Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-02-25
John Paul JOne.

Solway Firth, in Scotland. He was
born July 6, 1747, and when but ;
boy of twelve years was apprenticeC
to shipping merchant of White
Haven, the principal port on the Sol
way. He made several voyages tc
Virginia; then his master was unfor
tunate in business, and at the age OF
sixteen he was left to control himself
Several White Haven vessels were
engaged in the slave trade, young
Paul got the berth of third mate in
one of them. At nineteen he had ad
vanced to be first mate of the Two
Friends, one of the largest White
Haven vessels in the traffic. Thcl
he was engaged in the West Indi;
trade; finally he left Scotland forever
and abandoned sea for shore. When
the Revolution broke out, he was
living in poverty near Fredericksburg
Va. He at once offered Congress
his services III the navy, then to be
formed; and about this time, from
reasons ever unknown, he added
"Jones ito his patronymic. lie was
commissioned as lieutenant, first on
the list, in December, 1775, aud was
appointed to the Alfred, a clumsy
merchantmen that had been altered
INTO frigate Of thirty guns. 1t was
the flag ship Of the small fleet OF
Commander Hopkins, and on bright
morning, early in February, l776, as
the Commodore came on board, Lieut.
Jenes, with his own hands, hoisted
the first American ensign ever dis
played on man-of war. 1t was OF
yellow silk, bearing the figure of q
pine tree, and the significant device
of rattlesnakc, with the ominous
words, "Don't tread on mel" The
gallantry, tearlessness, and value OF
Jones soon became proverbial, and
early in August he was rewarded
with a captains commission. In I'll
he was put in command of the Rang
er ia ship of eighteen guns Just built
for the service at Portsmouth, n. H.
hoiSted the new flag Of the stars and
stripes, and sailed for France. The
next spring he took the first of his
famous cruises along the British
coast, and made an unsuccessful at
tempt to burn the town Of White
Haven. For this his excuse was, a
desire to avenge some Of the wanton
burnings in America, and to teach
the British "that not all their boasted
navy could protect their own coast; >
but the attempt cannot be justified
He visited the scenes Of his boyhood
boldly anchored i'll the Solway at
noon, and landed with a small party
intending to make prisoner of the
Earl of Selkirk, the bcncfactor Of his
father. But he was foiled by the
nobleman's absence. Against his
earnest remonstranccS the men in
sisted upon plundering the mansion
OF It's plate. When the prizes were
sold at Brest, Jones bought the silver
and restored it, accompanied by an
extravagant letter, to Lady Selkirk.-
His return to France was marked by
a hot contest with the English slool
Drake, off Carricktergus, in which
the Ranger was victorious. In ex
pectation of the command of larger
vessel, Jones relinquished the Rang.
er. After CALLING delay, the Due de
Duras, an old and unseaWorthy ship
of forty guns, was fitted out for him.
In compliment to DR.. franklin he
named her Bon Eommc Richard.-
More delay intervcncd, but at last,
the l4th of August, 1879, he left
EOrient with a squadron Of seven
sails for another cruiSe'otf the British
coast. A heavy storm scattered the
little fleet, but the Bon Hommc Rich.
ard and the frigate Alliance, with
two smaller vessels, after taking some
prizes off the Eng ish and Irish
shores, came together at Cape Wrath,
a northern point of Scotland. They
spread terror along the eastern coast,
and late in the afternoon of the 10th
of September, the four vessels lay in
the Firth Of Forth, within sight OF
Edinburgh Castle. Jones intention
was to seize the shipping at Licth, to
menace the town with the torch, and
to obtain a heavy ransom toward
the reimbursement which Britain
owed to the much-injured citizens of
the United States" Wild alarm
spread along the threatened coast
Early the next morning the Bon
Homme Richard was seen standing
toward Kircaldy, on the northern
shore. In an agony of fear the peo-
pie gazed at her, and the old minister
Of the place, kneeling on the beach,
thus wrestled with the Lord: "Now,
dear Lard. dinna Yc think it "a shame
for Yc to send this vile plrct to rob
our folk o Kirkcaldy, for Ye ken
they're poor enow already, and hae
naething to spare. The wa, the ween
blaws, he'll be here III a gifiie, and
wha kens what he may do? He's
nae too good for onything. Mickle's
the mischief he's dune already. He'll
burn their hooses, tax their very claes
and tirl them to the sark; and, waes
me! wha kens but the bluidy villain
may tax their lives! The puir wcemen
are maist frightened out o their wits,
and the BARNS slsirling after them. |
Gamma thol'l it! | has been lang a
faithful servant to Ye, Laird; but gin
Ye dinna turn the ween aboot, and
blaw the scoundrcl out o our gate,
I'll nae staur q fit, but will just sit
here till the tide comes. Sac, tax
Ycre wull o't.".
The wind veered, and Jones was
forced to put to sea. A week later
he fell in with a fleet of Baltic mer-
chantmen, conveyed by the new ship
Scraps, forty-tour guns, and the
Countess of Scarborough, twenty
guns. LandaIs, the treacherous cap
tain Of the Alliance, who had caused
Jones much trouble during the cruise,
disobeyed all signals, held his ship
aloof. The Vengeance followed this
cowardly example, while the Pallas,
the other small vessel, engaged the
Countess Of Scarborough. The Bon
Homme Richard and the Scraps bat
tied together Such another sea fight
as this of the 23d of September, 1910,
off Marlborough Head, has never
been seen. The breeze almost died