Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-21

Aldlu1 al 1Ol W Wloll W NC AuAe "
it forever; and SO 1t is Surmised tina
he rode southwark across the island
reached the water and there hired {
boat to ferry him over the Is miles o.
sea to Trinidad, the nearest land. Trim
idad, being in Spanish hands, Offered
an obvious refuge from possible pur'
suerS from British territory.
In taking John Paul to Trinidad
however, we are only indulging in con.
lecture. There is no record as to hi;
movements until September of this un.
fortunate year of 1773. Thomas Chase
Sd, at first Maine clergyman anc
later lawyer, then takes up the threac
with narrative which he offers as
having been taken down from the lips
Of his grandfather, Thomas Chase, g
Massachusetts, sailor, who afterwaro
sailed with John Paul Jones on ar
American man-o-war.
The story may be thus summarized
Chase was a STRIPPING living on the
island of Marthas Vineyard, Mass,
when one day "a rakish clipper-built
craft, painted entirely black" sailed into
the harbor of Holmes Hole and put
ashore the body of an officer for burial
Chase himself made the coffin.
The leader of the burial squad re-
ing which the inhabitants had time tc
notice that he was about 5 feet
Inches high" had a very broad chest
and shoulders" and "a resonant and
powerful voice"
The crew, numbering about 40 men
mostly Spanish, with a few Portuguese
among them" seemed to regard this
man as their captain. He finally told
Chase that his name was Paul Jones
and lit was evident at this time that he
really believed himself to be an illegiti-
mate son of the Earl of Selkirk, whose
mansion was near Whitehaven, on the
west coast Of Scotland, near the border
of England. He said that his first rec
objections were of the servants quar-
tiers in the earlS establishment, that he
was called John Paul and that his
fathers name was Paul. He also said
that he was ignorant as to the exact
date of his birth"
was aboard a Colonial privateer when
he was captured by British ship and
carried to Plymouth jail. Subsequently
he was exchanged and s-nt to Lorient
France, where he encountered Jones'
was recognized by him and taken
aboard the Bon Homme Richard Just
before the battle with the Scraps.
X X X "
WHEN Jones was later harassing the
w British coast, the English news
papers insisted on calling him a pirate
and this narrative by Chase, though not
a part of accepted history; would seem
to indicate that they were right, al
though Jones was no pirate when they
called him such, but a regularly ap-
pointed captain in the Continental
navy.
1t is possible, therefore, that after his
escape to Trinidad, Jones, lacking
money and friends, had to take what
employment he could, and so shipped
aboard one of the Spanish corsairs
which made business of running down
the British merchantmen which piled
between America, Africa and the Span
iSh Main. But he could not have beer
in the humor to remain long in such a
trade and no doubt he left it as soon
as he had repleniShed his purse Where
then did he go? And for what reason
did he cease to be John Paul and sigr
himself as "Jno. P. Jones'?
The following clue is found in letter
he wrote to Benjamin Franklin or
March 6, 1779, concerning the Tobagc
homicide:
ut was the advice of my friend Gov
Young, among many others, when that
great misfortune of my life happened
that I should retire incog. to the con-
tinent of America and remain there
until an admiralty commission should
arrive in the island and then return
1t was the advice of my friends
that should, till that wished event
might be brought about, remain in
cog"
The repetition here of the word "in-
cog" is clue sufficiently important and
reasonable. It indicates that John Pau
called himself Jones not because oil
fancy or gallantry, but because the
name Jones, due to the wandering feet
OF the Welsh. was sufficiently common
on the American Continent to enable
him to avoid undesirable attention and
escape possible Identification in case he
should encounter any of his West In
dian enemies or their agents. In short
Jones" was a disguise.
He came to America because it had
been from the first the country of his
fond prediction; because his coun-
trymen were already there in great
numbers; because it was large enough
TO lose himself in, and because it pro-
vlded solid and attractive land at low
price. What seaman does not dream
among the creaking timbers of his ship
OF q neat and permanently anchored
little farm?
II 1t be true that Jones did serve for 2
time on Spanish pirate ship, he prob.
ably left her to go back to the one part
OF America with which he was &C.
qualnted and where he might fine
friends. This was Virginia, on the
banks Of the Rappahannock.
de perhaps made his way to Freder.
lcksburg, where he found his none tor
friendly brother William dead. Tradi.
ton says he lived for a time over Viii.
| llams tailor shop, which is today marked
with this inscription, erected by tn,
Betty. Washington Lewis Chapter of thu
Daughters of the Revolution:
| This tablet marks the only home il
America of John Paul Jones. He wa,
appointed a lieutenant in the Con
tinental Navy while still a resident O.
Virginia"
InURING this period he somehow
made friends; among them DR.
John K. Read. 1t was in the society o.
slave-owning, leisure loving, fox-huntin,
Virginians, to which DR.. Read had in
troduced him that the adaptable JOIN
Paul Jones perfected those airs AM
graces which afterward drew marked
attention upon him when he made hi
first bow to the titled ladies of France
1t is probable that, when not actin,
as DR.. Reads companion, Jones was con
cerned in trade. Up and down the Jane
and Rappahannock Rivers and Chesa
peake Bay, with which he was familiar
And 1t was thus, perhaps, that he earne,
the means to buy two negro slave hoyi