Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-12-18

WIG 10l1 III COuVuAolOuo W eA0 AVOA'
One of the young children, named Caleb,
had followed her into the room, and q
Tory kicked him until he was uncon-
scious, and threw him on his insensible
body. The Tories then tied q rope
around. Reynolds neck and hanged him
up to beam. Phehe Reynolds was less
than twelve years old, but she fought
this attempt of the gang to murder her
father with such fury that it was neces-
sary for two of the men to hold her be-.
fore it could be executed.
Surprising that they had accomplished
the death Of Reynolds, the Tories pro-
ceeded to plumber the houie. They had
no sooner left the room than Phebe cut
the rope by which her father was
suspended, removed the moose from his
neck and carried him to bed. She had
succeeded in restoring him to con.
sciousness when one of the gang re-.
entered the apartment and discovered
what she had done. He summoned the
the others. Phebe took her position in
front of the bed, brandished her knife,
and declared she would kill the first one
who attempted to touch her father.
Benjamin Kelly, the leader of the gang,
shouted: "Get away, you little rebel
=, or I'll run my sword through you"
The undaunted girl refused to move.
You may kill me-" she replied, " for if
you kill my father do not want to
live" Kelley MAIDS lunge at her with
his sword. She knocked it from his
hand, and in trying to catch it before it
fell to the ground he received wound
from it on the under part of the wrist,
from which. the blood flowed freely.
One of the others stabbed her with his
sword in the breast, and seeing that she
woa.d be overpowered by the Tories,
she threw herself upon her fathers
body on the bed, and clasped her arms
about him, in order to shield him from
the weapons of his assailants. While
one of the gang prodded the girls arm
with his sword, the 6end Kelley tore
her clothing from her, and lashed her
bare body with the rope with which they
had hanged her father. In relating the
brutal details of this assault, even 20
years after ward. Phebe never attempted
to repress her anger and indignation at
the memory of it. During ali the severe
punishment she received at the hands of
the Tories she never uttered moan or
gave any sign of the pain they inflicted.
The blood ran down her arms from the
wounds made by the sword, and the rope
cut great gashes il her flesh, the scars
from which she carried to her grave.
Being unable to force the brave girl
from the protection of her helpless father
by this means, the Tories removed her
by main force, and hurled her, weak
from her superhuman efforts, into far
corner of the room. Her mother had
reqained consciousness by this time, and
was crouching in corner, holding little
Caleb, who had also revived, in her
arms, The assassins again hanged Rey'
holds from the beam, in sight of the
moaning woman and her two children,
and believing that Phebe was past rem
dering any further aid to him, proceeded
to the completion of their scheme of
plundering.
They had miscalculated the courage
and vitality of the girl, however, and
the last Tory was badly out of the room
before Phebe had once more cut her
father down. She was attempting to
remove him to another room, when he
fell heavily to the floor. Phebe at once
threw herself on his body, and the
Tories found them ming]ing their blood
together, the father apparently dead and
the girl shielding his body with hers.
The murderers thrust their knives and
swords several times into the body OF
their PROSTATE victim, and twice Phebe
was stabbed in her efforts to protect her
father. The Tories finally dragged her
from her father, and threw him into q
chest, shutting the lid down upon him.
They then departed with what booty
they had obtained, first rolling large
stone against the door, which opened
outward, to prevent its being opened.
As soon as the murderous gang was out
of the house, Phebe, herself covered
with blood from her wounds, fastened
to re move her fathers body out of the
chest, hoping that he was still alive. Her
mother was wandering from room to
room, moaning and weeping. The bound
boy stood as immovable az stone against
the wall where Edward Robin had
placed him with the terrible threat half
an hour before. He was still afraid to
stir. Phebe's mother rendered little
aid in removing her father from the
trunk. He was stiff and paid, and ap-
parently dead. Phebe got him upon the
bed, and was overjoyed to hear him
groan. She pried his jaws open with a
pewter spoons rude tablespoon, still in
the family, with the teeth marks of
Henry Reynolds upon its handle, and
poured few drops of water in his
mouth. He began to revive, and while
Phebe was putting forth every effort to
staunch his wounds and to aid his resto.
ration, her mother, who had been aim
lessly wandering about the house, totter-
ed into the room, and, dropping to the
floor, covered her eyes with her hands
and Historically exclaimed:
ooh, Phebe Phebel The house is on
fire! The house is on fire! It is on fire
in three places! And I can't put it out,
If it burns down over our heads!"
The bound boy still stood motionless
by the wall, as if he were nailed to the
spot, and could not bs induced to move.
Phebe was compelled to leave her father,
as the volumes of smoke then began to
come from an adjoining room warned
her of another impending danger. The
two straw beds. Phebe extinguished
the fire, and then tried to make the
bound boy run and alarm the neighbors,
but he would not stir. By persistent
effort the brave girl, herself covered with
wounds, and her clothes saturated with
blood, broug h her father back to con.
seriousness, and then, consigning him to
the care of her mother, who had grown
more composed, she started out to give
the alarm. In her relation of her ter
rible experiences of that night to her
children and grandchildren more than
half century afterward, she dwelt with
particular pride on the fact that she
noted the growing of the cocks as she
started after help, and said to herself,
it must he nearly morning." This,
she thought, indicated how cool
and collected she was after the frightful
scene she had just witnessed. She
alarmed the neighbors, and doctor was
summoned from Goshen. A party started
in pursuit of the Tories. It was found
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