Morris tribune., 1882-10-19
A YANKEE MAIDEN'S STRATAGEM.
The Death of Miss Rebecca Bates, who Sent
q British Frigate About its business,

The Death of Miss Rebecca Bates, who Sent
aBritish Frigate About it's Business.
Miss Rebecca Bates died at Scituate,
Mass, Wednesday, at the age of SO years.
In 1919 the borders of Massachusetts, Bay
were looked after by number of British
cruisers. Inhabitants Of the fishing villages
were forced to band themselves in o SORT OF
military fashion, and repel by arms attacks
made upon their chicken coops. The mari
time enemy had their hearts set on poultry,
which was natural, considering their long
and forced subsistence upon tough salt
meats. To thwart them was to excite
their anger and malice, and
not unfrequently, failing to get chickens,
they resorted to harsh measures in retail
alton. In the spring of the year named a
British frigate ran into Scituate harbor, sci
fire to some vessels and seized others, and
threatened, if resistance was offered, to
lombard the town. When the frigate
departed, citizens of Scituate banded them
selves into home guard, and fortified
Crow Point with brass cannon. The
British took the hint and stopped away. and
gradually. as the alarm subsided, the home
guard went about its farming.
September came. One pleasant evening
of that month Miss Bates, then maiden
VI 10, Stb S6WluS. Iler slSlcI aDlStll, Ii
years old, and her mother sat with her.
Capt. Simeon Bates, the father, likewise
the keeper of the lighthouse, was away,
and the home guards were scattered all
about. Mrs. Bates had just said to Rebec-
ca that it was time to put the kettle on.
The maiden rose and went into the kitchen.
CHANGING through tie window as she passed
she saw British frigate close at hand and
about lowering her boats. In her own mar
rative of the occurrence Miss Dates says
that she knew the ship at glance as La
Hogue, and she called out to her sister:
20 Lord! the old La Hogue is off here
again! What shall we do? Here are their
barges a coming, and they'll burn up our
vessels just as they did afore.
Two vessels lay at the wharf laden with
-four, and Miss Bates in her narrative
says: ave 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" Her quick mind decided to repel
the enemy by strategem. The musical in
struments of the Home Guard were stored
in the house. She could play four tunes
on the fife, and her sister Abigail could
beat the drum in an exceedingly wild man.
ner. Yankee Doodle was their MASTER
piece.
The idea thus conceived was quickly put
through Rebecca and Abigail, with the
drum and the fife, ran down behind the
cedar wood, and in a moment the quiet
September evening was startled by the
most remarkable martial outburst that ever
was heard. II looked" said Miss Bates,
"and I could see the men in the barges
resting on their oars and listening. Then
[ saw flag flying from the masthead of the
ship, recalling them. My sister began to
make speech, and said: 'Dou't make me
laugh, for can't pucker my mouth.
When the men in the barges saw the flag
they went about so quick that one fell over
bolrd, and they picked him up by the back
of his neck and hauled him in"
A gu ,rter of an hour later the La Hogue
sailed away, the strains of Yankee Doodle
pursuing her.