Vernon Parish Democrat. (Leesville, La.) 1917-193?, 1921-08-04
$4,000 IS DUE
A FRENCH WIDOW
INDEBTEDNESS WAS AcKNoWL-
EDGED MANY YEARS AGO BY
OUR DEPARTMENT OF STATE.
CONGRESS NEVER HAS ACTED
Claim Was Result Of Damage Done
Paris Woman's Property During the
Search for the Bones Of John Paul
Jones.
BY EDWARD q. CLARK.


Washington.-Uncl Sam has owed
French widow $4,000 for sixteen
years, has acknowledged his indebted
ness, and frequently has asked con-
gress to appropriate the money to
pay the bill, but congress never has
done it, and apparently will not do
it until some expletive gentleman with
a profanely picturesque way with him,
like the budget master for instance,
tells the legislators what he thinks
about it.
Only recently the Indebtedness of
the United States to various persons,
and the duties of the court of claims
in connection Herewith, have been dis
cussed. The case of the French wild
ow, however, never has been a court
of claims matter The department Of
state made the award to the woman,
and then asked congress to appropri-
ate the money. This was back in 1904,
or possibly 1905, but the lady in France
still is whistling for her money if she
accounts whistling as one of her ac-
complishments
If Gen. Horace Porter, diplomatist
and soldier, who died in New York
a month or. so ago, had known of the
plight of the French woman whom I'm
Gle Sam owed money which he would
not pay, he probably would have add
ed a cOdicil to his will taking care of
the matter, for it was General Por-
ter, with former representative in con-
gress Henry T. Rainey Of Illinois, who
largely was responsible for the crea-
ton Of a situation just now troubling
a woman Of France and the American
state department.
Result Of Search for Jones' Bones.
The French woman, who is a wild
Ow by the way and has little or no
means of her own, owned some prop
erty in Paris which Americans dam
aged to the extent of $4,000 while
trying to find the body of John Paul
Jones, the old sea fighter, called the
father of the American navy, who was
buried in a cemetery in Paris years
ago.
General Porter in 1904 was the
American ambassador to France. Hen
ry 7. Rainey of CarrOlton, ILL.,, who
then was member Of the house of
representatives, received some infOr-
nation from an old Scotchman con-
corning the probable resting place of
the sailor who himself was a Scotch
man by birth. Rainey became inter-
ested and Immediately interested Gen
eral Porter.
The old cemetery in Paris was 10
Gated, and a large part of it was
found to be covered by modern build
ings. The old map Of the burial place
was discovered and after a search of
the records it was determined that
the body of John Paul Jones lay in
a certain place.
In order to reach the grave it was
necessary to do some tunneling, and
to destroy some property. The French
woman, now a creditor of Uncle Sam,
owned a part Of the property which
was destroyed. She made her claim,
the state department looked into it,
found it was valid and granted her
$4,000, and asked congress to ap-
prOpriate the necessary money. Con-
gress never has acted in the matter.
The story of the search for John
Paul Jones remains is rather grue-
somely interesting. The searchers
went under ground and threaded their
way among the corpses of Frenchmen
and foreigners who had been buried
much more than a century before.
Jones' Coffin Was Found.
They finally found the metal coffin
which answered the description of the
one in which the captain of the Bon
HOmme Richard was buried. There
was no name plate on the coffin, but
It was opened and the measurements
of the body, and the formation of the
skull, which was still intact, CORE
spOnded to the data which the ex-
plOrers had in hand.
The remains of John Paul Jones
were brought to America and today
lie in crypt in the cadet chapel at
where thousands of visitors
each year look upon the envelOping
case and read the inscribed story of
the greatest sea fighter of Revolution
airy days.
Congress will be pressed to pay the
French woman the money which the
state department decided was due her.
If the law makers appropriate the
money 1t will be paid to the woman in
a lump sum without any added inter-
est. 1t may be that only her heirs will
benefit, for this is the way in which |
Uncle Sam makes good many of his
payments after a score or so of years
Of shufiing.
The lower house of congress- has de-
cllned within day or two to accede
to a senate amendment to the navy
bill which would make possible the
payment of money due to the widows
Of officers and enlisted men who died |
In active duty between armistice day, |