The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1857-08-22
III tA1Cn ON NM. a6ARCY'1DREECnKs
na'per's Weekly relates the following an
aod0es of Mr.. MARCY:

~ tA1cn ON MN. afARCYsDREEcnKs
uaPsr's Weekly relates the following an
esd1ss Of Mr.. MARCY:
While ~ Ma Governor Of this State, he
vayisitih9 Nswburgh on some public oc-
cason, andSsitA party Of gentlemen,
whgs and demcsfes WAS q the Orange |
MEL. Good humof was prevailing, and
"a story suggested another. The Govern
alvays enjoyed a story, and could tell
" With excellent effect. a whig lawyer
sss present, and the Governor recognising
AL, YES; I'll tell you : good story Of
Srooner. The other day, he came mp to
A5any, on his way to the Wing Conven-
tim al Utica, and 80 he took it in his way
to call on>se to get pardon for q convict
at Sing Sing. hoard the case, examined
the documents, and being satisfied that all
was right, agreed to grant the request
Spooner handed me the paper to indorse,
and wrote: 'Let pardon be granted. W.
L. Marcy; when Spooner cried out Hold,
hoa Governor! that's the wrong paper!'-
And sure enough, it was a phig speech tI1t
ne acas going to make at Utica,, abasing
me the worst possible way. But | had
granted pardon in advance, and suppose
he committed the offence aftervard."
The story was received With great ap-
Plause, and Spooner, being looked to for
response. instantly went on with the follow
ing, which, for an ext1mpore story, certain
ly is capital:
"Yes, gentlemen-yes, did. And when
the Convention was over wewent to Niagara
Falls, and as we were dragging on by stage
over miserable corduroy roads, banging our
heads against the top Of the coach, and
then coming down as if we were to 60
through the bottom, the stage came to a
dead halt; the driver dismounted, opened
the door, and requested US all to descend.
We did SO, supposing that some accident
had occurred. When we were all out stand
ing on the ends Of the logs If which the road
was made, the driver took of his hat and
said: Gentlemen, we always stop here out
of respect for the Governor; this is the iden-
teal spot vhere Marcy tore his pantd-
loons!'
The story was heard with great jollifca-
ton, which no one Joined more heartily than
the Governor himself.
That pantaloon incident deserves to be
recorded in every history Of this great man.
He was sent out to hold special sessions Of
court to try the anti-Nlasonic parties charg-
ed with murder. He was to receive sala-
ry and his expenses With that nice regard
for details that belonged to his sterling
character, he kept minute account of all
his expenditures, and handed in the list or
his return, without thinking it necessary OF
proper to revise and strike out those items
of q private nature, which other men, less
scrupuous in great matters, might have
carefully suppressed. There stood the tailors
charge for mending. The political foes Of
the Judge, when he came to be candidate
for Governor, found it, and paraded it be.
fore the world in the newspapers; and max.
ing an efigy of Mr.. Marcy, suspended it in
the streets of Albany, with great patch or
the pantaloons, and the tailor's charge or
the top. of that.
But an observant people saw through thu
patch and the charge into the heart Of ar
honest man, and in that very deed of his
they recognized frankness and transpa
rency of character that commended him tt
their warm appreciation. 1t is not proba
BILE that the pantaloon charge lost for hin
single vote, while it is doubtless true, tina
it made him multitudes of friends. Hewas
never ashamed of it, and never had reason
to be.