The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1878-05-22
A Surviving HerOiue of 1872.

There is an interesting story connect
cd with Cedar Point, Scituate HarbOr,
Mass. The heroine Is Miss Rebeccs
Bates, now bright, genial old lady Of
eighty-four, whose memory continues
remsI ksbly clear. The story, taken from
her own lips, can be depended on as
thoroughly reliable. Her father was
Captain Simeon Bates he was lighthouse
keeper at the time, and was the first who
lit the light in April, 1911. II the
spring OF the following wear English
cruisers were numerous IN Massachusetts,
Bsy, and on one occasion the launches OF
an English frigate were sent into Scltu-
ate Harbor. They set fire to vessels ut
the wharves, and towed out two, at the
same time threatening 10 destroy the
town il any resistance was made. Alter
this event home guard WAS formed.
and detachments we're stationed on Cedar
and Crow points, and in front OF the VII.
lsge, with brass piece. When there
wss no sail IN sight, the guards were ~
owed to 90 of to their farms.
Nothing to occasion alarm occurred
again until the following September.
Rebecca, a, that time eighteen years OF
age, ard her sister Abigail, fourteen years
Old snd still living, were sitting toward
evening sewing with their mother. Cap
ain Bates and TIE rest of his large FAM
" aud the guards were al away. Mrs.
bates told keoecca it WAS time TO put on
he kettle a. Rebecca went INTO the
kitchen she for the FIRST time perceived
an English ship Of war close at hand ana
lowering her boats. Il knew the cIp
at glance" she said. II was the La
Hogus. 81, Lord, says l to my sister,
the old La HogUe Is oil here again !
What shsll we dol Here sre their bsrges
coming sgsin, ard they'll burn up our
vessels Just as they did afore.' You see
there we're two vessels at the wharf,
loaded with -four, and we couldn't afford
Ia lose that IN those times, when the en-
barge made it so hard TO live we had to
bilo pumpkin all day TO get sweetenlng
forsugar. There were the muSkets OF the
guards. | was good mind to take
those out beyond lighthouse and fire
them at the barges; l might have killed
one or two, but it would have done no
good, for they would have turned round
and fred the village. III tell you what
we'll do said l 20 my sister; look here.
saws l, YOU take the drum. Ill take the
fife. | was ford Of military music, and
could play four tunes on the tte. y AL
kee Doodle was my masterpiece. l
learned on the fife which the soldiers had
at tie lighthouse. They had drum
rbsre too: so | said to her, You take the
drum. and I'll take the fife What
good'll that dor says sho Scare them,
saws l; all you've got to do is to call the
roll, in scream the fife. and we must
keep out of sight; il they see us they Il
laugh US to scorn.' l showed her how to
handle the sticks, and we ran down be-
mind the cedar WoOd. So we put IN, as
the BOYS say, and pretty soon looked,
and | could see the men in the barges
resting on their oars and listening. When
| looked again l saw flag flying from
the masthead of the ship. My sister be-
gan to make q speech, and l said, Don't
make a noise; you make me laugh, ana 1
can't quicker my mouth When look
ed AGAIN l saw they had seen the flag,
and they turned about go quick man
fell overheard and they picked him up
by the back of the neck and hauled MN
in. When they went of l played Yam
kee Doodle" Is not this heroine, who
saved two ships laden with flour, and
nerbsps other valuables, from destruc-
ton. entitled to pension? She has hVe
brothers and sisters still living, the cid
est eighty five and the youngest seventy,
one. Her grandfather wss one hundred
wears and one month old at tie time OF
his DEATHS. &. w. Benjamin, IN Har-
nsr's Mnaazine for Jl0le.