The National tribune., 1898-05-19

| The above is an extract from a letter
written in November, 1879, in which Dr.
| franklin announces the arrival of Landais
IN Pans Tor conference with him relative t.
| the charges preferred by Capt. Jones.
| Dr. Franklin conducted this preliminary
inquiry himself at the instance of the
| French Minister OF Marine, NJ de Sartine.
Jones, not being able to leave the SQUAD
ron at the Texel, was represented in this
| inquiry by Dr. Edward Bancroft. On
March is, 1880, DR.. Franklin made a report
| to the Marine Committee Of Congress, in
which he says:
The inquiry, though imperfect,
and the length of it have had one rood
effect in preventing hitherto duel be-
tween the parties which now believe will
not take place, as both expect Justice from
d court martial in America" !"
In a report To NJ. dc Sartine dated March
20, 11eO, DIR. Franklin, after expressing
regret al his inability to act on the evidence
before him, says:
The inquiry, imperfect as it is. has
however mad the good effect OF preventing
duel IN Holland between those two
officers Clones and Landais) which might
have proved fatal to one or both of them" !"
tSee Wharton's Diplomatic Correspondence.
Vol. 80
Henry Lunt, in his Recollections, gives
an interesting account Of the reason why
Jones selected him as his friend" i'm this
affair, instead of Richard Dale. He saws:
Unfortunately, Dicks own relations with
LandaiS at that moment were of a nature
which made him ineligible under the code
ior the duties OF second i'm an affair in
which ne Landais) was principal. Soon
after the arrival of our squadron in the
Texci, Dale and Landais had met while
ashore at coffee house in the town of the
Helder.
Dick, though still limping and much
crippled by his wound in the leg, received
few days before in the action with the
Scraps, could not restrain himself hut
with his usual impetuosity sought to force
public quarrel on Landais, denouncinp
his behavior in the Alliance; and in order
that there might be no mistake in Landais's
mind about his meaning, he expressed
himseil IN LandaIs. s own tongue, saying to
hIm, among other things
lon ne fait Tieu de votre conduite n cette
occasion, autre cue celia d un poltron on
d un traltre, on dcs deux ensemble, Moi
ccla ne ialt ancun d0ute cue vouS ayeZ
merritt bien lie gibetn Zone can make
nothing out of your conduct on that occa-
sion but that of a coward or q traitor. or
both To me there is not the slightest
doubt but that you richly deserve the gal
lows!l
BLOODSHED PREVENTED.
This fierce alteration was only pre-
vented by energetic interference of by
ISLANDERS from ending in blows, which, as
both men were well armed must have
produced bloody affray then and there
Dale fully expected challenge from Lam
dais; but il seems that the latter. upon
reflection, concluded to stand on their
difference in rank, and pursued the matter
no further.
Necessarily, however, it made Dick
quite ineligible for the office of second in
any affair requiring personal communica-
ton with Landais on behalf of another
Commodore Jones, while fully appreci-
ating Dicks indignation, mildly took him
to task, believe, or at least expressed
regret at his precipitancy on this occasion,
saying 1t might not Q lIy complicate the