Perth Amboy evening news., 1904-04-02
LAST OF HISTORIC HOUSE.
Building Where Phebe Reynolds
Fought the Tories, Succumbs to
Last Winters Shows.

Crushed beneath the weight of snow
that fell upon its ancient roof last win
ter, the Reynolds house on the outskirts
of the village of Monroe, N. Y, is at last
no more. 1t was built 127 years ago, in
1777, by Henry Reynolds, a Westchester
county Quaker, who, with his wife and
five children, fed to Orange county dur
ing the revolution. Although a Quaker,
he took up arms against the British and
was one of the band of 200 under Mao
Anthony Wayne who stormed and cap
tured Stony Point.
His activity in plans to rid the noun
tains ~thereabouts of the notorious Clad
Jus Smith gang of tories gained him their
bitter enmity, and one night in July,
1882, on the pretense of being American
soldiers looking for deserters, three of
the most desperate of that gang gained
admittance to the Reynolds house.
In the presence of his wife and his 12-
.year-old daughter Phebe, they bound
and hanged Reynolds to the big iron
crane of the fireplace, and proceeded to
.ransack the house. While they were in
another room Phebe cut her father down,
her mother having swooned.
The tories came hurrying back and
hanged Reynolds again, although the
girl fought so desperately to saw him
that she was stabbed several times.
Then they returned 10 their plundering,
and Phebe once more succeeded in cut
ting her father down, and was dragging
him out of the house when the tories
again interfered.
The girl placed her body over that of
her father as he lay IN the floor in her
efforts to shield him from the robbers.
They stabbed father and daughter re-
peatedly. They at last tore Phebe from
her fathers body and threw it into a
large chest, closing the lid, and leaving
both father and child for dead.
AS they departed from the house they
rolled a large stone against the door.
Mrs. Reynolds had recovered conscious
ness, and Phebe. wounded as she was,
made her way to the chest, and with the
aid of her mother dragged her father
out and placed him on the bed. Finding
hat he was still alive, the girl was
started out to summon neighbors for
aid. when her mother discovered that the
cries had set fire to the house.
She and Phebe succeeded in extin-
gushing the flames before they had
gained much Roadway, and Phebe made
I'll tho cpooJ chN anr1I In thn ncoroct
neighbours, a mile away. That neighbor
mounted q fleet horse and, on his way to
1oshen for a doctor, reused others, who
lrmed themselves and started in pur-
suit of the tories.
When Phebe got back home her father
had so far recovered as to be able to talk,
rhe doctor arrived betimes, and found
hat Reynolds had received no fewer
than 30 serious wounds from swords and
knives, but not one of them had touched
a vital spot. One Of his ears was nearly
from his head, and one arm was
ilashed so that 1t was eve after useless.
Phebe was covered with wounds, nine
being in the breast and head. AT day
light Mrs. Reynolds gave birth to a child.
The baby lived, grew TO ~womanhood, and
became the mother of. one of the most
families in southern New
York, as the wife of DR.. Blake Wales, a
physician.
Soon after Reynolds and Phebe re-
from their injuries he disposed
If his property and removed to Sullivan
where he became a leading citi-
zen. He vas elected to the assembly in
1905.
Phebe Reynolds married jeremiah
Drake. and became the maternal head of
the numerous and conspicuous Drake
of that part Of the state.
The Reynolds farmhouse has had
many owners since. The house had been
lntenanted FOR three or four years, and
had fallen into dilapidation. 1t was one
If the landmarks of that historic re-
gion.
Mrs. Elizabeth Gignoux, Of New York,
s the present wne of the Reynolds
property.