The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1865-08-12
light without certain dread of Paul

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 plum
der the castle, in retaliation for the rava-
ges Of British captains on the coast of
America. Capt. Jones could not deny the
justice of their demand; yet, abhoring the
| principle Of plundering private houses, and
especially one inhabited by lady, he per-
mitted the men to take the silver plate on.
| ly, forbidding the slightest approach to vi
olence or disrespect The silver plate he
himself bought when the plunder was sold,
and sent it back to the countess OF Selkirk
with a polite letter of explanation and
apology. The naughty Earl refused to re-
ceive it.; but Capt Jones after long cor
respondence, won his heart, and the silver
was replaced in the closet Of Selkirk Cas-
tie, eleven years after it had been taken
from it. Such was the persevering chival-
ric generosity of Capt. 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
l uSs
fixed intention to fight her there he saw
her standing out to sea inquest OF him.
They met. The fight was short and furious.
In an hour aud four minutes the "Drake
| struck, having lost her captain, first lieuten-
| ant and forty men. The Rangers" loss
| was nine. ..,.s.e-..,... #ei,i. .f.5
The victory electrified Europe. The au-
dacity, the valor, and success of Paul Jones
we're the admiration of the world. Old DIR.
franklin, who had planed the enterprise,
and had sent out to America for captain
to come and execute it, was enchanted
In Paul Jones' subsequent troubles, he al
ways had staunch friend and protector in
Franklin. A very successful man general
| " has enemies. Paul Jones experienced
| the truth Of this remark. Nevertheless af-
| ter much delay and some notifications,
DR.. Franklin succeeded in getting another
ship, the ever famous " Bon Homme Rich
ard" thus named by Capt. Jones in honor
of the venerable editor of Poor Richards 8
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 sprinkling of Americans. 1t
was in this ship the indomitable Jones
fought the " Serapis," new British ship OF
fourty-four guns, one OF the stoutest vessels
in the English navy This was perhaps the
most desperate and bloody contest that ev-
er took place between single ships. 1t was
fought in the evening of September %, IT.
78. so near the Yorkshire coast that the
battle was witnessed by hundreds of spec
tators on the shore. Capt. Jones perceiv-
ing 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 "Se-
rapis." 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 and all the
rest disabled but three, had hundred men
in killed and wounded and was on fire. AL
most any other man would have given up,
for the Scraps" was still uninjured. Capt.
Jones however, fought on with an energy
and resolution undiminished. 3ilaai
With his three guns, all aimed by him
self, he kept laundering away at the foe,
while force of sharpshooters. aloft swept
the decks of the "Serapis " with musketry.
Such was the vigor of this fire of musket-
ry, that at length, no man was seen on the
| enemy's deck. Then the men of the stBon
Homme Richard" I" formed line along the
main yard, and passed hand grades to the
men at the end, who dropped them down
| into the hold of the =" Scraps" doing tre-
mendous execution. For three hours the
battle ragged. The "Bon Homme Rich
ard's" pump was afire, and then new dan
ger threatened her. She had gone into ac-
tion with FIVE hundred prisonersin her steer
age, and when the pump was shot away, the
| officer in charge of the prisoners, supposed
the ship sinking released them. AT the
same moment boarding party from the
Serapfs sprung up the sides of the Bon
Homme Richard" This was the crisis of
the battle Capt. Jones never faltered.--
The boarders were gallantly repulsed the
prisoners were driven below and the fight
was renewed. At half past ten in the even
ing, the British ship being on fire in many
places, her captain struck her colors. The
Bon Homme Richard was so complete
ly knocked to pieces that she could not be
kept ahoat. She sunk the next day, and
Capt. Jones went into port in the captured
ship, with seven hundred prisoners llf 1
bo This great victory passed his fame to the
highest point. The king of France gave
him magnificent diamond-hilted sword,
and Congress voted him a gold medal. AT
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 lintrigues of the
Russian naval officers disgusted him to such
a degree that he resigned and returned to
Paris The last years of his life were pass
edin obscurityI He died at Paris in 1892
f. Paul Jones was short thick set man, of
great strength and endurance. He had a
keen, bright eye, with a look Of wildness in
it. His voice was soft and gentle, In his
dress and equipage of his boat and ship, he
was something of dandy. Z. In bravery and
tenacity Of purpose he has never been sur
passed, but in the intercourse of private
| life he was one of the most amiable and po-
lite Of men. aaa2'" uf 29 sH a2s's .A3