Just as Gideon was about to follow through, Benjamin Locke intervened with the aid of Captain Crais of the local militia.
Their ensuing confrontation escalated until Gideon resolved to ruthlessly burn the Locke family alive and their home, once his followers helped themselves to any valuables within. One night in 1775, he and his men stormed the Keyhouse, having heard rumors about Peter Locke creating weapons for the American soldiers as well as stockpiling armaments for terrorists. In the years leading up to the Revolutionary War, Frederick Gideon rose to become a widely feared commander amongst British soldiers in Matheson, Massachusetts, terrorizing the North Shore, and eliminating those he suspected of being rebels.
