Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-06-27

t1dG Jones was 10 organize ana COM
mand the Black sea naval forces, with
the rank of rear admiral, he set out for
ST. Petersburg. He was in Copenhagen
when the business came to positive
settlement, and so great was his haste
to reach the Russian capital that he
could not wait to travel the usual
southern route, but made up his mind
to go to Stockholm and cross over from
that city to Finland the best way he
could. 1t was early in April, and the
passage was still blocked with ice. No
boatmen would venture to make the
voyage. Undaunted, he hired a small
open boat and compelled the owners at
the point of the pistol to steer to the
south along the coast of Sweden. For
three days and nights they were cast
about, but on the fourth they made
their way into the gulf of Finland and
landed at Revel. Jones fastened on to
the capital, and few hours after en-
terlng the city he was presented at
court.
Catherine received him most 1ra-
ciously, ana, 1t seems, the bluff sea
tighter was captfvated by her manner.
She put the matter of organizing the
heet into his hands without hesitation.
nlrnseI bound to a certain extent by
we WISHES OF the commander in chief
Prince Potemkin. Jones reported at
once to the prince and was ASSIGNED
TO the command Of the Kherson SQUAD
ron. This was damper unon his am,
oltlon at the very start, for he was
now only one of three separate com
manders, the other two ranking with
10 mi
had promised him, but he kept silent
and raised his flag on the vladimir.
HIS hrst care was to put the vessels
of his squadron in fighting trim. Tbev
We're IN such wretched condition that
1t required positive genius to restore
them to usefulness. Jones did all this
so quickly and so well that the Russian
officials began at once to hate him for
doing what they had neglected to do.
Prince Potemkin was inordinately zeal.
Gus of the foreigners capacity. and he
and the other high officials began to
plot against the newcomer. Jones dis
covered their duplicity, but made no at
tempt to counterfeit it. When hostili-
ties opened Jones' success was so re-
markable that the opposition was driy-
en- to fresh virulence. Potemkin, it an
pears, required from his subordinates
that every advantage gained should
without further parley be attributed to
his own ability. Jones refused fatty to
become party to this scheme to glori-
fy the chief at the expense Of all the
others. He was advised to yield, but he
was obdurate. He had not>been accus-
toned to that method. He promptly
announced his intention of appropriate
ing to himself every honor to which he
believed himself entitled. His frank
ness precipitated an eruption. Moth q
ing like it had ever been heard of III
Muscovite official circles, and it me-
with general 'disapproval from the, en- Y
tire army of hungry and venal public
servants. A loud cry Of dissent went
up to st. Petersburg and reached the
empress in the great palace on the
Neva.
Not long afterward Admiral, Jones re.
ceived orders to report to the capitalvan
person. He obeyed with such disregard
for personal comfort that he was taken
violently i'll on the journey and was der
layed month. On his arrival Gather
Inc received him kindly, made him vice
admiral and assigned him to positionl
on the Baltic sea. Jones was too wise,s
however, to be blind to the fact that his
Russian career had received it's coup
de grace. Two weeks later he had
pneumonia, and when he was GONZALES
cent it was decided by the Russian
medical men that the climate did not
suit his constitution. The empressl
gave him leave of absence, and he vent
to Paris. Although he did not resign
his commission until two years after3a
ward, his Russian service was endedIl
He never recovered his health and diedG
three years after crossing the frontier.
JOHN WILSON.