Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1857-08-29
The Patch on Marcy's Breeches.

Harper's Weekly relates the following
anecdotes of Mr.. Marcy
awhile he was Governor of this State,
he was visiting Newburgh on some public
occasion, and with q party Of gentlemen,
Wings and Democrats, was at the Orange
Hotel Good humor was prevailing, and
one Story suggested another. The Gov
crnor always enjoyed story, and could
tell one with excellent effect, A Wing
lawyer was present, and the Governor
recognizing him, said;
'Ah, yes; III tell you a good story Of
Spooner. The other day he came up to
Albany on his way to the Wing Convention
at Utico, and, 50 he took it in his way to
call on ME to get pardon for convict at
Sing Sing. l heard the case, examined
the D lcuments, 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 paperl'
And sure enough it was Wig speech he
,oaS going 10 make at Utica, abusing me
the worst possible way. But | had granted
pardon in advance, and suppose he
committed the offence afterwards
The story was received with great
applause, and Spooner being looked to for
RESPONSE Instantly went on with the
following, which for an extempore story,
certainly is capital:
eyes. gentlemen, yes | did. Aud when
the Convention was over we went to Niagara
Falls, and as we were dragging on by
stage over miserable corduroy roads, bang
ing our heads against the top of the coach,
and then coming down as if it we're to 90
through the bot tom the stage came to
dead halt; the driver dismounted opened
the door, and requested US oil to descend,
We did SO, supposing some accident had
occurred. When we were all out, standing
on the ends Of the logs of which the road
was made, the driver took off his hat and
said--"Gentlemen we always stop here
out Of respect to the Governor this is the
identiole spot where Gov. Marcy t0re lis
pantal0ons
The tory was heard with great jollifica-
ton, in which no one joined more hear lily
than the Governor himself.
The pa7ltalOOn incident deserves to be
recorded in every history Of this great man.
He was sent out to hold special sessions of
Court 10 try the Anti Masonic parties
charged with murder. He was to receive
.alary and his expenses. With that nice
regard for details that belonged to his
sterling character, he kept minute account
of all bis expenditures, and handed in tho
list on his return, without thinking it
necessary or proper to revise and strike
out those items of private nature, which
other men, less scrupulous in greater mat.
ters, might have carefully suppressed
There stood tho tailor's bill for mending
The political foes of the Judge, when he
came to be candidate for Governor, found
it, aud paraded it before the world in the
newspapers, and making an efigy of Mr..
Marcy suspended in the streets of Albany,
with a great patch on The pantaloons, and
the tailor's charge on top of that.
But an observant people saw through
the patch and the charge into the heart of
an honest man and in that very deed of
lis they recognized frankness and trans
parency of character that commended him
to their warm appreciation, 1t is not
probable that the pantaloon charge lost
for him a single vote, whilst it is doubtless
true that it made for him multitude of
friends. He was never ashamed oft, and
never had reason to be.