Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-18
HAVEN'T BEGUN TO FIGHT
John Paul Jones at the R..,. :.
Scarborough VI
Il HAVE not yet begun to nrb, L.

E" HAVE not yet begun to nRht-
These were the words flung h..,.
ringing emphasis by a famou. WIN
privateersman and naval hero in ,raa srsw.'
demand to surrender from Br,,I,S
captain who had no understan ndin, :. VA VA
Yankee brand Of courage VI us
Picture tranquil sea bathea T.
light or Scarborough, England. rw, VOn' ION
the Bon Homme Richard, cour,,u... pS
the redoubtable Captain John Paul Jo,.'
and the Scraps, an English man.0, S
under Captain Pearson. were loc,.,
mortal combat.
The night was so clear that the "a. 49,,
was visible to thousands Of snecta,|.o ostte
thronged the promontory Of FlsroSHwn VINO
Head ana the piers of Scarborough Ctsn usn
@ nomL roareu 10 the accompa nlmen, =,
splintering wood and the groans ana nv,
or wounded and dying men, em
The Bon Homme Richard . 80.
hulk OF a merchantmen which b.s on
outlived her usefulness, was farms h.sns |ns
the battle, for she was pitted agains, "a
OF the best equipped men-of-war in tbs r1r one
lish navy !" 'ne Eng
At the first broadside Of the Hicr,r.
or the antiquated eighteen pounders ~ two
gunroom burst, killing more than y. @ net
OF her own men, She drifted helplessi, ~
! we wlnuWard OF the Scraps, and the Brl,'
lsn man-of-war sent broadside after ~
side into the crippled American sbIn ra,aN-
ner fore and aft, and riddling her bslos
the water line. Water began 10 nour i-,'
the hold of the Richard The peril q, o ~
Yankee fighters was increased when Sos s
English prisoners escaped from the hold ~
swarmed on to the deck ""u
Down where you come from" vsu.,
Jones, "or I'll blow you to Kingdom cow.
and the prisoners obeyed to q man.
Captain Jones swung his sinkinv ,A,.
alongside the Serapis Just in time "a ',.p y.
ceive another terrific broadside FROM ~.
| Britt0her. The discharge tore gaming boI..
| in the side Of rhe Richard. II was the, ,hss
| Captain Pearson ~creechad from the hrisa.
! of the Serapis
DO you surrender now, you Yank..
| pirate?" "'e
And Captain Jones' with his face Yr,oh,
ful with blood and powder marks but M,
| eyes blazing indomitable courage, hurlsS
| back the fighting phrase which will laav.
| It's imprint forever in the naval history a,
the world: 'I have not yet begun to arb, ~
Indeed, John Paul Jones had only oorr.
menced at stage of the fighting gam.
when most men are ready to quit. Half his
| men lay dead. dying or wounded on M.
CORY deck of the Richard, but Jones did moi
| falter before those terrible odds He lasheS
his mutilated, water-logged ship to the FnV.
lish man-of-war. All the while the lowe,
battery of the Scraps was pounding against
the sinking Richards rotten hull The shps
were jammed so close together that tho
guns of one touched the sides Of the other
In two places the portfolios met so that IN,
! gunners loaded the cannon by passing IN.
hammers into the opposite vessel.
Then one of the crew threw hand
grenade into a pile of ammunition on m,
Scraps. The explosion well nigh dsem.
boweled the British ship and killed fifty Of
her sailors outright Flames began to en-.
! velop the Scraps. Brandishing their cut.
lasses, Captain Jones and his little band
| pushed through the binding smoke and
boarded the sinking vessel. The British
captain surrendered