, 1908)
ioa the Unconquer able "Maiden Moonshiner' of Kentucky, Intrenched f, in the Roch Hilts, Has Faced Single Handed the United States Government Officers, and Is Accused of Wound ing, Perhaps Mor tally, One of the Attaching Parly. Down behind a natural fortress of huge bowlders in eastern Kentucky a woman who has not yet seen hor thir tieth birthday Is calmly, Intrepidly nnd successfully defying tho mighty government of tho. United States. A few days ago, slnglo-handed, she beat back a posse of tho best revenuo officers Uncle Sam could muster. Her aim Is true and hor belief in her sov ereign right to make her own brand of whisky from her own corn is su premo and immovable. Mary Fonts, aged 27, Is America's only moonshine maid, and sho is a moonshiner by birth, inclination and training. Hor father was a moon shiner beforo hor, and tho several ram mentions of her family hold records for battle with revenue officers that any mountnlnccr might envy. For -10 yenrs tho Heaver Creek dis trict, on tho Knott-Floyd-Lotohor bor der, hns been a moonshlno stronghold, the scene of many a pitched battle between moonshiners and government oillclals. Blood of both aides has stained its narrow ravinos nnd pic turesque mountain paths. If a record of lives sold for the mountain brew had been kept doubtloss tho greater number of notches would have been cut by Undo Sam. Hut when it camo to this woman, this tall, stalwart, calm-eyed, sure- aiming young woman on hor native heath, Uncle Sam was lmflled. Chivalry died hard, oven when backed by law and justice, nnd to send his picked shots against a woman was more than even Uncle Sam wanted to do. In time tho clash had to conic, yet tho woman won against tho law and its nnned oflleers. Mary Fonts was boriPln tho rude homo whore sho now distills what Is said to be tho best brand of whisky obtainable In all Kentucky. Her baby eyos studlod tho still, and her baby ears learned to catch quick, ominous whispers. Just as the child of tho proverbial artist accepts poverty as the price of parental genius, as tho child of tho king believes that royal ty can do no wrong, so this child of the mountains believed that making whisky without government consont was tho inalienable right of hill peo ple I lor parents were ambitious for the llttlo Mary, however, and sent her to school, where sho proved except Ion ally bright, and acquired an amount of "book learning" which dazzled her humblo relatives. Hut she nover for got her lovo of tho mountain life and never lost her grip on mountain tra ditions. When other girls were writing notes to each other or making paper dolls Mary Fouts whs drawing plcturos of .stills, and ilnally she presented to her ustonlBhed teacher a perfect repro duction of a still. Including tho "worm" which sho had evolved from somo odd bits of copper that camo hor way. During hor twelfth yonr, whon homo on hor vacation, she made a "run" of very fair moonshine whisky In nn old coffoo boiler in her mother's kitchen. At 10, hor education finished, Mary Fonts declared against muslin frouka and cross-rond dances. Sho wan tod tho froo If hazardous llfo of tho moon shlnor. A woman moonshiner! Even bold Kentucky gasped. WoniQU.thors were who hnd protect ed their "men," and fought for their "men" and evon died with their "men" but a woman who wanted to be a loador of iun In moonsblnlng, well, that wns going soma! A rw ioar later, Mary Iftmts came Into hor w. Hor father died, and sho became the head of his household nnd the manipulator of hlu famous still. And whnt was more, Mary Fonts mndo a whisky of no moan reputa tion. Sh6 raised her own crop of corn and coaxed It as only a farmer who lovos his growing things can coax. And then sho made it Into tho right sort of whisky, pure and un adulterated. "I would not adulterato my whisky for any price, nor for tho wholo world," said Miss Fonts in a recent Interview and sho meant It. No head of a great food factory over re garded tho output of his establishment with greater reverence and prldo and nffectlon than does Mary Fouts tho product of her Illicit still. And down there In Kentucky when n man wants tho real thing In whisky ho demands Mary Fout3' whisky, willingly pay ing tho higher prlco asked for hor brand. Now, of course, tho United States government, with Its mighty system of oflleers and spies, was not Ignorant of Mary Fouts and hor calm, unwaver ing violation of tho laws. Hut how to reach Mary Fonts without sacrificing national pride by spilling the blood of a woman who sinned only becauso sho thought It no sin. but hor right, was a problem even for a great govern ment. If Mary Fouts would kindly snenk out of her stronghold nnd mur der a mnn In cold blood, then the law might take its course. Hut Mary Fonts was distressingly poacenble nnd In dustrious. Sho attonded strictly to hor own business.' Mnry Fouots did not come to town nor haunt highways. Hut she certain talnly did know hov to guard hor property, particularly her still. This had a natural barricade of rocks, and behind this barricade Mary Fouts kept a collection of Winchesters nnd am munition which meant a light to a finish and it is a sorry thing for a posso of men to ilnd themselves fight ing ngninst one intrepid woman wIh) had been guilty of no greater ofTemso thnn turning tho product or hor own land Into cash according to the meth ods followed by her ancestors for gen erations. And of those ancestors sho wns as proud as the scions of English nobility of the ancestors who fought under Wllllnm the Conqueror. Hut something had to bo dono. Theio wero seven counts against Miss Fouts. Tho government felt that pa tience, even with a fnlr woman, had ceased to bo a virtue. Tho dignity of tho law must bo maintained, with out bloodshed If posslblo, with blood shed if necessary. Hut llrst diplo macy. A rovonuo otllcor sent to Miss Fouts by a trusted friend to tho moonshiner this mossngo In writing: "Meet us at tho schoolbouso on Den ver Creek Thursday and promise you will nover violate tho law, never inoonsblno any moro, anil wo will see to It that you are fully pardoned for all." "I will nover meet you," wns her curt roply, and to hor mother sho said: "Thoro's no use talking I will kcop this still going in spite of nil tho gov ernment. It is n duty to you I menu to fulfill. Father stilled all his llfo and stilled good whisky. Thore Is no reason why wo shouldn't keop up tho family reputation. Thoy will nover take me alive." vh Is said to havo added. For, you see, Mary Fonts, for all her contempt of government and tho law, Is no rude mountain woman of mi couth bearing and loughor speech. She In the embodiment of the twentieth century business womnn n-bloom In Kentucky hills. So the qunlnt old Fonts homestead wns put In n stnto of slogo, The Win chester wore clenned, loaded nnd mnde rendy. The revenue men were sure to come ntter that bold defiance. And come they did, hondod by Uni ted States Marshal F. M. Illalr, one or the most deturmlnod nnd successful men in the revenue service. With him was n picked posso and before hhn, well barricaded by u natural broast work of Impenetrable rock, wuh Mary Fonts, the moonshine maid, with Win chesters and ammunition enough to stand off an army, According to the officers' story thoy pressed forward, and then Mary FoutB tired. Sho deliberately, say tho reve nue men, opened the light nnd mndo It possible for the revenue mon to do their duty. They returned tho lire, to a man, but Mary Fonts was wife behind tho bowlders. Onward they pressedt nnd for half an hour the ml mlc, one-sided battle raged, then Dcpu ty Mnrshal Illram Day fell sorely wounded, nnd was carried awny on n stretcher by ills bafllcd companions. What will happen to Mary Fouts doponds upon tho outcomo of Day's wound. If it provo fatal, as tho doc tor's predict, Mary Fonts will havo to faco a charge of murder without the mitigating plea or solf-dofenso, nnd Undo Sam's sense of chlvnlry will not bo violated. Hut nt the time of writing. Mnry Fonts, tho moonshlno maid, relgnii undisturbed In tho Ken tucky hills, calmly "stilling" tho corn colored brew that Is tho prldo and Joy of Kentucky connoisseurs. OFFICER BUTTONS GOWN. New York Patrolman Aids a Pretty Miss Out of Difficulty. A young woman camo out of ono of tho residences fuclng Washington squnro, Now York city, garbed In u princess gown. Sho hesitated u mo ment, looking doubtfully at tho loafers on the park benches nnd forlornly up Fifth avenue. Then sho wont over to Policeman Georgo Donnelly, who was standing nt tho corner gazing with an olllcial eyo upon tho grass. "I beg your pardon, but will yon do mo a favor'" sho said, with slight ly bolghtened color. "Sure, miss," replied tho olllcor In his best manner. "Will you plenso button my dress for mo?" sho entreated, In apparent calmness. "What?" gasped Donnelly. "I said, would you please button my dress? Those princess affuirs ore so tight that I just can't gel my arms up. Thoro are three buttons I cannot reach." Sho turned her hnck on tho police man, and his staring gaze traveled to a point mltlwny between her shoulder blades and stopped. Thore ho saw some lace, a thin line of hluo ribbon, and "Cortulnly, miss," said tho guardian of tho law whon ho realized tho ne cessity, and ho began tugging at his gloves. "Oh, 1 am so sorry to trouble you,'" tho young womnn fold, "but there wnsu't a soul in tho house, and I am very anxious to get uptown." "No trouble at all," tho pollcomnn Insisted, nnd stulllng his gloves In his pocket ho took a llrm grip nnd started to work. "My lingers aro all thumbs," said Donnelly. "Yes, Hint's tho trouble," replied tho girl, oncouraglngly. "Ono button conies loose while you try to fasten tho next ono." "I'll havo It in Just a minute." And then, after somo moro endeavor, tho policeman straightened up with an nlr of sutlBfaction. "Thank you very, very much, offl cor," said Miss Washington Square, composedly. "I knew I could depend upon you." Then she pushed her way through a crowd that had collected and ollmbed I'pou n waiting stage. Donnelly mopped his hontud brow. "U s n gny life," snld he. "Well, tho city hires mo to proesrvo ordor nnd decency, and I guess I done It that time." MARRIAGE BY PHOTOGRAPH. Some Defensive Movements Undertak en by Japanese In America. The Asnhl Shlmbuu has an article which throws an Interesting light on the question alluded to In our last Is sue, nantoly, marriages by photo graph between .Inpancso residing In Atuerlcn nnd their countrywomen In Japan. It nppoars that two move ments of a solf-defonslvo nature havo recently been organized by .Inpanoso residents In tho United States. The first Is a crusado against gamb ling by tho Chinese, u vlco which Is Indulged In on such a scale and which Involves such evil results that the presence of Orientals In general be comes object lonnble In the eyes of American citizens. Japanese agitation for the suppression of this vlco prom- Ises to hnvo tho result of clearly dlt fercntlatlng them from Its practlco. Tho second movement hns for its Immedlnto outcomo this idea of Jiup tinls by photograph. Thoro nro nbout 100,000 .Jnpunoso in tho United States, and fully 90 per cent, of them load slnglo lives. Such a condition was tolerablo so long as a settlor's object consisted meroly In earning as fast as posslblo enough to return home. Hut in view of the antl-Oriontnl spirit now prevailing In the United States, tho Japanese resldonts sec that tho only practical remedy lies In becoming per manent sottleiB, and In carrying out Hint program a wife Is a prlnio esson tlal. To return to Japan, however, for tho purpose of providing himself with n wife moans not only that a man would have to Incur great oxponse, but also that It would bo moro than doubtful whother ho could re-enter tho states subsequently. Thorofore, tho only fonslblo alternative Is to got a wife over from Japan without going to fetch her. All this appears to have been an ticipated very clovorly by tho well known Mr. Sblnianiikl, a prominent Chrlstlnn. Somo time ago ho estab lished In the Kolslkawa suburb of Tokyo an institution called the Hyok kokal, which may bo freoly translated SelMIoIp society. The Inmaten of this Institution, mostly graduates from girls' high schools, receive education In nil sub jects likely to bo or practical utility, such us housekeeping, cooking, sow ing, typewriting, otc. In fact thoy aro expressly equipped to be the wives or Japanese settlers In the United States. It Is between this Institution mid the Japanese settlers that photo graphs havo been exchanged, and by this means the settlers aro enabled to obtain helpmates whose qualifica tions anil record aro known and whoso appearance Is rendered familiar by tho photographs. Tho Idea Is that If tho settlors thus marry and bring up families, their sons will becoino nnturallzed American citizens, nnd by degrees tho antl-Jnpaneso fooling In tho United States will dlo out. Tho conception seems eminently practical anil useful, nor can wo doubt for a moment that tho .Inpancso authorities In Tokyo will refrain from Interfering with the program. Jnpnnoso Weekly Mall. Horses with Mustaches. "I've got a rarity, a horse with a mustache," said a cabby. Tho horso doctor looked tho ungain ly animal over. "It Is a rarity," ho said, "a inustncho so highly developed. Lots of horses havo Incipient, Chlnesollko mustaches, but your nag has tho inustncho of a grenndlor a regulnr soup strainer, oh? "Mnyhow nnd tho other lending au thorities lay It. down that n mustache Is tho surest sign of n low-bred horse. Certainly no ono can dispute your an Imal's claim to low brooding. Phila delphia Bulletin. The Hero of Petticoat Pass By J. O. (Copyright, by Slio Tho shortest route between the high veldt nnd tho Loydonburg goldjlelds winds through u long kloof or gorge which, onco upon n time, was the scene or a very tomnrknblo battle. On account of the sulphurous smells from numerous hot springs nnd the weird electrical discharges, visible nt night between its Ironstone cliffs and pin nacles, the kloof Itself was originally known as Sntan's Firebox. Hut later when. In tho war with the Mncntees, tho Boorn were routed and one night upwnrils of 100 women and children, hotly pursued by a roglmont of Knllrs, lied screaming through tho kloof, tho name wns significantly changed to Petticoat pass. Hut, although the pass was usually Interesting, Its inhnbltnnts were vastly moro so. Between the southern gate wny nt Stcolpoort nnd Its northern out let, near Leydenbuig, a wonderfully Intelligent race of baboons hns lived for centuries high up among the Iron clad precipices. In course of time tho whlto hunter camo nlong with his deadly rlllo and occnslonnlly picked ono or them oft tho rocks, Just for the fun or the thing, and when the Kntlrn took a notion to poison thorn for the sako or their teeth, thon the baboons lu Petticoat pnsB wero drlvon to do fond themselves. In n word, thoy be gnn to throw stones. So long us the wngons and tho horsomen kept mov ing all was well, but when thoy loi tered or stopped tho whirring of peb bles through the nlr, nnd occnslonnlly tho appearance of enormous bowlders cut looso from tho crags above nnd shot down through tho nlr llko can non balls, never failed to remind the loiterers that they wore trespassers. In their Intercourse with tho out sldo world the baboons mndo no dis tinction between black and white until ono duy an event took place that prac tically closed tho pass to tho black races forever. At tho Stcolpoort end of the pass tho Knllrs began to oncronch. Thoy built huts nnd planted gardens on tho fortllo slopes near the portal. With angry demonstrations tho baboons pro tested, but tho Knllrs wero Indifferent to the clamor. But whim tho sugar enno ripened the baboons In the night time swooped down from tho crags and bellied themselves to what thoy considered their rightful shnro of tho hurvest, whereupon tho Kafirs, who thoroughly undorstood tho peculiari ties of baboon nature, plnyctl upon them n villainous trick, Ono dny, in plain sight of their enemies, who" wero watching them from tho heights above, tho Knllrs brought n numbor of largo calabashes filled with a poisonous liquid nnd placed them In u row lu one of tho gnrdens. Then they went through tho form of protending to wash tholr faces with tho stuff, after which thoy left tho calabashes lu tho gnrdens and dopnrted. Watching their opportunity, tho bnhoous camo down to Investigate the business and, being unable to re strain their heredltnry Impulse to lin Ituto the proceedings of others, thoy forthwith washed their faces lu tho poison and scampered awny again. In n short tlmo tho venom bognn to work, tho IIohIi fell from tholr fnces, and finally a number of them died In great agony. For many ilnys afterwards travelers through tho kloof reported nn ox traordlnury state of affairs. Thoro was much excitement nnd jabbering nnd much pitiful crying and calling to each other from cliff to cliff. But when tho period of mourning was over tho baboons settled down to business tho business of war. The prepara tions thoy mndo for hostilities with the Kafirs wero astonishing. Baboouv wore summoned from far and near, nnd the population in tho kloof was soon doubled. Thoy divided thorn selves Into companies under londors. They worked llko beavers, and boforo long huge cairns or stones appeared at intervals along the routo, nnd nt places where the crags rose almost perpendicularly from the roadway great bowlders wero rolled to the edge of the precipices, and oven lodges wero undermined and made rendy to slide down and overwhelm the In vaders. From the day when these urrungo meuts wero completed tho baboons paid no attention whatever to whlto men, nnd after two or three unfor tunate Kafirs had been stoned to denth and torn to pieces the black race gave Petticoat pass an extremely wldo berth. Consequently, the splder-llko wutchers up In their fastnesses hud ti long time to wait, but the whirligig of time brings nbout Its opportunities for rovenge, even to baboons. Just outside the Stcolpoort end or the pass Max Plticus, a Gorman trader, conducted n small store for the ac commodation or travelers. On the day the baboons wero poisoned, Max wus riding through the kloof, nnd came across a llttlo hoy baboon, whose fuco was terribly burned by the action of tho acid. The little fellow was crying plteously, and Max look him up In his nrms uud carried him to tho store, whoro Max's mother, who had some knowledge of remedies, doc tored him so successfully that his eye sight was saved. For several months her curious little patient was very shy and wild, but tho good woman was Indefatigable In her offorts to lame Fagan - ttory Pub. Co,) him, nnd finally she wns rewarded with astonishing success. As tho young baboon grow up ho became very much attached to his benefactress, nnd there wns no mistaking his gratitude But one morning, to the great stir priso ot Mother Plncus, n young lady bnboou camo down from tho hills nnd begun to mnko lovo to Stoffel. Nearly a week passed beroro sho finally trl uniphed and led him away. The following morning, however, ho roturuod, nnd after watching him for a dny or two, Mother Plncus concluded that considerable business was mixed up with his lovo affair. Indeed, the Boers, who relate nlmost Incrcdtblo stories about the intelligence of these colored baboons, clnlm that tho em bassy of the maiden wns merely u trick to seduce him from his nl luglnnco to his benefactress nnd that, on his llrst visit to tho kloof, Stoffel wns Immediately appointed to tho leadership of tho baboon army on ac count of his preeminent Intelligence and knowledgo ot tho outside world. One dny a horseman galloped up to the storo nnd reported that wnr ltnd broken out between tho Boers nnd tho Mncntees nnd that the baboons In the pass wore ovldontly nwnro of tho fact, for swnrms ot them wero coming down frroi tho heights nnd wero preparing frttrouble. Ten days later the Boers wero defeated with considerable loss nt Johannes Kop nnd, encouraged by tho tidings, tho Mnpock Knllrs flow to nrms and rusliod up tho valley towards Steelpoort, burning nnd Blaylng. At their approach tho women and chll drou on the farms Hod in terror, and Just before nightfall nearly 100 of these panic-stricken refugees ontorcd the puss, with a largo commniido ol Knllrs closo at tholr heels. Tho story or tho encounter that fol lowed between tho baboons nnd tho Knllrs Is derived partly from the ac count of tho Boer women, but prln cipally from u survey ot tho battle Held on tho following day. A few ol Reported That War Had Broken Out. the hindmost or the refugees hnd al ready been captured whon, In pnsBlng through n narrow defile, the Knllrs wore iiBsailod by n llorco rain of stones rrom tho surrounding cliffs. Un dismayed, tho Kafir horde- pressed on, hut tho roadway beneath them hnd been undermined, nnd whon enormous bowlders, railing hundreds or foot through tho nlr, smashed through tho thin crust, great pits woro laid bare, Into which the Kafirs llounderod, and wero then mercilessly pelted with fusllludcB of Hharp-polntod rocks. Hut tho real lighting occurred whon tho Kafirs, 111 led with dismay nt the carnage that ensued In tho pits, en deavored to rotreat. On tho following morning n very pathetic sequel to tho battlo occurred when Stoffel, grlovously wounded, dragged himself hnck to his old .homo nt tho store. It was u painful nnd use less Journey, ror tho buildings had been burned to the ground and nothing remained but tho Binoulderlng embers. But Stoffel bud como homo for a dellnlto purpose. Ho ut onco began to scrapo and dig among tho ruins until he succeeded lu finding a tvw rags nnd a small bottle containing some liquid. Tondorly ho Htnnchud the How or blood with tho rngs and emptied somo or the fluid into tho wound. Feeling no bettor from tho application, ho sought other ruga and another bottlo. His rnlth lu tho reme dy wns supremo. In this wny his eyes hnd been cured, nnd In many other eases ho had witnessed tho successful application of ragu and bottles. But, growing weaker and woukor, IiIb thoughts naturally turned to his kind foster-mother. Despairingly, ho glanced from sldo to sldo. Many n timo ho had watched for hor homo coining. Then ho tucked his pitiful fuco under his forearm nnd curled himself up, Just llko n dog going to Bleep. Looking down upon him you could havo counted the almost Imperceptible htart beats under tho gray, shnggy covering one. two, three nnd then Stoh'el, tho hero of Petticoat pass, wus dead, La