Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-22
JOHN PAUL JONES
His Remains Now Believed to Be
Definitely Located.
INSTRUCTIONS TO THE NAVAL AFfACHE
Extracts From the Report Of M.
de Ricaudy.
NOW IN PRIVATE PROPERTY

| Secretary Long has sent special instruc-
items to the United States naval attaChe at
| the United States embassy at Paris to
make renewed efforts to identify the re-
mains of the revolutionary patriot, John
| Paul Jones, with view to their removal to
| the United States From reports already
| received from the naval attache it APP
pears that, through the efforts of Monsieur
| A. de Ricaudy distinguished French an
| tiquarian and editor of IL Echo du Public
| the burial place of Commodore Jones,
| which La Commission du Vieux Paris
| had failed to find, has at last been located
| with fair degree of certainty, in a for
| mer foreigners Protestant cemetery, which
was sold by the French government short
| ly after the revolution of 1904, and is now
| occupied by private property.
| Monsieur de Ricaudy has made prelim-
| mary report on this subject to the United
| States ambassador at Paris, from when 1t
| appears to be certain that the body of John
| Paul Jones was inferred at the place indi-
| Gated.
| The department has also received pho
| tograph of the corner of the due des Ec!us-
| es St. Martin and rue Grange-auX Bellies,
| showing two sides of the location of the
| former Protestant foreigners cemetery,
where the commodore was buried. From
this photograph and an accompanying note
it would seem that there is at present a
| small twO-story building over the supposed
spot of his burial.
| The report of Monsieur de Ricaudy quotes
| from the burial register, establishing the
death of Paul Jones on the 18th of July,
1892, and his burial on July 20. Particu-
lars are given concerning the register,
| where fled, etc, and there is a full dis
| cussion of the question of the location of
| the cemetery, the interments in which are
| recorded in it.
| The exac. location of the commodores
| grave is unknown though Monsieur de
| Ricaudy holds that it is ascertainable with
in narrow limits and that there would be
possibility, though only possibility, of the
| identification of his remains.
Extracts From the Report.
The following are extracts from Monsieur
de Ricaudy's report:
| 1T appears that long before 1892 they
had been compelled to bury both categories
| Of dead in the court yard, and Paul Jones
being one of the latest interments. it is
probable that his remains are not far from
| the entrance door-the place most likely
| to have been used for the latest burialS,
but this is merely a hypothesis.
| The cemetery of the rue Grange-alX-
| Bellies officially closed on January 1,
! 1893. less than six months after the death
| of Paul Jones, and on the Sd of Thermidor
| year ", it was sold as national property
and was decided to Monsieur Phalipeaux.
| Some time afterward night-soil remover
named Sage established himself on the
| premises, and, in order to facilitate the
| entrance of his carts, he raised the level
of the garden to the level of the court
| yard. Later the estate was divided into
Two lots, they exist today. The first
lot al and 43 rue Gransc-auX-Belles) COW
ers the area of the garden. 1t measures
IS meters by 40. The second lot 40 and
| II of the same street and rue DIES Ecluses
st. Martini occupies the area of the for
mer courtyard and measures 26 meters by
10. The total area of The premises q. :TO
meters square, still belongs to the Sage
family, but the buildings numbered ii and
AZ are the property of NJ, Bassigny. Num-
Der II is composed Of two stories; number
| f.; is composed of a large paved courtyard,
| in which is a shed and storage for grain
and hay, under which is an excavation
| large eneCgh to hold the boiler that for
n.erly stood there, and of a small garden
and dwelling of light construction; number
- contains laundry, the floor of which
| is of cement and comprises drains for con-
Quoting water into the street.
| This laundry is built without founda lions.
| AS to excavations, there is the place for
the boiler already mentioned and a cellar
that has the appearance of being very old.
Al No. All is found on the side of the rue
Grange-a Bellies a house of three stories,
| and adjoining the rue des Ecluses St. Mar
| tin is a cheap construction. with upper
| stories. and in a diiapidated condition. The
| remainder of the area is represented by
courtyard and several unimportant build
| ings."
| Never Been Exhumed.
| 1t results from this sale, and the almost
| immediate occupancy Of the site, that the
| naval hero of the Of American indie
| pendence has never been exhumed. Since
| the Protestant cemetery closed in 1904.
| there does not exist In Paris any other GEM
| etery whittier his remains could have been
| decently transferred. 1t has been seen that
his remains not in Pere La ChaiSe.
| Neither are they in other cemeteries
| since created: consequently. it is argued,
they must be in the site adjoining the rue
| Grange-auXBe les. The question arises is
| there a reasonable chance of recovering his
| bones? If he buried in wooden cof-
| fin there may be only found some unrecoS-
| niZabe fragments: if the body vas incased
in a leaden coffin there is no doubt that his
| remains can be identified. But this
| done? Mr.. Gouverneur Morris, the United
| States minister in Paris at the time of the
| decease Of Paul Jones, mentions in his diary
| that the funeral was a very modest one.
| The word modest is taken to refer to the
| materials supplied for the burial. for ii is
| known by the official death register that a
| brilliant aSSemblage attended the funeral
| In any event. if his bones cannot be iden-
| titled. it is nevertheless absolutely certain
| he is there and that the acquisition Of the
| site of the former cemetery might be made
| under advantageous circumstances. The
| suggestion is made that square mig hit be
| made bearing the name of Commodore Paul
| Jones. upon which monument might be
| erected to his memory, and without preju-
dice to any excavations that might be
| hereafter deemed advisable.
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