The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1878-05-30
A Surviving Heroine Of 1912.

There is an interesting story con-
nected with Cedar Point, Scituate Har-
Dor, Mass. The heroine is Miss Re-
becca Bates, now bright, genial old
lady Of eighty-four, whose memory con-
tiuues remarkably clear. The story,
taken from her own lips, can be depend
ed upon as thoroughly reliable. Her
father was Captain Simeon Bates; he
was lightkeeper at the time, and was
the first who lit the light, in April, 1911.
In the spring of the following year Eng
lish cruisers were numerous in Massa-
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 threatening to de-
stroy the town If any resistance was
offered. After this event home guard
was formed, and detachments stationed
on Cedar and Grow points, and in front
of the village, with brass piece. When
there was no sail in sight, the guards
we're 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
wears 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 away. Mrs.
Bates told Rebeccs it was time to put
on the kettle. AS Rebecca went into
the kitchen she for the first time per-
ceived an English ship of war close at
hand and lowe ing her boats. 81 knew
the ship at glance" she said. "It was
the La Hogue. 20 Lord I says to my
sisten. the old La Hogue is off here
again! What shall we do2 Here are
their barges coming again, and they'll
burn up our vessels Just as they did
afore.' You see there are two vessels at
the wharf, loaded with -four, and we
couldn't afford to lose that in those times,
when the embargo made it 80 hard to
live we had to bile pumpkins all day to
get sweetening for sugar. There were
the muskets of the guards. I was
good mind to take those out beyond the
light. 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. 'Tll tell you what we'll do,
said L to my sister; look here, says
l, you take the drum, I'll take the fife.
l 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 lighthouse. They had drum
there, too; so l said to her, You take
the drum, and I'll take the fife.' what
goodll that do?" says she. 'Scare
them, says 1. AN 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 looked, and could see the men
in the bsrges resting on their oars and
listening. When 1 looked again saw
flag flying from the masthead of the ship.
My sister began to make speech, and 1
said, Don't make noise. You make
me laugh and I can't pucker my mouth
When I. looked again I saw they had
seen the flag, and they turned about 80
quick man fell overheard, and they
picked him up by the back of his neck
and hauled him in. When they were of, ,
I played Yankee Doodle" Is not this
heroine, who saved two ships laden
with -four, and perhaps other valuables,
from destruction, entitled to pension !?
She has five brothers and sisters still
living, the eldest eighty-fve, and young
est seventy-one. Her grandfather was
one hundred years and one month old
at the time of his death.-S q. W.
Benjamin., in Harpers Magazine.