St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1879-10-04
A Famous Combat.


took place one OF inc TlOSt Hlcilhl. plc
naval combats recorded in llstory-thaC
between the American tngate Don
IIomme Richard, forty two guns, com
mandcd bv John Paul Jones, aud the .
/ British frigate Scraps, fifty guns: Inc !
; American vessel was accompanied ny !
| two French alies-the Pallas and the !
! Alliance. The Scraps had the Countess .
Of Scarborough, carrying twenty guns
! TO help her The two were escortlng. il !
! large Baltic fleet Paul .)ones's ship
; was an old French merchant vessel,
| converted into q war-ship, badly equip.
ned. with q crew composed OF men OF
various countries, united only by the
band of discipline, and inspired by, a
series of successful achievements uhuel
! jones.
! The Scrapis was anew vessel, better
i and more heavily armed than lhc
/ American ship, aud more fully manned,
witt, Il veteran crcw.all Of one nation.
Jones, Immediately that he heard OF
the two British war vessels, gave chase.
The two suuadronS met on the 2}d sep
tembcr, ITO, off FlamhorONgh licad.
II was a bright moonlight night. Ihc
fiobt was so close to shore that the p"n-
, ne of Scarborough could easily see
each phase of the bloody drama. Inc
desperate character OF the COMBAT. ana
the logged obstinacy that cIaractcrlzcd
, the cOmbatants on hotln sides are 1aliil-
liar to the readers OF history. ne
Richard suffered terribly, in every way
in hull, masts, sails, rigging, armament
and men, Still Jones fought on, de-
t termined to conquer or die.
! Two of his old cannon burst, killing
, and wounding many men, and causing,
4 for il moment, general disnay ana Il
e stoppaye of the fire. \ hail at once
s came from the Scraps, asking II he mao
v surrendered. Jones ansWered:,
; haven't vet begun to Eighty and the
7 bold repl y gave new life and courage to
IL his officers and men.
t After It three hours light, at close
a quarters, the Scraps struck her nag.
She was badly hurt: but the conquer
inc vessel had seven feet water III her
/, hold, was on fire in two places, and had
f all her guns dismOunted. Indeed, Sue
was a wreck. The remnant OF Der
crew was at once transferred to the
c Scraps, and the next day the blo"d-
st stained. tiru-scorched, cannontOrn Bon
V lInmme Richard sank to the bottom.
> Meantime, the PaIlas had captured
Il the consort Of tie S"raDiS. The other
l. French vessel behaved badly, being
IS even charged with holding aloof from
u, Jones and firing Intentionally into his
il crippled vessel. -, ,
III turned to France, honors were freely
If bestowed upon him, both by the Amen
can Congress- and by the French King
" What the gallant sailor most prIzed was
ID a warm letter OF praise from Washing
IS ton.
ut The hero of this celebrated conlba
r. was Il native of Scotland. lie was born
in a sea coast village in 1147. His nam'
re at first was John Paul, the Jones BEN!
=, added wears after. In his boyhood III
went to live in Virginia.. Front an ear
d " are he was accustomed to a seafalln!
=. life. When the revolutionary war com
IA mcnccd he at once offered MS service
W to the Colonial Congress, andln Deeem
Der, 117r1, was commissioned lleuten
inf ant in their small naval squadron
His first active service WAS as first lieu
mt tenant Oh the Alfred, ;i0-gun ship, Capt
ny Saltonstall, the flagship OF Comm!
nv lorc Hopkins'S squadron, stationed ]
FOR the Delaware River. Not long AFTER II
~ WAS given the command OF the Prov
an dcncc, u 13-gun sloop, and at once dlS
tnguishcd himself i'll short cllllS
3 that resulted in the capture OF slxtee
Us prizes. .>o.toa -
on captain; and, taking command or Il
nS Alfred did much damage to the 1lslle'
nd fleets and other carrying vessels q
ia Cape Breton. The summer succee4ln
he was given the new 1S.gun snip Hal
ger, built at Portsmouth, \. H.; an
then he began those dashlng and darn
,uids in the British waters themselve
fiat struck terror among the merchal
NC marine and astounded the British nay
authorities by their holiness, rapid'
and success, The coasts OF ScOtal
We're particularly selected as the scel
o,, nf those exnloits. One of his most a
idr lacinus performances in this line w
he- his capturc of the town Of Whtehaye
GIRL Another gallant deed was the .canttl
1ijc of the British sloop-ofwar drake, VI
ON q crew largely exceeding his own, a re
obO that raised him at once to the RANK OF
ink first class fighting commander; aH"
the France, then IN alliance Win the Iol
csa- MES against hnggIa;nd' Jones vas etts y
we'd ed lenceforth with the greatest dlstll1
ton. On pr I @ 0 ..a !.
ted, Ii February, TITO, the Ranger havi
)rm been sent hack TO iAhletIea ny
LUIS American commissioners at 1'aris, JOE
lille was given the Duras, which became t
an Bon Homme ilclnard, a compliment
i a DR.. Franklin's famous "Poor Richar'
ems He sailed with her from L'Orient
he August, and in six weeks time h
he taken twenty-six prizes along the e:
lay. coast of England, and alarmed adj t
one towns along the sea-shore. The terri
en- battle with the Scraps sloriously teri
left mated this brilliant cruise. let T;
ven Jones died few years after, in Pal
his poor and neglected.
ave -----sH
urn. Our RAILEoAD.-The track is !:
saw about eleven miles east and two mi
ople west of Lake Charles. sTlle stean
had Col. Hooker arrived yesterday with
to lions of steel rails from Calcasieu Pa
tely~The Pearl Rivers has delivered
and Orange her cargo of rails, and has
luch turned with trucks for twenty fat c;
was The ship Melrose from New York
sing nearly discharged her cargo OF st
wing rails at Calcasieu Pass. The iron hri'
tlel for the Sabine river and a IuElhen
lion, / cars for our road are at Houston: Cf
Icht, r. Adams. assistant manager OF the
the w. r. Il. Co., is expected to arrive
the Houston next Monday. l.aborers
rass. coming in daily to work OF. the TO
lder. the weather is cool and pleasant
1891 xro,l- and everything goes ali