Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-30

VI. Albert de Ricaudy. editor of lEcho du
Public Pr-tends to have discovered the orig
in.i burial place Of John Paul Jones.
Il i rambling property. comprising
three distinct and separate hulldings-the
high corner ydifcc. where l. the wine shop;
the iWO-Storv house where li:cS and moves
an amusing, parsonage Of the name Of Du
nap: AMI the next high building. whose
ground floor Is occupied by NJ Dupont the
glass engraver. NJ. Dunap. in his leisure.
is a picture Trainer and photographer: but
much Of his time is spent il the corner
wine shop talking over the site of the
grave of the admiral
Contradictory Claims.
The neighborhood knows all about the
admiral" the finding of whose bones is to
bring so much prosperity to everybody. The
wine shop debating society even has added
to the fame of the admiral" Cnhappily,
as ! discovered in the first two minutes,
the exact spot where repose the adni-
rails bones is the one point on which there
is not concord.
The admiral is in my cellar" said the
proprietor of the wine shop.
If he is not under my brick floor cor
reefs NJ. Dunap-
"Or in my cave" adds NJ. Dupont cour-
teouSy. but firmly.
as not the position of the grave deci-
sive?'' we asked in surprise.
There is no grave, said NJ. Dupont.
''NO actual grave" corrected NJ. Dunap
And what do you say?'' l asked the pub
Iican.
! You can search me-" was his cheerful
reply. Ny cellar Is at your disposal.
No Sign of Grave.
Here a deserved compliment ought to be
paid to the skill and good will OF Harry c.
Ellis. an American photographer. on his
| travels. whom I had been lucky enough to
run across few days previously. A French
photographer would have refused to work
l., 10 ;e
long, narrow cellar. like secret passage. a
mere afterthought, and not dug when the
building was erected. We searched every
corner of it. and found no grave distinctly
marked. OF this the photograph speaks
for itself, because the wide-anele lens took
in the whole cave with the exception of
the corner where the camera stood.
rs that all?" we asked.
YES said the wine-Shop man. Eve
think the admiral lies somewhere behind
that wall, because the Americans who ca me
here told us that lie did. They ought to
know"
Meanwhile NJ Dunap who had been prim-
ing up on meie-cass (cognac and black cur
rant, at the expense of the pilgrims, re-
lated for their beneft-and for the hun
dredth time-his joke of "the finding of the
bodies" Much of the theory OF NJ de RI
caudy IL based on this tale. According to
him this end of the old cemetery was the
one last buried in, and his reason for that
| statement is that two skulls were lately
unearthed from it" Now. these two skulls
| Dunap neglected to inform him. were the
| skulls of dogs Returning from the wine
| shop late he fell into the hole that he had
| dug All he cried. awaking every
| body, IAN earthquake. Il prodigy. a cata-
| Clysm! Madame Dunap, I'm in it, He
| declared the old cemetery had caved in
| and frightened the concierge with a tale Of
| two bodies. He winds up: a asked the
concierge. Shall I declare the bodies? and
| he replied, For Gods sake, make no scan
| dali
| Not Treated Seriously.
| 1t shows the frivolity with which the
| neighb0rhood treats the whole matter. Ger
| tainly no disrespect is meant to the memo
| ry of John Paul Jones. the stanch republic
| can. by these republicans and stanch ad-
| mirers of the revolution: only the thing
| seems far away to them. They do not like
/ to look on the ground beneath them as
/ cemetery. THE bones were all taken to
| the Catacombs in 1901" they declare Ex-
| cept as to the admirals bones. they resent
| any other theory. NJ Dunap led us over
| the irregular brick floor of his establish
| ment. below which there is no cellar
| Here it started to cave in once" he af-
| firms, "and | sunk in up to my waist, Per-
\ haps that might be the vault of the adj
| miral2' But the debonair Dunap does not
/ convince.
| 1t is the same vague guessing when we
| come to the cellar of NJ. Dupont the glass
engraver. serious man. NJ. Dupont. not
| oHercredulouS, yet not SO insensibe to his
| 1wn interest as to deny that the body of
| Haul Jones reDoseS in that cellar. Nine
dupont. seeing business possibilities In the
engraving of some kind of souvenir goblet
| for the qualification of future pilgrims has
| collected folklore. when We mt In the
| improved sewerage We came across some
| bones, but they were too small to be bu-
| man Stli, it raised discussion and two
| old residents told me they remembered the
olu cemetery. the course of the northern
val now Is followed by the curb of the
street. and there was q door in the wall