Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1859-11-08
A Card--..COl. Forbes

what are there characterlzed rs Most Inn
portant. Revelations respecting Old
Brown aud the completely Of leading Re-
publicans in his recent operations. Into
this labored and successful attempt at sell
exposure by "Col. Forbes" | find my
name most: wantonly dlaggsd9D My cnly
reason for noticing the performance is VI
belief that the public may infer from the
facts in my, case what is heprobabletrRth
with respect to others whqse pamesshaye
been dragged intothese ''Mssi|in,po amt
Revelations /, ssslFS4 4 u
This F .rbes appeared In our city some
time after the explosion OF the European
Revolutionary Uprising of l8i8. and
claimed TO have borue an important part IN
that movement. Ofcpurse, he was needy,
and the Herald says he was ''at one
time reporter or translator on the 'frl-
bune.'" This is quite probable, though
do not recollect ii.
! Some time late in 1856, Il think it.
was, was apprised that he WAS going
out 10 Kansas To hel p the Free State men,
then threatened with annihlation by the
border rutians of Missouri, backed by Fed
-eral funcionaries and troops. Lawrence
had then been twice beleaguered and once
sacked; Ossawattomie had been twice raw
aged and burned; Leavenworth had been
! Just before swept clean of Free State men
by Missouri raid-William Phillips be-
ing butchered while defending his own
house, his bro her badly wounded and
captured, while those who made no resist
apce We're sent down the river At An hours
notice. As Forbes professed to be acapa-
ble and experienced military officer, espe-
cially qualified for guerilla or border war
fare, and as he had always cl lined to be
an earnest Red Republican and foe of ev-
cry form Of Human Slavery, though his
resolution natural and cummendable.-
Knowing him to be poor, gave him 500
AS he WAS starting; others gave him larger
sums; how much in all, i do not knoV;
but think his total receipts from friends
Of + lee Kansas. onta account of his resolve,
cannot have fallen below 800.
He went--was absent some months
came back-that is all know Of his SER
vices 10 the Free Stale cause in any shape.
Whether because lie was not needed, OF
was not trusted OF was found incompe-
tent, | do not know-I only know that
he did nothing, aud was practically worth
nothing. l believe lie spent art Of the
money given lnm in printing a pamphlet,
embodying his notions Of guerilla or par
lsan wariare-of course no dollar ever
came back. think l heard of him before
his return, clamoring for more money.
In due time, lie reappeared in New
York, and came to me (as 10 others with
complaints that he had been deceived, 1,
mlsied, swindled, beggared, his family
lin Paris) turned into the streets 10
siarve, &c &c. l tried to ascertain who
had deceived him, what promises made
10 him had been broken, &c., but with
little success. All coull make out was
that some one-he now says it was Old
Brown-had promised him something in
the way Of prcuniary recompense for his
services, which had not been made good,
aud that his family were consequently re-
duced to the brink of starvation. ..
TO this hour, have never learned
what Brown ("r any one else) promised
Forb s. nor how far the promlser pro-
tessed TO have the right to commit others
| do not be iev4 that John Brown ever
= wiliully deceived him or any one else.
r am very sure that no one was ever author,
lied 10 engage the services of "Col
| L., ,bn., - lnL,If - al E,aa CInfa
+, Of Kansas, ON condition that said Forbes
should be authorized to charge his owr
price for those services, and draw, a
b pleasure, on some responsible party fo'
u payment. | have neyer heard any one
: version of the matter but Forbes; and
r confidently inter from this that..if there
5 WAS mutual misunderstanding and disap
+ polntment in the premises, The employing
s party had decidedly the worst Of it,
e . Forbes says that lin response to hi
= complaints and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
7 that | he had no legal clam, accordin!
II to the lower law" 1t really seems to M
. that there was no room for argument ol
n that point. He further says thar lto't
!" him he ''ought to have known that en-
gagements OF this sort never are kept
{ never are meant to be kept" AS lhav'
U not to this hour been able to ascertain
u u what engagement if any, was mad
" with him, nor by whom this cannot b.
the full and lair purport Of my remark.
,s did urge that. il he had contract will
N any one, whereby others were held boun'
a to pay him money, whether in definite .
"a indefinite amounts, he ought to be able t
) how some other evidence Of that fact tla
n his unsupported assertion. Had Brow
~ been any how indebted to Fo bes for Ser
ii vices 10 the Free State cause, doubt M
e that he (B. would have settled with him
;. and at least acknowledge the obligation j
<, writing. Had Brown stipulated that 9th
,e ers should pay him money, he (B.) woul
y. at least have settled the account, an
70 given him F. an order on the perso
AZ AZ who was 10 pay it. But Forbes Shove
no contract, no acknowledgment {
q, Indebtedness, no evidence that any on
but himself considered the friends OF Ere
Kansas indebted to him to the amount {
one iarthing. ioH b,
te The whole matter showed on its fac
that whoever employed Forbes, felt th'
F. had got quite enough out Of Free StaI
man If. then. | answered him that Il