The first glimpse into his character was when he so viciously
flogged a seaman that the boy died as a result. Paul was arrested
but wormed his way out of it and got down to London and then served
in the 22 gun vessel ‘Betsy’. On this ship he killed another seaman
in a dispute over wages. To avoid a trial he fled to Virginia whilst
changing his name to John Paul Jones.
He managed get enlisted into the US Navy with his new name.
Later in life he was accused of sexual misconduct in that he raped a
12 year old girl. All he admitted was that he had frollicked with the
girl for a small cash payment.
He eventually died in obscurity in Paris.
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