Charles City intelligencer., 1865-01-05

Il >
bonfire in the steerage of one of
them, which blazed up through the
hatchway, while Jones and his men
stood by, pistol in hand, to keep off
the people, whom the flames had alarm
ed and who now came running down
to the shore in hundreds. TO the
forts was the cry. But the forts
were harmless When the firc had
made such Roadway that the destruc-
ton of the whole feet seemed certain,
Captain Jones gave the order to en-
bark. He was the last to take his
place in the boat. He moved off leis-
urely from the shore and regained his
ship without the loss of man. The
people, however, succeeded in confin-
ing the fire to two or three ships. But
the whole coast was panic-stricken.
Every able bodied man joined the
companies of patrol-men. 1t was ma
ny month before the inhabitants of
that shore went to sleep at night with
out a certain dread of Paul Jones.
The next day he landed near the
castle of the Earl of Selkirk, intending
to take the Earl prisoner, and keep
him as hostage for the better treat
mcnt of American prisoners in Eng
land, whom the King affected to re-
gard as felons, and who were confin-
ed in common iails. The Earl was alb
sent from home. The crew demanded
liberty to plunder the castle, in retail
alton for the ravages of British cap
tains on the coast of America. Cap
tain Jones could not deny the justice
of their demand yet abhorring the
principles of plundering private hous-
es, and especially one inhabited by a
lady, he permitted the men to take the
silver plate only, forbidding the slight
est approach to violence or disrespect.
That silver plate he himself bought when
the plunder was sold, and sent it back
to the Countess of Selkirk, with po-
lite letter of explanation and apology.
The naughty Earl refused to receive it;
but Captain Jones after a long cores
pondence, won his heart, and the silver
was replaced in the plate closet of Sell
kirk Castle eleven years after it had
been taken from it. Such was the
persevering and chivalric generosity
Of Captain Jones.
The day after his visit to Lady Sci
kirk was that of his great fight with
the British man Of war, the Drake.
The Drake, he heard, was lying at
anchor in the harbor of Carrickfergus.
As he was running in with the fixed
intention to fight her there, he saw her
standing out to sea in quest of him.
They met ! The fight was short and
furious. I'm an hour and four minutes
(about the time it took the Kearsarge
To dcmolish the Alabama, Captain
Semmes,) the drake stack, having
lost her Captain, lst Lieutenant, and
forty men. The Rangers loss was
nine.
The victory electrified Europe. The
audacity, the valor, the skill, and the
success of Paul Jones were the admi-
ration of the whole world. Old DIR.
Franklin, who had planned the enter
prise, and had sent ont to America for
a Captain to command and execute it,
was enchanted. In Paul Jones' sub
sequent troubles, he always had
stanch friend and protector in Frank
| lin.
A very successful man generally
/ has enemies. Paul Jones experienced
the truth of this remark. Neverthe-
less after much delay and some morti-
| fications, DR.. Franklin succeeded i'll
getting him another ship, the ever ia
nous Bon Homme Richard, thus NAM
/ II N.n,a,v, I,nak, IN hannr Of tho
venerable editor Of Poor Richards Al
manac. She was large, slow, rot
ten old ship, carrying forty guns, and
manned by three hundred and eighty
I. sailors and landsmen Of all nations
French, Irish, Scotch, Portuguese,
Malays, Maltese, and sprinkling Of
Americans. 1t was i'll this ship that
the indomitable Jones fought the Sera-
pis, new British ship of forty-four
guns, one of the stoutest vessels in
the English navy. This was perhaps
one of the most desperate and bloody
contests that ever took place between
single ships. 1t was fought in the
evening of September 23d, l7TS, SO
near the Yorkshire coast, that the bat
tie was witnessed by hundreds of
spectators on the shore. Captain
Jones perceiving the superior strength
of the enemy, saw that his only chance
was to come to close quarters, and
early in the fight came along side the
!. Serapis. BY this time however, the
Bon Homme Richard had received
eighteen shots below the water line,
had four feet of water in her hold, had
four guns burst and all the rest disa-
bled but three, had lost hundred
, men in killed and wounded, and was on
. fire. Almost any other man would
have given up for the Scraps was still
uGinjured. Captain Jones, however,
fought on with an energy and resolu-
ton undiminishcd with bis three
guns, all aimed by himself, while a
force of sharpshooters alott swept the
decks of the Scraps with musketry.
Such was the vigor of this fire OF mus
, kerry that at length, no man was seen
on the enemy's deck. Then the men
of the Bon Homme Richard formed a
line along the main yard, and passed
hand grenades to the man at the end,
who dropped them down into the hold
of the Scraps, doing tremendous exeeu-
| ton. For three hours the battle rag
+ ed. The Bon Homme Richard was
still leaking faster than the pumps
could clear her. The Scraps was ON
/ fire in three places. The pump Of the
Bon Homme Richard was shot away,
: and then a new danger threatened her
, She had gone into action with nearly
, five hundred prisoners i'll her storage,
/ and when the pump was shot away,
: the officer in charge Of the prisoners,
; supposing the ship sinking released
, them and at the same moment board
; ing party from the Scraps sprang upon
: the sides of the Bon Homme Richard
= This was the crisis of the battle. Cap