The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-07
kHE SENS MOUSTtTN DEW.
when the Revenue Officers Come TO Arrest
Her she says Take Me-
from The atlanta Er,nme Constitution.

From ir atlanta Er'nrnp Constitution.
Rctsy Mu'icns IS the LARGEST woman In Ten.
nessee. She lives In a little log house on top
~ Ncwmun's ridge, in the mountains of Han.
cock county. where she earns "a living by the
sale OF ~illicitly distilled whiskcy In open Jeff
arce Of the Government officers. who have
time and again been sent 10 arrest her. but
have never been successful. Her avoirdupois
Is about $40 pounds. and this accounts for the
woman never having hecn arrested,
IL was IN the fall OF the year Just passed
that | visited the ~,Iullens home. In company
with.thc revenue officers from Knoxville. Tho
place where she lives i, sixteen miles from the
railroad. aud 10y no means easy OF access. As
Jou near he foot OF the ridge where the woman
lives You can see her cabin ON the top. A con-
veyanCc cannot wrnd its way To the home. and
those who wish To see the largest woman In
Tcuucssee. and one who has caused more talk
than any other woman In the state. have to
leave their conveyance behind and make IL on
foot up the steep mountain side.
APPROACHING tho house. the first thing out
we're foM mounds in the back ward. which.
upon inquiry, | learned were the graves, OF her
husband and three sons. the latter having
given mp their lives in mountain fights and
had been buried in the ward, where the mother
coGld turn, from her bed n the little house and
their grassy sod all that was mortal OF those
who were 20 near and dear 10 her.
Not mat she + si'k. but hcr Immense size Is
such that she il unable IL walk or move around
uko other people. Her husband was for years
an invalid. and the family VAS without Visible
means II support until Betsy conceived the
idea Of selling whisky; There are any num-
aud Just across the line In Kentucky. and
with their Operators Betsy made arrangements
for her supply oil "muuntnin dew" IL Is
brought TO her In stone jugs. and from
her bedside she can reach down and pour ont
any amount OF ,wniskey which the patrons Of
In open defiance Of the Inv In. Mrs. Mul.
lens carried On tgis method Of liIuor selling
dictcd her time after time, and officers ave
been sent Ia { rrcst her. but that was all. They
would come Ia her lcdsidcaua serve t.c rapcrs,
but could no: take he to T. mt ~ TO iail.
Her ri2e bnnicd them. II would take half a
Il zen strong men IT, carry her nut, OF the house
not he able to get her Ia the rOnh At the DOT.
tom of the ridge, as II II impossible To get n
Every time the on GERS cnll at Tho house She
simply laughs and avs. Take mc II you can. ~
The officers cannot take her. and that is the
in Mrs. Mullcu- will be found the perso niH.
cation of ignorance. Her knowledge Of the
world is confined to radius Of three miles
Of her home. She was born near the place
where she lives, and has rovcr been Off the
ridge. Ncyc' saw the lutte county town ol
lR2"ycll. the county seat IL Tazewcll county,
and has never seen n railway train, although
'shc is AZ PRESENT nearing the httieth milestone
Of her mOuotonOus lie, size delights In hnvin Y
visitors call to, zee her ana talks interestingly
During all the .ycRrs thar Mrs. Mullcns, In;
been confined 10 her h"d she mas seen her three
SONS and husband pass 10 the beyond. Sh,
could not attcnd.the funeral services at the 1T
Ito church. which II situated several milo
from her home. and the funeral services. I
such they might he called. were held In th'
rooms where the mother aud wife lay on th'
red, ana their bodies we're laid 10 rest Just out
side the door In the b ca ward, where sAe Coult
Hitness the iniermcnt.
The woman takes her misfortune goOd-natur
elly. and says that she will continue the SAT-
at whiskcv until her time tn de has CONF, an,
then size, too. expects tn Ice laid 20 rest beside
the bodies NJ her husband auG sons IN the litll'
plot in the hack yard. known as the famil.
bury ing ground Of the Mullcns family,