Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-05-15

A SURVIVING HEROINE OF 1812.-There
is an interesting story connected with Ce-
dar Point, Scituate Harbor. Mass. The
heroine is Miss Rebecca 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 relia-
BILE. Her 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 Massa-
chusetts Bay, and on one occasion the
launches of an English frigate were sent
into Scituate Harbor They set fire to
vessels at the wharves, and towed out Two,
at the same time threatening to destroy
the town if any resistance was offered.
After this event home guard was formed
and attachments were stationed on Cedar
Crow points, and in front of the village,
with brass piece. When there was no
sail in sight, the guards were allowed to
90 off to their farms.
Nothing to occasion alarm occurred
again until the following September. Re-
becca, at that time eighteen years of age,
and her sister Abigail, fourteen years old
and still living, were sitting toward even
ing sewing with their mother. Captain
Bates and the rest of his large family and
the guards were all away. Mrs. Bates
told Rebecca 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. I" knew the ship at u lance"
she said. 1t was the La Hogue. 20
Lordr says to my sister, the old la
Hogue is off here again! What shall we
do? here are their barges coming again
and they'll burn up our vessels just as they
did afore.' 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 it so hard to live
we had to bile pumpkins all day to get
sweetening for sugar. There were the
muskets of the guards. | was good
mind to take those out beyond the light
house and fire them at the barges; might
have killed one or two, but it would have
done no good, for they would have turned
round and fired the village. I'll 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 drum there
too; so said to her, You take the drum,
and III take the fife.' What goed'll that
dop' says she. Scare them,' says l. All
you've got to do is to call the roll. III
scream The fife. and we must keep out Of
sight; if they see us they'll laugh us to
scorn.' l showed her how 10 handle the
sticks, and we ran down behind the cedar
wood. So we put in. as the boys say
and pretty soon looked. and / could see
the men in the harges resting on their oars
and listening. When looked again saw
flag flying from the masthead of tho
ship. My sister began to make speech
and said, Don't make noise; you make
me laugh. and can't pucker my mouth.
Wnen~I / looked again saw they had seer
the flag, and they turned about so quick {
man fell overheard, and they picked hin
up by the back of his neck and hauled hin
in. When they went off. l played Yanke,
Doodle" Is not this heroine, who savet
two ships ladened with -four, and perhap
other valuables, from destruction. entitle,
to pensionp She has FIVE brothers an,
sisters still living, the eldest eighty-five
and the youngest seventy-one. Her grand
father was one hundred years and on
month old at the time of bis death.--S
lG. W. BENJAMIN, in Haypcr's Magasin
for June.