News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1886-05-06

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
a mother. Her husband was PROSTATE
on the floor bleeding from wounds in
tlcted by the knives and swords of the
Tories. The wife fell, in convulsions,
to the floor. One of the young children,
named Caleb, had followed her into the
room, and Tory kicked him until lie
was unconscious, and threw him on his
mothers insensible body. The Torres
then tied rope around Reynolds neck
and hanged him up to a beam. Phebe
Reynolds was less than 12 years old, but
she fought this attempt of the gang to
murder her father with such fury that it
was necessary for two of the men to hold
her before it could be executed. Sup
posing that they had accomplished the
Heat,ll to aptlnnder tie house. 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 consciousness, when
one of the gang re-entered the apart
ment and discovered what she had done.
| He summoned the others. Phebe took
her position in front of the bed, bran
dished 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 I do not want to
ive"
Kelley made lunge at her with his
sword She knocked it from her 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 Phebe with his sword
in the breast, and, seeing that she would
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 fend 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 seventy years after
ward, Phebe never attempted to repress
her anger and indignation at the memo
ry of it. During all the severe punish
ment she received at the hands of the
| Tories, she never uttered a 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 in 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
regaincd consciousness by this time, and
was crouching in a corner, holding little
Caleb, who had also revived, in her
arms. The assassins again hanged Rey-
nolds 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, proceed
ed to the completion of their scheme of
plundering. They had miscalculated
the courage and vitality of the girl, how
ever, and the last Tory was barely out of
the room lefore Phebe had once more
cut her father down. She was attempt
! ing 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 mingling 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 in a chest, shutting the lid down
what booty they had obtained, first roll
ing large stone against the door. which
opened outward, to prevent it being
opened. As soon as the murderous gang
was out of the house Phebe, herself Gov
cred with blood from her wounds, hast
ened to remove her fathers body from
the chest, hopeful that he was still alive.
Her mother was wandering from room
to room, moaning and weeping. The
bound boy stood as lmmovable as 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 lit
tie aid in removing her husband from
the trunk. He was stiff and pallid, and
apparently dead. Phebe got him upon
the bed, and was over joyed to hear hin
groan She pri2d his jaws open with 6
pewter spoon-a 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 wai
putting forth every effort to staunch hi
wounds and aid his restoration, hel
mother, who had been aimlessly wander
inc about the house, tottered into the
room, and, dropping to the floor, covered
her eyes with her hands and hysterically
exclaimed:
''Oh, Phebe Phebel The house Is or
fire! 1t is on fire in three places. and
can't put it out if it burns down ovel
our heads"
The bound boy still stood motionles
by the wall, as if he were nailed to the
spot, and could not be induced to move
Phebe was compelled to leave her father
as the volumes of smoke that began tc
come from an adjoining room warned
her of another impending danger. Thu
J Tories had set fire to some fax and t
two straw beds. Phebe extinguisheC
the fire. and then tried to make thu
bound boy run and alarm the neighbors
but he would not stir. By persist ent eff
fort the brave girl, herself covered will
, wounds, and her clothing saturated will
| blood, brought her father back to con
sciousness, and then, Consigning HIM t.
the care of her mother, who had crow
, more composed, she started out to Civ
! the alarm. In her relation of the terribl
experiences of that night to her child
/ dren and grandfather, more than half
century afterward, she dwelt with paI
s tlcular pride on the fact that she note
the Growing of the cocks rs she starte
1 after help, and said to herself, 'It mus
be nearly morning" This, she thought
t indicated how cool and collected sh
| was after the frightful scene she ha
S lust witnessed. She alarmed the neigh
G bors, and doctor was summoned frOr
. Goshen. A party started in pursuit G
8 the Tories. 1t was found that ReynOld
t had thirty serious wounds inflicted b
a swords and knives, but not one of theT
had reached vital spot. One of h
ears was nearly severed from his heac
l and it was bound back as nearly as po!
l sible to its place; but the manner l
e which it healed disfgured him for life
4 One of his arms was so badly cut tina
t he never recovered its use. Phebe ha
: two serious wounds, one In the breas
s and one in the head. The others wer