The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-04-14
The Quaker's Daughter.
A TRUE STORY OF THE REVOLUTION.


Orange county, N. y, than that lying in
the picturesque vale known as Smiths
Glove. 1t is properly the head of tht
Ramapo valley. When the locality was
still a wilderness, and the western es,
carpmcnt of the Hudson Highlands was
an unknown and undiscovered region, q
family made their way from Brookhaven,
Long Island, through the >trackless area
that lay between the Hudson and the
Ramapo, and became the first settlers in
that part of Orange county. Their name
was Smith, and they gave the name to the
Glove, which it still bears. The date of
this family's coming into the county is
unknown, but when the Revolutionary
war began the head of the family was all
old man, with a number of grown-up
sons. The elder Smith was a man of
unslvory reputation, and his oldest son,
C'audius, inherited his fathers ignoble
tr its. The Smiths were rank Tories
(laudius Smith became the leader of a
gang of desperate and bloodthirsty out
laws, and his name was terror to the
latriotic families who were scattered
about the then frontier in Orange and
Sussex counties. Claudius Smiths cow
boys and their deeds of blood were shud-
derln"ly recounted by the survivors of
tkose trJublous times and their descend
ants for many years after the war was
over. and still afford subjects for many a
dramatic tale. Claudius Smith became
known as the scourgc of the Highlands
He was finally captured by band of
patriotic scouts. aud was hanged in
Goshen in the public square on the 22d of
January, 177e. He was buried at the
foot of the scaToll. and his remains have
never been disturbed.
In the anc;eats and lonely burying
ground at Neversiuk Flats, one of the
ISOLATED mountain villages of Sullivan
county, are two graves, long ago over
grown an1 now almo t forgotten. One
contains the remains of Henry Reynolds,
who died in 1880, aged 90 years. The
other is the grave of his daughter, Phebe
Drake, who died in 1858, aged s.. 1t is
singular fact that the story of Henry
Reynolds and his heroic dau ghter, tie
most intensely thrilling and dramatic, as
it is, of all the recitals that have come
down from tie times made perilous by
Ciaudius Smith and his murderous band
Of maraudcrs, finds no place of record in
the annals of Orange county, except a
brief legendary chronicle, in which a
'sMr. Runnells' is mention as having
been made victim of COWBOYS The
one great story of the lives of Henry
Reynolds and his daughter is related as
follows by an old resident of Neversink
Flats, who is spending his declining days
with daughter in Goshen. He heard
it many time from the lips Of the par
It's themselves sixty years and more ago,
Henry Reynolds was Quaker. Hc
was a native of Westchester county. In
1859 he married descendant of Henry
Fowler, an original owner of the town
ship of East Chester. Reynolds was then
in the mercantile business in Peekskill.
In 1777 he was one of the sufferers by
the burningof that place by the British,
all his property being consumed. He es-
capped with his wife and five children,
and settled in Smiths Glove, Orange
county, not farfrom the present village of
Monroe. Although a Quaker, he was
an ardent defender of the cause of the
colonies, and even so far trespassed on
the requirements of his religion as to join
the 'minute men," As one of these brave
citizen soldiers he participated in the
Etorming of Stony Point, under General
Wayne, IN 1779. His outspoken senti-
meats and active demonstrations in be-
half of the American cause gained for
him the bitter enmity of his Tory neigh
boTs, and several attempts were made on
his life during the war by Claudius
Smith and'his gang.
After the execution of Smith at Goshen
his followers swore to avenge his death
by taking the lives of large number of
leading Wings, one of whom was Henry
Reynolds. 1t was not until 1882. how
ever, that what was intended to be the
decisive blow against him was struck.
Late one night in July of that year Rey-
uolds was awakened by loud rapping at
his door. He arose from bed and as sSed
who was there.
"a detachment of American troops
looking for deserters," was the reply.
~ Washington's army was encamped in
the Highlands, few miles from Rev.
nolds' house, and it was we'll known that
q number of deserters were concealed in
the vicinity. Reynolds hastily dressed
himself, and opened the door to the sup
posed American soldiers. They entered,
and while Reynolds was stopping down
by the fireplace 10 Ii bit candle, one of
the Tories .stru k him with his sword,
and exclaimed:
Hurry up, you - old REBEL"
Reynolds knew at once that he had been
dipped by the Tories. He turned quickly
around with lighted candle in his h md,
aud recognized Benjam Kelly, who
lived within half a mile of him, and Ed
ward Robin, another neighbor, both
members of the Claudius Smith gang.
They were accompanied by several others.
Reynolds dashed past them and got out
of doors, but stumb cd and fell. He
was seized by the Torres and dragged
back into the house. He called loudly
to a bound boy who lived in his family
to run for as istance. As the boy was
hurryiug out of the house Edward Robin
seized him and stood him against the
wall, and told him that if he turned his
head one way or the other he would cut
it from his body. By this time Mrs.
Reynolds and the oldest child, Phebe,
entered the room. Mrs. Reynolds was
soon to become again mother. Her
husband was PROSTATE on the floor, bleed
ing from wounds inflicted by the knives
and swords of the Tories. The wife fell, in
convuisions, to the floor. One of the
children. named Caleb had followed her