The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1905-06-29

tho the arrangement was contested
with vigor by Mr.. Hewes, of North
Carolina, in whom Paul Jones had an
able champion on the floor of Congress.
He was the first to receive his COM
mission and on December 22nd, 1775,
in the temporary absence of his
captain, broke out the first American
flag ever shown on regular man-of-
war. This was the Pine Tree and
Rattlesnake emblem bearing the motto
"Don't Tread on Me-" His first COM
mand, the Providence, was given him
May 10th, 1776 and from that moment
to the end of his career Jones was al
ways the ranking officer of his station,
never afterwards serving under orders
of any senior officer.
A year later resolution was passed
in Congress adopting the Stars and
Stripes as national emblem. Embod-
led in the same document was the ap-
pointment of Captain Jones to the
command of the Ranger. The signifi-
canoe of this combination was accept
ed by Jones as great distinction and
he often said that he and the flag were
twins. Sailing for France October 31st,
1777, he was the first to spread in that
country the official news of Burgoyne's
surrender, and just two months after
his arrival, February 9th, ITS, the
Treaty of Alliance, assuring American
independence, was signed and sealed
at Versailles. After reitting the
Ranger, Jones came up with the French
Grand Fleet and upon his solicitation
was given the first national salute to
the Stars and Stripes by foreign fleet.
Shortly afterward in cruise around
the British Isles Jones descended upon
the port of Whitehayen- at night, easily
taking the small forts and setting FIRE
to the ships in the harbor. However,
the fires all went out or we're extin-
guished, with the exception of one
vessel which was burned. He first en-
countered a British man-of-war on
April 24th, 1878, when he fought an
engagement with the Drake, twenty
gun sIoop. The battle lasted just one
hour and four minutes and was the
first instance in modern naval warfare
of the capture of a regular British
man-of-war by an inferior force.
When he returned to France with
} his prize he was beset with many
problems and difficulties such as might
we'll have discouraged any man. But
Jones was a student, a linguist, and an
, all-round man of affairs in statecraft
and diplomacy, as we'll as master in
his own profession. Socially, he was
| among the most debonaire of gallants
and the most resistless of courtiers.
) In almost all history he has been
} handed down in the character of des-
) perate and phenomenal fighter. Some
/ would have us believe that he was by
) nature a bully. That such was the
3 case is inconceivable in view of the
) fact that Jones was but five feet seven
inches in height, slender in build, and
. never weighed over one hundred and
: forty-6ve pounds. One of his own
:, crew says: "He was not a quarrelsome
Q man in the sense of proneness to pick
D quarrel, but he was the easiest person
J.. have ever seen for any fighting mar
f to pick quarrel with"
i Jones had been forced to dispose o1
the Ranger, in order to pay for provi
: sions and other necessities furnished
d his crew and prisoners, leaving hin
b without command. He appealed tt
Q his good friend, the Duchess o!
8 Chartres, and she obtained for him al
j. audience with King Louis XVI, whit
d afterward appointed him to the com
i mand of the Bon Homme Richard
|. In company with the Alliance, Pallas
# and Vengeance Jones set sail Angus
], 14th, 1779, for another cruise arount
Y the British Isles with the intention of de
,s stroying or capturing England's Balti
b fleet of merchant ships. He did NEE
this fleet but it was under escort o
q two British war ships. The Alliance
d commanded by Captain Landais, who's
q. traitorous conduct on that cruise con
It tributes distressing page to our his
G. tory, had became worse than useles
J. and left Jones with but one course
# that of offering battle to the escort
g. thus allowing the merchant ships t
/. pass unmolested. The British shi
Is was the Scraps, forty-four guns, Car