The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1878-06-14
A Surviving Heroine Of 1872.

There is an interesting story connected
with Cedar Point, Scituate HarbOr
Mass. The heroine is Miss Rebeees
Bates, now a bright, genial old lady Of
eighty-fOur, whose memory continues
remarkably clear The story, taken
from her own lips, can be depended
upon as thoroughly reliable. Hei
father was Captain Simeon Bates. He
was light keeper at the time, and was
the first who lit the light in April, 1911.
In the spring of the following year
English cruisers were numerous in
Massachusetts Bay, and on one occasion
the launches Of an English frigate were
sent in to Scituate Harbor. They set
fire to vessels at the wharves, and
tOwed out two, at the same time threat
ening 10 destroy the town If any resist
ance was offered. After this event a
home guard was formed, and detaeh-
ments were stationed on Cedar and
Crow points and iu front OF the village,
with brass piece. When there was no
sail in sight, the guards were allowed to
go off to their farms.
Nothing TO occasion alarm occurred
again until the following September
Rebecca, at that time eighteen years Of
age. and her sister Abigail, fourteen
years old, and still living, were sitting
toward evening sewing with their
mother. Captain Bates and the rest Of
his large family and the guards were all
away. Mrs. Bates told Rebecea it was
time to put on the kettle. As Rebecca
went into the kitchen, she for the first
time perceived an English ship of war
close at hand and lowering her boats
81 knew the ship at a glance" she said.
H. .
says | to my sister, the old La Hogue'
is of here again What shall we do ?
Here are the barges coming again, aud
they'll burn up our vessels just as they
did before You see, there were two
vessels at the wharf, loaded with flour,
and we couldn't afford to lose that in
those times, when the embargo made il
so hard TO live We had TO bile pumpkins
all day to get sweetening for sugar.
There were the muskets of the guards.
was a good mind TO take those out be-
yOnd the lighthouse and fire them at
the barges. i might have killed one or
two, but it would have done no good,
for they would have turned and fired the
village. I tell you what we'll do said
to my sister, Look here says I, you
take the drum, III take the fife | was
fond OF military music, and could play
four tunes on the fife. Yankee Doodle
was my masterpiece. ] learned on the
fife which the soldiers had at the light
house. They had a drum there, too; so
! said to her you take the drum, and
Pr take the fife.' What goOd'll that
do p says she. Scare Them SAYS /.
'All you've got to do is to call the roll,
I'll scream the fife, and we must keep
out of sight. If they see US, they'll
laugh Us to scOrn.' ] showed her how
TO handle the sticks, and We ran down
behind the cedar wood. So we put in,
as the boys say, and pretty soon l
looked, and / could see the men in the
barges resting on their oars and listen
ing. When | looked again | saw a flag
flying from the masthead of the ship
My sister began to make a noise, and /
said : Don't make a noise. You make
me laugh, and / can't pucker my
mouth. When / looked again | saw
they had seen the flag, and they turned
about so quick man fell overheard,
and they picked him up by the back OF
his neck and hauled him in. When
they went oil, l played Yankee
Doodle Is not this heroine, who
saved two ships laden with flour, and
perhaps other valuables, from destruc-
tion, entitled to a pension? She has
five brothers aud sisters still living, the
eldest eighty-five, and the youngest
seventy-One. Her grandfather was one
hundred years and one month old at the
time Of his death.-.S C. IT, BENJAMIN,
IN HdrPeT's Magazine for June.