The times., 1901-06-02

employment of the danes of northern
Aroostook in certain sections. Dame Quill
lette. however, stands unique among
them all. She defies both the United
states Government and the laws
OF the state of Maine. She pays no Unit
ed states internal tax, or, as ii is termed
IN Maine, "sne has no license" She never
has had one. Furthermore she openly
declares that she never will pay cent
70 the Government. She smiingly SAYS
there is no need of her doing so. She be-
ieVeS that the rich Government should
not bother old women who are trying to
get n living
Every other liquor seller in the county
OF ArOostOok comes down at regular in
terVals with fines that are turned into
the county treasury. Dame Ouillette will
not Jay cent. She has been coaxed. ar
gued with and threatened, but she smiles
at the officers and says. '.Ah, non. don't
pan mid to pay anything"
Ihe old woman is not molested when
she makes this declaration and she set
ties back in her chair. The fact Is, she
weighs nearly fouz hundred pounds and
is as unwieldy as a hippopotamus. For
years she had been unable to walk one
OF her sons has built for her a special
chair on rollers In that chair she pro-
pels herself to and from the cupboard and
the kitchen table. When customers stop
at the house they sit at the table and
she supplies their needs. When the Off
GERS come. as they have sometimes in
the past, she rolls her chair before the
cupboard door and brandishes her cane.
she threatens TO crack the skull of the
nrSt man that ventures in her reach
The badge and authority of a United
states marshal have no terrors for her
Va-t:5-!s plans have been made for the
disposition of Dame Quilette. At one time
new deputy United States marshal came
to the house with full determination to
take into custody this doughty old defer
of tlncle Sam. When he looked at her
weight and then looked at his buggy his
resolution weakened. But he told her that
she was under arrest and must go to
Portland with him. Dame OuilIette srnil-
ed amiably and told him to take her. She
declared that she was ready to go Just as
she was The deputy walked first on one
side of the huge chair and then on the
other. He lifted cautiously. He could not
bulge her She only grinned at him He
ordered her to stand up and walk to the
Dnggy. she explained that she had not
been able to walk for years The neigh
bors verified her statement The marshal
used his authority and Obliged several of
the men standing around to assist him in
carrying the woman to the carriage.
But once out of doors a Z the side of the
conveyance, the impossibility of getting
her in made itself manifest. She was
conveyed back to her kitNSen still smil-
ing, Since that time no United States Of
hcer has made any determined attempt to
at too heartily No officer wants to be
seen carrying that mass of avoirdupois
across Maine to Portland boosting her
from one change of cars to another And
once IN jail she would be even more of an
incambranee
The county officers of Aroostook would
not have her in their jail for 81 a day.
Therefore Dame Ouillette only smiles
when the officers pay her occasional Wis /
its to see IL she viii not cease posing as a
determined outlaw. Some of them threat
en- to break her bottles, but she bran
dishes her thick stick, and no officer |
wishes to engage in an undignified scuffie
with the determined old woman
So Uncle Sam simply shakes his fist at I
Dame Ouillette, and she answers by |
shaking her stick.