The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1850-12-21
Calvert shs sieve Aseas, snA NE CAieAgs 1sie.
Rvuph and Pess offices.

Quite racy correspondence has recently been
carried On between Mr. JOIN CALvrnr. an agent
sen, from ST. Loui, through this state to Chicago,
to arrest fugitive slaves. and Mr.. JAMES GAMBLE,
manager of the Southern Telegraph Office, in Chi.
eago
1t appears that Mr.. Cslvert's efforts to arrest
fugtives, in Chicago and he even went to Detroit
and from there to Canada,l proved perfee, fail
ure-noI being able to return with single cap
tive Mortified and chagrincd a, his bad success,
on his return to his employers, he endeavored to
excuse his own bad management by casting the
whole blame upon the persons employed in the
Chicago Telegraph and Post Offices According
J to his statements in the ST. Louis Repeb!icui, Of
the / 9th ult, Mr.. c, charges those employed in
the Chicago Post Office with sUrpressing lis let
;ers; and SAYS that, although he expected many
more, he only received two while IN that city, and
! that these Lad been broken open. He also char
gcs the operators in the Telegraph Office with
suppyessiug communications between him and his
! friends in St Louis He declares that he left
thirty tro telcgraphc dispatches at the otfcs 10
be sent to ST. Louis, al requiring immediate An
swers, but could never receive them; and that he
believed that one Of these Les patches was used to
give information Of His contemplated visit TO De-
;roit,
| In the Rcp,biieIn OF the 4th inst. appears a
note from Mr. Gamble, in which he pronounces
( the statements Of Mr.. Calvert untrue,-ani says
he did not send hirty-tro dispatches from the
Chicago ofiice--not une. fourth that number, which
the records Of the office will prove And that ey.
cry answer sent from St. Louis was duly received
and delivered which the books in that office will
show, ION no account whatever" SAYS Mr. G
would We take the responsibility Of suppressing
Dispatches or divulging their contents, whether
relative to fugitive slaves or anything else" Mr
| G. further says that,
The facts OF the matter seem to he, that Mr.. {
has been rather unsuccessful in his attempts ares
ting tugltives here, merely because he dill no, take
the right course. for have every renson 10 believe
that iugltves can De taken from Chicago with as lit
tie trouble as from any other town N the state pro-
vldlng lawful course Is taken and II l. very ryl-
dent he has gotten up these "bugbear stores irr no
other purpose than 10 gam sympathy from his en-
ployers aud friends in St LOUIS. hope he has sue
ceedcd, for he probably needs all he can get, but |
am opposed to hs gaining il at my expense
/ To this Mr. Calvert replied, IN the E,Phjica,,
If the 9th inst, in which he reiterates lis former
charges; and adds tia. he lad frequently COM
planned, in the telegraph otiice Of not receiving
dispatches that he was compelled to obtain per,
mission to use some other persons name through
which he finally secured an answer to one Of his
dispatches, and which was the only one he re-
ceived. He dill not remember the amount he
had paid for Dispatches deposited but as to the
number--ttrty-tro-he knew to be correct
These facts" says he should convince any i'm
partial mind that either Mr. Gamble, the clerks
or all about the Office are abolitionists. He also
rs.assers his belief that some one in the Tel Office
did give information to Detroit Of his intention to
90 there. as it was known there five hours before
he arrived In reference to his letters he saws:
| 80 far as opening my letters is concerned, |
have 10 shy that the Postmaster did not DENY the fact
hat sald they were opened by man Of the same
sirnane. This was piausibe-but on seeing Nr
} Calvert, who Is halter, he informed me that he
had been absent from the city two or three weeks.
and had nst that day returned - Since my return
home, learn there were quite a number Of letters
written TO ne, only two OF which received"
All this is again denied, through the same me-
dunn in communication from Mr.. Gamble OF
the 9th inst, accompanied with atiidavits from the
Clerk and Receiver and the Assistant Operator Of
the Chicago telegraph Office, and one from r. 5.
Miller. Manager Of the Detroit line, all coroboral.
ing bis former statements, and proving to a
demonstration that Mr.. Calvert did not while
in that city, send more than four dispatches, all
Of which were duly received by the persons TO
whom they werc directed, which the books and
files of the St Louis Office will show, and that nc
information was sent by telegraph frcm Chicago
to Detroit, as stated by Mr. Calvert.
The responsibility of the persons whose names
appear to the affilayits leaves no doubt Of ,heii
correctness; and forces the conviction upon the
mind Of every impartial reader, that Mr Calvert
has been guilty of publishing gross and outrage.
Gus falsehoodS, in reference to those engaged in
the Chicago telegraph Office.
We give this full statement of this controversy
=" "u w eViVhuHS 50 fcsIcCIaUleh set oil fnefl---
men whose characters for veracity and fidelity
have long been established on this iue-from the
libellous charges Of man like Mr. c. whose EN-
pIoyment alone is enough TO codemn him in the
minds Of every respectable man.
We know but little about the private character
Of Mr.. Calvert, or Of his skill as a slave.catcher
but We do know that he is not a fit man 10 come
north on such an errand. II the people Of oul
neshborng states wish to recover their runaway
slaves in Illinois, let them send men who have in
telligence enough to know what they are about
and they will have no difficulty in accomplishing
their ends. The people Of this state will not re
sis, any law Of Congress; they are law.abiding
people. Eut the slave holder of St. Louis, OIL
any other place need not expec! that they vii
assist in, or even countenance the kidnapping o
persons by some struggling vagabond without lie
gal process or any thing 20 show tina, the per
SONS attempted to be taken ever were slaves
We have been requested to notice that he Is
Presbyterian Church Of Ottawa, formerly wor
shopnr in tho Mechnnic.' Hall will b.roo c, :,