Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1905-09-08
SOME FACTS ABOUT
JOHN PAUL JONES
Was a Phenomenon i'm Human
Nature and an Anomaly
in Human Character.
ONCE A SLAVE DEALER
Later Joined ~SmugsIsrs But Soon Left
This to Engage in Daring Employ
of Capturing Warships of
the King.
From the kansas civ Star,

John Paul Jones was a phenomenon
In human nature, and an anomaly in
the human character. However sacred
and endearing is the principle to Amer
leans that all men are born equal and
born free a Scots peasant has but a
faint conception OF native equality or
native freedom-yet, although Paul of
Dumfries was born of humble peasants,
he might, with Paul Of Tarsus, have
said, 1 was born free The devotion of
the Scots peasantry is proverbial for
It's feryor; but the fervor of Jones
seemed to have but little reference to
heaven! He Invested himself Of devo-
ton and humanity also, and attached
himself TO an internal blood stained
slave dealer. He left the diabolical
traffic in human flesh, and became
commander-in-chief in smuggling
goods. He left the business OF de-
frauding the revenue for the daring
employ of capturing the warships of
his king"
The above pen picture is from Bio
graphical Sketches of American Naval
Heroes in the War of American Reyo-
luton" published in 1923 by S. Put
nam Waldo of Hartford, Conn; but it
must be remembered that in the early
years of Paul Jones activities the slave
trade and smuggling were not abhorred
10 N1lNS C[llNI W 1liS DCNdIlit.
John Paul Jones, on board the Amer
lean ship Alfred, hoisted the first star
%spangled banner which ever waved
from the mast OF an American vessel.
In December, 1877, he entered the port
Of q and communicated to the
French people the first intelligence of
General Gates capture of General
Burgoyne and his British army.
In 1878, al Quiberon bay, where the
French fleet with stores for America
was waiting the signal TO sail, Jones,
then in command of the Ranger, en-
tered the bay and saluted the French
admiral; the salute was promptly re-
turned. This is the first recorded
salute the American flag ever received
from Il foreign power.
OF the many marvellous exploits of
this marvellous man one is perpleXed in
making q selection Ito point a moral
and adorn a tale" out no mistake can
be made in using the great combat be-
tween LIE BOnhomme Richard and the
British frigate Scraps off the coast Of
England on September %, 1879, as an
object lesson Of Johu Baul Jones great
courage, wonderfully resourceful mind
and pre-eminence as a lighting com
mander. Fortunately we have John
Paul Jores's own report, also that of
Captain r. Pearson, who commanded
the Scraps.
For genuine bullGog-never-let-go
tenaCity, ferocity and desperation, this
combat was something terrific. The
scenes depicted seem almost incredible.
Here is acopy of the communication
Here is a copy of the COMMUNICATION
the captured Scraps off the Texel
Dutch possessions northeast of Hol-
land) October 81, 1879:
Il have only time, my dear friend, to
inform you that l have this day an
rhnrnH EnTn haX-in- fnlynr fIfa rHsN 10
the night of the ED ult. on the coast
of England after a battle of three hours
n a half; two hours and a half of
hat time the Good Mar Richard and
this ship being fast alongside Of one
another, both ships being in flames and
the Good Man Richard making water
faster than all the pumps could deliver
1t. This ship moNnts forty-four guns
and has two entire batteries. on of
them contemporaries, SO that my
situation was severe enough to have
to deal with such an enemy in such a
dreadful situation. Judge then what il
must have been when the Alliance
came up towards the close of the
action, and, instead Of assisting me,
directed her whole fire against the
God Man Richard, not once or twice,
but repeatedly, after being spoken to
and showing a private signal of recog-
nizance The Alliance killed eleven
men and mortaiiy wounded an officer
on the Good Man Richards forecastle
at one volley. 1 have lost in killed and
wounded the best part of my men. The
Good Man Richard went to the bottom
on the morning of the 25th ult. in spite
Of every effort to bring her into port.
mo action before was ever, in all
respects, so bloody, so severe, and so
lasting. 1 beg of you to communicate
this, with my best respects, to the
gentlemen OF your pert.
The fire was not extinguished on
board the Good Man Richard till eight
hours after the enemy had struck, and
at last it had reached within a few feet
of the magazine. We lost all the stores
and all our private effects; but no lives
were lost from the con1lagration. The
Pallas took at the same time an armed
ship of twenty slx-pounders.
John Paul Jones.
IN. B.-The prizes taken and con
sumed by the Good Man Richard dur
ing her cruise of about three months
amounts to at least about q million OF
livres."
The brevfty and sim plicity is on the
"veni-vidi-vici" order; but that of
Pearson's is more replete in thrilling
details. This letter is written from on
board the Pallas, off the Texel, October
6, 1779, and is as follows:
You may be pleased to inform the
lords commissioners of the admiralty
that on the 23d ult.. being close in with
Scarborough about IL o'clock, a boat
came on board with a letter from the
bailiffs OF that corporation giving In
formation of a flying squadron of the
enemy's ships being ON the coast, and
O part of the said squadron having
been seer from hence the day before,
standing to the southwark. AS soon as
I received this intelligence l made the
signal for the convoy to pear down I'M
der my lee, and repeated with two
guns; Notwithstanding which the van
of the convoy kept their wind. with all
sal. stretching out to the southwark
from under Marlborough head, till be-
tween IL and l. when the headmost of
them got in sight of the enemy's ships,
which were then in chase of them.
they then tackled and made the best Of
their way under the shore for Scarbor-
ough, letting fly their t~opgallant sheets
and firing guns; upon which 1 made all
the sail I could to the wtndward to get
between the enemy's ships n the
convoy, which / 700 effected.
AT / o'clock we got sight Of the
encmy's ship from masthead. and about
1 W. made them plain from the deck to
be three large ships and q brig, upon
which I made the Countess OF Scar
borough signal to Join me. h being
In shore with the convoy; at the same
time I made signal to the convoy to
make the best Of their way. and re-