The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1857-07-28
ANECDOTES OF TIE LATE MIR.
MARCY.


An anecdote, hitherto unpublished may
serve to illustrate his pleasant humor.
While he was Governor of this State. he
was visiting Newburg on some public ecca-
sion, and with party of gentlemen. Wings
and Democrats, was at the Orange Hotel.
Good humor was prevailing, and one story
| suggested another. The Governor always
enjoyed story, and could tell one with
excellent effect. A whig lawyer was pres
ent, and the Governor recognizing him,
| said: ,..
"Ah, yes, I'll tell yeu a good story of
Spooner. The other day he came up to
Albany on his way to the Whig Conven-
ton at Utica, and so he took it in his way
to call on me to get pardon for convict
at Sing Sing. heard the case, examined
the documents, and being satisfied that all
was right agreed to grant the request.
Spooner handed me the paper to endorse,
and wrote, Let pardon be granted. w.
L. Marcy when Spooner cried out, Hold,
hold, Governor! that's the wrong paper
And sure enough, it was Whig speech
that he o0as going tomake at Utica, abusing
me tho worst possible way. But had
granted pardon in advance, and l suppose
he committed the offence afterward."
The story was received with great ep-
plause, and Spooner being looked to for a
response, instantly went on with the fol-
lowing, which for an extempore story GER
tainly is capital:
YES, gentlemen, yes, did. And when
the Convention was over, We went 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 though we
were going through the bottom, the stage
came to dead halt; the driver dislnounted,
opened the door and requested us to de-
scend. We did so, supposing that some
accident had occurred. When we wero
all out standing on the ends of the logs OF
which the road was made, the driver took
off his hat and said, '.Gontlemen, we stop
here out of respect for the Governor: this
is the identical spot a0here Marcy tore has
pdntat0onS ~
The story was heard with great gollifica-
ton, in which no one joined more heartily
than the Governor himself.
The pamtatoOn incident deserves to be
recorded in every history ofthis great man.
He was sent out to hold special sessions of
court to try the Anti Masonic parties
charged with murder. He was to receive
q salary and his expenses. With that nice
regard for details that belonged to his ster-
ling character, he kept minute account
of all his expenditures, and handed in the
list on his return, without thinking it neces-
sary or proper to revise and strike out
those items of private nature which other
men, less scrupulous in greater matters,
might have carefully suppressed. There
stood the talor's charge for mend:ng. The
political foes of the judge, when he came
to be candidate for Governor, found it,
and paraded it before the world in the
newspapers; and making an efigy of Mr.
Marcy, suspended it in the streets of AL
bany, with great patch on the pantaloons
and the tailors charge on the top of that
A story is told of him and his friend Gen.
Wool. which possesses some interest at
the present time. Forty years ago, Gen.
Wool was a dry goods merchant in Troy.
Having failed in his business, he was in
doubt whether to study law or pursue some
other career; and having great faith in the
judgment of young Marcy, with whom he
was intimate, he referred his difficulty to
him. Marcy unhesitatingly dissuaded him
from studying law, and advised him to ap-
ply for a company in the new leyies which
were being made to prosecute the war.
The advice was followed; and hence, thro'
Mr. Marcys counsels, the city of Troy has
lost respectable lawyer, and the country
has gained an admirable officer.-Ne'o
York Paper.