The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-08-02
JOHN PAUL JONES

A friend asked US, "Why shOult
such a fuss be made over the body o
Paul JONES'" says Goodwin's Week
ly. The answer is, because 10 SOM
regards he was the foremost man O.
his age: because his career was with
out a parallel: because he vas the
father of the American navy, and be-
cause he won great honor for himself
and for his adopted country. Note q
a few of the steps up which he mounted
to everlasting fame. Born Of mental
parentage, no education save how to
read and write At an humble parish
school: sent to sea at twelve years OF
age in the toughest company: what
would be looked for ia the career Of a
child like that: But see: He was a
mate at seventeen: captain at twenty:
slave trader, East Indiaman and Vir.
ginian planter before be reached the
age of twenty.six: naval lieuten ant at
twenty eight: captain at twenty.nine;
commodore at thirty.two: at thirty.
three the ocean hero of the Old World
and the New: the most famous sea vic
tor Of his time; patronized by kings;
petted by duchesses of royal blood:
made a knight of France: thanked by
congress-, and more than all these, the
trusted friend and valued associate of
Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, La.
fayette, Hamilton and Morris: at thir.
ty.three selected as special envoy 70
the most aristocratic of courts, charged
with the most delicate, difficult and in
tricate OF missions-the ad justment
and collection of International claims
without any guide Of precedent or
any commonly recognized code of pro.
cedure: at forty voted a gold medal
by congress: at forty.one a vice-ad.
miral in the navy of an empire: at
forty-three a prominent figure in the
overture OF that tremendous drama,
the French Revolution, aud dead at
forty-tive.
These are the stairs up which his.
tory leads his life. His fight in the
Bonhomme Richard with the new ~.
gun Scraps is altogether without a
parallel 10 naval fighting.
The Scraps pushed her prov over
deck and he dashed the ships to-
His battery of l2.pounders
silent and abandoned; his 49,
Founders did no service. Two or
three of them burst at the first fire
and killed almost all the men sta.
toned to manage them: he had only
three 9.pounders with which to con.
tinue the fight: his flag was shot away:
his ship was on fire and sinking; most
of his crew were panic.stricken, but
when the commander Of the Scraps
asked If he had surrendered, his re.
ply was, 81 have not yet begun to
In the midst of the fight q
ship supposed to be friendly came by
and poured broadside after broad.
side into the Bonhomme Richard, but
late at night the Scraps struck her
colors. Though every effort vas made
to save the Bonhomme Richard, she
went down next day.
But he was O only great as a
fighter. A committee of congress
asked him for dvice 81 to the forma.
ton Of a navy. This was in l775. We
have his reply before Is. 1t should
be printsd in full in every journal in
the United States, for it shows exactly
how he set the pace for the American
navy.
We say We believe he set the pace
for the American navy. We believe
he set it also for Horatio Nelson. He
died just as Nelson was forging to
the front as u great naval commander.
He was the inspiration OF Farragut:
his description Of what a perfect naval
commander should be is a pen picture
OF Admiral Dewey. Beginning his
sea life at twelve years of age, un.
known, lowborn, without friends or
name, what he accomplished in his
brief life is one of the marvels Of his.
tory. We are glad that his body is to
have final sepulchre in our national