The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-02-04

q bonfire in the storage of one OF them
which blazed up through The hateh-way
while Jones and his men stood by, pistol
in hand, to keep of the people, whom the
flames had alarmed, and who came running
down to the shore inhundieds. TO the forts
was the cry. But the forts were harmless.
When the fire had made such headway that
the destruction of the whole feet seemed
certain, Captain Jones gave the order to
embark. He was the last to take his place
in the boat. He moved Of leisurly from
the shore, and regained his ship without
the loss of a man. The people, however,
succeeded in coufning the fire to two or
three ships. But the whole coast was pan
ic stricken. Every able bodied man joined
the companies of patrolmen. 1t was many
amonth before the Inhabitants of that shore
went to sleep at night without 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 treatment of American pris-
oners in England, whom the king affected
to regard as felons, and who were confined
in common jails. The Earl was absent
from home. The crew demanded liberty
to plumber the castle, in retaliation for the
Fa Tages of British captains on the coast of
America. Captain Jones could not deny
the justice Of their demand; yet, abhorring
the principle of plunderirg private houses
and especially one inhabited by lady, he
permitted the men to take the silver plate
only, forbidding the slightest approach to
violence or disrespect The silver plate he
himself bought when the plumber was sold,
and sent it back to the Countess ofSelkirk,
with polite letter of explanation and apol-
ogy. 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 closet ofSelkirk Castle,
eleven years afterit had been taken from it..
Such was the persevering chiyalric gener-
osity Of Captain Jones.
The day after his visit to Lady Selkirk
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 with
the fixed intention to fight her there, he
saw her standing ont to sea in quest of him.
They met. The fight was short and furi-
Gus. In an hour and four minutes, the
Drake" struck, having lost her captain,
first lieutenant, and forty men. The Ran
gers, loss was nine.
The victory electrified Europe. The au-
dacity, the valor, and success of Paul Jones
were the admiration of the world, Old DIR.
Franklin, who had planned the enterprise,
and had sent out to America for captain
to come and execute it, was enchanted
In Paul Jones' subsequent troubles, he
always had staunch friend and protector
in Franklin.
A very successful man generally has ene-
mics. Paul Jones experienced tho truth
of this remark. Nevertheless. after much
delay and some notifications, pr. Franklin
succeeded in getting him another ship, the
named by Capt Jones in honor Of the ven
erable editor of Poor Richards Almanac.
She was large slow, rotten old ship, and
manned by three hundred and eighty sailors
and landsmen of all nations-French, Irish,
Scotch, Portuguese, Malays, Maltese, and
a sprinkling of Americans. 1t was in this
ship that the indomtable Jones fought the
"Serapis," o new British ship of forty-four
guns, one of the stoutest vessels in the
English navy. This was perhaps the most
desperate and bloody contest that ever
took place between single ships. 1t was
fought in the evening of September %,
l778, so near the Yorkshire coast that the
battle was witnessed by hundreds of specta-
tors on the shore. Capt. perceiving the
superior strength of the enemy, saw that his
only chance was to come to close quarters,
early in the fight, got alongside and lashed
his ship to the side of the Scraps by
this time however, the bon Homnle Rich
ard" had received eighteen shots below the
water line, had four feet of waterin her hold,
had four guns burst and oil the rest disa-
bled but three, had lost a hundred men in
killed and wounded and was on fire. Al
most any other man would have given up,
for the "Scrapis" was still uninjured. Capt.
Jones, however, fought on with an energy
and resolution undiminished. q aI =
With his three guns, all aimed by himself,
he kept laundering away at the foe, while
force of sharpshooters aloft swept the
decks of the ''Serapis" with nusketry. Such
was the vigor of this fire Of musketry, that
at length, no man was seen on the enemys
deck. Then the men of the "Bon Homme
Richard" formed q line along the main yard
and passed hand granades to the man at
| The end. who dropped them down into the
hold Of the "Seraps," doing tremendous
execution. For three hours the battle ra-
ged. The "Bon Homme Richards" pump
was shot away, and then new Danger
| threatened her. She had gone into action
with FIVE hundred prisoners IN her steerage
and when the pump was shot away, the OH
cerin charge of the prisoners, supposine
the ship sinking, released them. AT the
same moment bordiug party. from the
"Serapis" sprang up the sides OF the bon
| Homme Richard" This was the crisis o.
the battle. Capt. Jones never altered
The boarders were gallantly repulsed the
| prisoners were driven below and the tgh
was renewed At half past ten in the eve
ming, the British ship being on fire in ma
nv places, her captain struck his coiors.-
The "Bon Homme Richard" was so CON
pletely knocked to pieces, that she coulC
! not be kept ahoat. She sank the next day
and Captain Jones went into port in the
captured ship, with seven hundred prlso
ners
/ This great victory raised his fame to the
! highest point. The King of France gave
him magnificent diamond hilted sword
and Congress voted him gold medal. Al
ter the war was over, the Empress OF Rus
sia invited him to join her navy with the
rank Of Rear Admiral He accepted the
post, but the jealousy and intrigues of the
! Russian naval officers disgustcd him to
such degree that he resigned and returned
to Paris. The last years Of his life were
passed in obscurity. He died at Paris in
1892.
Paul Jones was short thick set man, o
great strength and endurance. He had 6
keen, bright eye, with look of widness II
it. His voice was soft and gentle. In biz
dress and equipage of his boat and ship
+ he was something of dandy. In bravery
and tenacity of purpose he has never beer
surpassed bat in the intercourse OF private
life he was one of the most amiable anc
polite Of men. moe
@g-"Will you help me out OF this muC
hole ?" said travelling druggist, who hao