, 1859-11-02

RELATIVE TO THE EXISTENCE OF
%tCOL. OKHES.*s

Much needless, might SAY, f7dienlont, pront
lence has been gireu Of laia 10 the printed cor-
'espondcnce Of one1. Gel. Forbes Having ex"
nircd all the documentary Testimony bearing
1s,ou the case, being personally acquainted walh
l9st Of the gentlemen whose names Ute nssoc''
a:fd with TINT character aud having been, as
rnl arc aware, quite intimately familiar With
X insas committees, -hansas persouases ,and
Kansas events during tic times in which "Co1
Earbcs' ia aad to 1ase feurishcd. tase the
responsibility Of believing fhat there IL no suca
t.tsson as " CN.. forbt* t-do not undertake to-
: y there is no .nan IN ile United States Of tue
!. nac Of Forbes, nor TINT some one Of that pat
rony1nic 'uany not have dubbed himself "Co'7'
cel.' Forbes is Respectable name. II dom |
.romc the inoath rs well as Smith There
HAY be, aud quite likely Is, some representative
Ct the Forbes family in ccch Of the large cltits
"s! america and England; snd there - no law.
i, this country at least, preEentlnG each Of the
t:a'c Fcrbcses from calling hidseA Colonel l
Goubt not all tie Forheses in Virginia, South
Carolina, Georgia and Texas, who are not Juds-
Is, Generals. Majors or Captains are ''colonels.
l;as ] utterly scout the idca 1aa1 ahefe Is any
81 Col Forbes IN the prevailing sense IN winch
the name passes from mouth 10 noata' III"
from newspaper 10 newspaper: Ae IS ms'n,
not unlike the sea serpent, Who has 'f'shfehed
80 many ot our most 'hte'"geat 'n"f'"eFs' VI
Ike tile giant mentioned W o''a!fe' coneese.
IN; the 1cns'h of whose nose people were Gust
il sclisms, but ol whose existence, mountain
high, they we're 50 fnllS persuaded shas taes
tore IN pieces all who Tentured 10 suggest fha'
there Was no giant and therefore, no nose 10
quarrel about.
Let n4 examine she; evidence %1'ch Is ienea
"a to establish the identity Of col' foFnes,
]'ut tirst let me say HAT while met ana he'd
personal converse "i!h all OF nea11S MI ue
gentlemen mentioned III INC fo1oes correspond
eacc IN 1s5' anu leos-aae'uafp5 MT F. H. oan"
'oFn' d. >. u howe, III. Jesse oo"en' eaP'.
''ehn brown and h's sous Alr. Gerr't smith, and
":hers-anss though Was M olheer o' inc Sa-
'"'ns! hausas Comm'ttee' anu 'hos was IN
position 10 be 1Anf''ar Will al the Important
kunsas hus'ness OF the t1me' secret serFace
aad all; aud Notwithstanding tra'e'eu e11en-
.ive'v in Kansas during tue time Col. fofoes
services are said TO hare been III Feqoasn'on-
yet soiemnly aver HAT l never heard "Go'.
fo'bes'" name pronounced Until it appeared
three or four days ago in tue New York daily
psncrs: This may not seem conclusive in the
/ readers taiud against tlle existence Of "CoL
Forbes" Admitting That this character might
hase slipped into hnnsas and out again, on Free
State service, without the National Kansas
Committee erer hearing OF him, ask you
whether, If bis services were calcalab'e IN dol
lars and cents. it is not probable they would
have found their way into pr'uf Mt some time
without Sol. Forbes" own Intervention:
adhere to the belief that there is no "Col
Fo:acs."
The csidcaee relied on to establish the entity
of "Col Forbes" is:
!. Il ecries of letters purporting to be writer
;Y"Col. Fosbes,'' not to him, and published it
lie .1tw lori Mt.alL. Tie reader will observe
tia. tbs MraM does not pretend to hare 20
tie letters from az Col. Forbes" nor ever 10 have
had personal knowledge Of him. Un the con
sr4r,, it prctends to haye stolen them or pickct
ticu, up in the street. Here are three doubt
| cf ,lr frs: magnitude each: ]. The letters ar.
| III written IN" "Col. Forbes ;" It is not custom
uty for military men tn retain copirs Of The let
lirs they write to other people when not re1at
| iny to military operations; but it is customat,
fur military persons as well as others to retail
tie lt,.ers they receive fran their correspond
vats. jQattx-What has become Of tue letter
WHICH "Col. Forbes" received from Mr.. San
Lprn, Dr. Howe, Gcrrit Smith, etc.yl !. I'll
Ialers are printed in tAf yxw }1rk Ns7a1d, With