These "Geffroy letters" were subsequently published in the Newport Rhode-Island Republican on September 18, 1802, under the headline "Rutledge's Letters To the President of the United States." As noted in that article, although Geffroy possessed some mastery of spoken English, it was doubted that he could write, "with any degree of correctness, a single sentence of the language." After a flurry of accusations and affidavits, Rutledge challenged Ellery to a duel, which he declined.
The letters written by Geffroy were published in the Newport Rhode-Island Republican newspaper on September 18, 1802, under the title "Rutledge's Letters To the President of the United States." The article noted that despite his fluency in spoken English, it was believed that Geffroy could not write a grammatically correct sentence. Following accusations and affidavits, Rutledge challenged Ellery to a duel, which he refused.