The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-12

in a day heard that name and made inquiry concerning it.
 '.who is Molly Grady" said my host in surprise. Do you not know her? She is our jailer, and there is no better in the country.' Forthwith I began to plan a meeting with this Talladega Amazon.
 My escort pulled at a rusty knob beside the gate and presently we heard bell tinlsllng within the jail vestibule. finn swift step approached down the stairs and crunched the gravel on the walk. A woman's voice challenged us through the closed gate. T have a visitor with me, Miss Molly" and, recognizing the voice of the man with me. the jailer threw open the gate and admitted us. Four bloodhounds were sprawled out in the half shade of withered peach tree. One big fellow sprang up and sniffed at us, but at the bidding of his mistress he slunk away.
 I think I am correct when I Say that Miss Molly Grady is the only woman taller in America. The census shows over i've millions of women engaged In gaih- ful occupations in this country. Ihere are over a million engaged in agricult- tural pursuits, a half million in proies- sional pursuits, two millions in domesue service and @ million in manufacturing and mechanical pursuits. The female farmers include laborers, farmers, oVer- seers. gardeners florists. fruit growers milk farmers, stock raisers, herders, tur' pentlne farmes, wood choppers, lumber men and raftsmen. Of the women in professional life there are actresses, ar chtects, teachers, clergymen. dentists newspaper writers, lawyers, government officials, doctors, veterinary surgeons etc There are also barbers, bartenders trappers, guides and scouts. In trades and transportation there is host Of wo- men merchants, clerks, commercial tray elers, livery stable keepers and coal min CTS, blacksmiths boot and shoe makers and repairers book binders, cotton mill hands, knitting machine operatives ano miscellaneous trades galore, but as a taller I cannot recall another one
 Of course I wanted to know all about the woman, but she is modest and Keen I therefore gathered most of the facts of her life from other sources.
 She Is feet inches tall, about 50 years old and deepdly in earnest. Her parents were both Irish She was born and reared in Etowah county, which also was the home of Emma Sansom, that fearless girl who piloted General Forrest across a safe ford of Black creek and thereby made possible the capture of General Straight, the raider, and his forces.
 When Miss Molly was IS years of age she decided to enter a convent and re- paired to Selma, Ala, where she was ad- mitted to the Catholic convent at that place. Her mother was soon afterwards burned to death and her father, falling i'll, she wisely decided that her first duty was in the shadow of her paternal roof tree. She accordingly, with profound re- gret. renounced her religious vocation and returned to the world.
 She was showing us through the jail when I asked her if she was not afraid to be in so trying a position; if she did not suffer from nerves after an exeeu- tion; in short, if she was not "skeered or hants." "Afraid." She looked at me scornfully; then laughed apologetically. "Afraid why l don't know the feeling Of fear. wish I could get good scared just to see how it feels l never was frightened in my life" She had bold' gray-brown eye that looks you clear through an unfiinching, unbinking gaze, and I could easily believe her statement. '.The nearest I ever came to being frlght- ened," she said was about eighteen years ago when I was visiting in Chat nooga, Tenn. A house caught fire and everybody was safely out except D. months-old baby, which, in the panic had been overlooked until too late for any one to safely re-enter the house. l volunteered to go in after 1t, although everybody said it was certain death to try it. went in and brought the baby out safely. The house collapsed In my very tracks" Instead of discoursing on the nerve she displayed she modestly dwelt on the instinct of the baby in recognizing her as a savior and how it clung to her. refusing to satisfy the bangs of hunger. I was anxious to ana lyze the cause of the partial emotion Of fear which she confessed at the outset of her narrative and therefore asked her II she was apprehensive over losing her own life or allowing the baby to perish. "oh it was the baby! Think of the little darl- ing burning to death." She has no chii> dron of her own.
 We continued our sightseeing through the little jail, and the cleanliness ol every nook and corner was most gratlty- ing.
 Later I heard of & real drubbing she gave a burly negro who was reputeo to be the most dangerous fist fighter Tn the oorrtv His face was scanned with razor sears. He refused to obey one ot ner orders and gave her some sass She quietly walked into the cell coiiareo nm and administered a thorough chastisemen' to him. He cringed with awe whenever she turned her eyes in his direction and vas never heard to again boast Of his pugilistic prowcss.
 ..There are sixteen prisoners in here now" She threw open the door and pushed me into the aisle of the cage Glaring through the grating, close to me, were a pair of piercing black eyes, They belonred to a big, bearded mulatto and startled me unpleasantly. She spoke to the prisoners kindly, but with a tonal fin ality peculiar to hill folks.
 How do you manage them when they get unruly?" l asked.