University of Virginia Library

Thomas Jefferson to Joseph Carrington Cabell

Mr Brockenbrough has shewn me a letter, written anonimously, charging him with the
grossest frauds and malversation in the office of Proctor of the University, and addressed to
Mr Griffin a member of the legislature. I know the hand writing of the letter as well as I do
my own, and possess many samples from the same pen. it is from James Oldham one of our
undertakers. I have known him 15. or 20. years. he worked on my house some years, is as
faithful a workman as I have ever known, and I have ever believed him an honest man. but
his temper is unhappy. disagreements with his brother-workmen occasioned his leaving my
service, without any displeasure between him and myself; and knowing his skill and fidelity
as a workman I got him employed at the University. he soon got into misunderstandings
there with the Proctor, he refused to settle his accounts on the principles on which I am
informed the other undertakers have settled, and has not yet closed with the propositions of
arbitration which have been offered. this has prevented his receiving payments for his work
in proportion with others, and has engendered the dispositions of mind manifested in that
letter. I did not suppose however that his self-respect would have permitted him to have
attacked an adversary from behind the mask of an anonymous information; or that instead of
laying his charges before the board of Visitors whose duty it is to inquire into any
malversations of their officers, he would have sent them enquiry at such a distance, to a
gentleman under no particular relations with the matter and who, I am sure must have felt
his justice offended by the presumption of the writer that he would become the instrument of
any one who would not risk his own name on his charges. with respect to the charges
themselves, I shall say nothing now; because I hold it to be the duty of the board, if the
informer will undertake to maintain them, to go into that inquiry at our next meeting, and to
go into it uncommitted and unbiased by former opinions. it is surely our duty to see that
those whom we employ act faithfully to their trust, and that the money of the public
confided to our care be honestly and economically administered. in justification of myself
however so far, I may say that so much of the conduct of Mr Brockenbrough as has come
under my observation has had the stamp of the most perfect integrity and diligence; that it
has kept me in a state of entire satisfaction, and that I have deemed it one of the happinesses
of our undertaking to have found two officers so capable and so trust-worthy as our Bursar
and Proctor: and yet that had any of these anonymous charges been ever suggested to me on
grounds worthy notice, no personal confidence or consideration on earth would have
prevented my instituting a proper investigation of them. and I still deem that it would be
injustice to suffer the confidence I have had, and still have in Mr Brockenbrough to be
impaired by any thing contained in this anonymous letter. I shall devise Mr Oldham to put
his charges into distinct and issuable forms, to give a copy of them to Mr Brockenbrough,
and both to be prepared for their investigation at our meeting in April. on this subject I shall
await your information, and the advice of our colleagues with you, and that this should be
given me as early as the proceedings with you shall enable you, saluting you with
affectionate friendship and respect

Copy, ViU:TJ, 2p [1974] with TJ docket "Cabell Joseph C. Feb. 4. 23." Brockenbrough
apparently conveyed this letter to Cabell (see Cabell to TJ, 11 February).