On August 14, 1801, Jefferson wrote to Nicholas Geffroy from Monticello: “ Your favor of the 1 ^st. inst. came to hand here yesterday. no apologies are necessary from my fellow citizens for addressing to me either facts or opinions. on the contrary I am always glad to recieve them, claiming the indulgence of not being required to write special answers (which would be really impossible) except where they require something further to be done. your letter mentions an abuse which I would wish to ascertain; to wit that the timber, bricks & lime used in building the fort at Newport were brought from Maine; & that lands, for the mere accomodation of the garrison were bought at an unexampled price. the bringing timber from Maine might be justifiable: but none of the other articles appear so. will you be pleased to satisfy yourself of the particulars of these abuses & to communicate to me what on more particular enquiry, you find to have been the exact truth, & to give me the names of the persons on whom we may call to prove them. the source of my information shall be known to nobody but myself unless you chuse to permit it expressly. it is to avoid suspicion that I shall not frank this letter . . . ”

On October 20, 1802, Rutledge wrote to Jefferson from Newport: “Your name having been connected with the subject of this letter, will, I trust, be considered as some apology for the liberty I take in troubling you with it. Two letters dated in August 1801, signed N Geffroy, and addressed to you, have been published in one of the prints of this place, and charged upon me, on account, as it was said, of “the parity of hands”: Persons desirous of comparing the hand writing of these letters with mine, were invited to examine the originals at the printing office. Many gentlemen of Carolina long in correspondence with me, & others well acquainted with my handwriting, were here at the time, & profiting of the printers invitation, called to examine these letters, & all of them declared their conviction of the writings not being mine.

"As a great deal of the most foul and vulgar abuse had repeatedly been addressed to me in the same paper, many persons here thought I should discover an unbecoming condescension by noticing this ridiculous & anonymous attack; the deisre however of checking it, impelled me to a publication, & to declare, on oath, that I had been utterly ignorant of the transaction before reading the newspaper announcing it. It was to have been hoped that my solemn denial, supported by the oaths of every person here acquainted with my writing, would have destroyed this calumny: but the Author & Propagator of it, not discouraged by these circumstances, made a tour through this State, & into Massachusetts, and got a number of Persons, who knew nothing of me, who had never seen my writing, and many of whom (I am credibly informed) could neither read nor write, to swear they believed the letters in question were written by me. This contrivance not producing the desired effect, the Postmaster, after a lapse of several weeks, was induced to swear that they were delivered by a girl saying she had lived with me, & saying also that I had sent her. His son, less cautious, swore they were delivered by my servant. I fortunately procured very ample & respectable countervailing testimony, which completely nullified the depositions of these officious postmasters. As it is probable, Sir, that the Papers of this place may not be received at Washington, I feel it a respect due to you (whose name has been used in this business as authorizing the publication of of [sic] the letters) no less than to myself, to forward the enclosed documents disproving my having had any agency in the puerile and ridiculous transaction which malice & ignorance have ascribed to me.

"Altho’ the mere circumstance of my being a federalist would be quite sufficient, in this season of violent party spirit and jealously, [ sic -- Ed. ] to make many persons believe, without examination, that I am capable of anything infamous with which I might be charged in our licentious papers, yet, I feel persuaded, Sir, notwithstanding the delcarations of your having authorized ”