Evening star., 1928-11-25

years old, he was told. "Then," said
Napoleon, "he did not fulfill his destiny.
Had he lived, France might have had
an admiral"
MEANTIME his health continued to
AVA fail. He was then living at No. 42
(later No. 19) rue de Tournon, Paris. q
street which begins at the gate open
ing upon the building now occupied by
the French Senate in the Gardens Of
the Luxembourg.
BY the beginning Of the Summer Of
1892 he was much weaker and was
glad TO spend much of his time lying in
sailors hammock provided for him
in the back yard OF his home. He began
to exhibit symptoms Of itaterstltial me-
phritis, known as Brighte disease,
coughed fearfully, and suffered severe
attack Of jaupdice. AT intervals he was
cheerful and talked energetically with
visitors, but his tendency to brood over
his disappointments was not helped by
his failure to collect from the French
marine ministry arrears In pay due to
the officers and men of the Bonhonime
Richard.
On a Sunday in July, 1892, Gouver-
ieur Morris, the American Minister to
France and one of its chief social but
terflies. visited Jones. finding him in his
backyard hammock. Nine T. and
two young ladies were with him." says
Morris diary. "He was extremely
cheerful, and seemed better than for q
long time previously. He did not cough
much, and talked good deal. Won
derfully interesting!"
Tltt ~ x..a s.,aTx, q j,aknr1raIa that Yn,a
reused himself. He sank slowly day
by day, his face becoming yellow and
enaciated. He lay for hours in his
On the 18th Col Samuel Black
den of North Carolina and Mai. Beau
poll of the French army, who had served
at Yorktown, came to see him. His
breath was short, and the swelling Of
his legs had arept up to his Waistcoat.
After one look at his Shadowy eyes,
they sent for Gouverneur Morris, In
whose presence Jones, sitting in an arm
chair, dictated his will and made an
inventory Of his property.
Morris hurried away from the dying
mans side to attend dinner and the
visitors ard the French notaries took
their leave. John Paul Jones sat alone
In his armchair.
NlStlb kEllt AIl0 HbBlk ItC ohkt
He picked UP book--said to have
been one by Voitaire. But he could not
anchor his mind upon 1t, and he sud.
denly arose, and holding to the walls
and furniture, made his way to the bod
room, threw himself face downward upon
the bed, with feet touching the floor,
and there he died.
July IS. lTe2, aged As years.
The body was placed in lead coffin
and taken to the st. Louis Protestant
Cemetery, then Ia the suburbs now near
the corner of the rue de la Grange aux
Bellies and rue des EcluSes st. Martin,
in the quarter called, by a coincidence,
"le Combat" Soon the grave was ohlit-
Grated under several feet Of earth, on
which grocers and tailors built their
shops.
IN 1899 Gen. Horace Porter, United
States Ambassador to France, re-
solved at his own expense to And the
body OF Jones, Much search located the
forgotten cemetery at the end of lit
the street called by an old coincidence
"'Vicq d. Azyr." after the physician who
had pronounced Jones dead Excava.
digging disclosed Ave lead cofilnS, Meas
urements and q process of elimination
reduced the bodies examined to q
nameleGs one about 5 feet 7 inches iff
height, with brown hair and high cheek
bones. II was preserved In alcohol. The
studies of several distinguished French
scientists convinced them II was John
Paul Jones.
President Theodore Roosevelt ordered
Rear Admiral Charles D. Sigshee to pro-
ceed with Q squadron to France and
bring back the body. Escorted by French
vessels, the American cruisers landed
the casket and placed 1t In brick
vault on the academy grounds at An
napolis in, July. After commemorative
exercises were held, the body was taken
into Bancroft Hall. Annapolis, and plac-
ed behind a stairway. There, resting on
two wooden Sawhorses Of the kind used
by carpenters, 1t remained for seven
years.
It was as If destiny, which had in life
inflicted upon John Paul Jones so many
indignities. had returned, spectrally, to
visit one more upon him In death The
thing became scandal and public
appropriated 9i3b,000 to complete the
Naval Chapel, with crypt and mauso-
leum for Jones.
his death, Jones' body, with due cere-
monies, was placed In the crypt beneath
the donaed chapel. II Is truly mag
nifcent tomb, OF marble and porphyry
Around the elevated casket runs a
circle inscribed in shining letters with
the names of the ships he made fam
uot: The Ranger, the Bonhomme
Richard. the Alliance. the Ariel.
One marx OF genius Is the ability to