The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1878-05-30
''tiA Surviving Heroine Of 1S12,.

There is an interesting story connected
with Cedar Point, Scituate Harbor, Mass.
The heroine is Miss Rebecca Bates, now
1 bright, genial old lady of eighty. four,
whose memory continues remarkable
clear: The story, taken from her own
lips, can be depended upon as thorough:
". reliable. Her father was Captain
Simeon Bates; he was light keeper at
the time, and was tho first who lit the
light, in April 1911. In the spring of
the following year English cruisers we're
numerous in Massachusetts Bay, and on
one occasion the launches of an English
trigste were sent in to 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 detach
ments were stationed on Cedar and Crow
points; and in frcnt of the village, with
a 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.
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 moth
en- 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 .ReDecca
went into the kitchen she for the first
time perceived all English ship OF war
close at hand and lowering her boats. "I
knew the ship at glance" she said. sit
was the La Hogue. 20, Lordp SAYS I 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 Gay to
get sweetening for sugar. There were
the muslets OF the guards. I was good
mind to take those out beyond the ght~
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 fred the village.
III tell you what We'll do said to my
sister; 'look here says I, you take the
drum. I'll take the fife was fond of
military music, and could plav four
tunes on the fife. Yankee Doodle was
my master piece. learned on the fife
which the soldiers had at the lighthouse,
They had drum there, too; so said to
her, You take the drum, and III take
the fife.' What good will that do2' says
She Scare them,' says I. sAll you've
got to do is to call the roll, I'll scream
the fife, and we must keep out of sight;
II they see us, they'll laugh us to scorn.'
I 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 looked, and could see the men
in the barges resting on their oars and
listening. When looked again I saw
flag flying from the masthead of the
ship: My sister began to make speech,
and I said, don't make a noise; you
make me laugh, and l can't pucker nv
mouth When looked again I saw
they had seen the flag, and they turned
about SO quick man fell over board,
and they picked him up by the back Of
his neck and hauled him in. When they
went off, l played Yankee Doodle"
Is not this heroine. who saved two ships
laden with flour, and perhaps other valu-
ables, from destruction, entitled. to a
pension! She has five brothers and SIS
tiers still living, the eldest eighty-fvc,
and tue youngest seventy-one. Her
grandfather was one hundred years and
one monht old at the time of his death.
S. G. ": Benju'nin, IN Horpers Mug
a2ine for June.