Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1908-09-26

Down behind a natural fortress of
huge powders in eastern Kentucky a
woman who has not yet seen her thir-
tieth birthday is calmly, intrepidly
and successfully defying the mighty
government of the United States.
A few days ago, single-handed, she
beat back a posse of the best revenue
officers Uncle Sam could muster Her
aim is true and her belief in her SOW
ereign right to make her own brand
of whisky from her own corn is SUI
preme and immovable
Mary Fouts, aged 81 is America
only moonshine maid and she is a
moonshiner by birth inclination and
training Her father was a moon
sinner before her, and the several ram
ifications of her family hold records
for battle with revenue officers that
any mountaineer might envy
For 40 years the Beaver Creek dis
trict. on the Knott -Floyd-Letcher Dor
der, has been a moonshine stronghold
the scene of many a pitched battle
between moonshiners and government
officials Blood of both sides has
stained its narrow ravines and pic
turesGue mountain paths. If a record
of lives sold for the mountain brew
had been kept doubtless the greater
number of notches would have been
cut by Uncle Sam. But when it came
TO this woman, this tall, stalwart,
calm-eyed, sure aiming young woman
on her native heath, Uncle Sam was
baffled. Chivalry died hard even when
backed by law and justice, and to send
his picked shots against a woman was
more than even Uncle Sam wanted to
do Tn,
yet the woman won against the law
and its armed officers.
Mary Fouts was born in the rude
home where she now distil1s what is
said to be the best brand of whisky
obtainable in all Kentucky. Her baby
eyes studied the still, and her baby
ears learned to catch quick. ominous
whispers. Just as the child of the
proverbial artist accepts poverty as
the price of parental genius. as the
child of the king believes that royal
ty can do no wrong, so this child of
the mountains believed that making
whisky without government consent
was the inalienable right of hill peo-
pie.
Her parents were ambitious for the
little Mary. however. and sent her to
ally bright, and acquired an amount of
book learning" which dazzled her
humble relatives But she never for
got her love of the mountain life and
never lost her grip on mountain ira
ditions
When other girls were writing notes
to each other or making paper dolls
Mary Fouts was drawing pictures of
stills, and finally she presented to her
astonished teacher a perfect repro
duction of a still, including the worm
which she had evolved from some odd
bits of copper that came her way.
During her twelfth year. when home
on her vacation. she made run of
very fair moonshine whisky in an old
coffee boiler in her mothers kitchen
At 16, her education finished, Mary
Fouts declared against muslin frocks
and croSs-road dances. She wanted
the free if hazardous :ife of the moon
sinner
woman moonshiner, Even bold
Kentucky gasped.
Women there were who had protect
ed their men," and fought for their
-men" and even died with their men"
but woman who wanted to be
leader of men in moonshining. well,
that was going some!
few years later, Mary Forts came
into her own Her father died, and