Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1857-08-05
The Patch on MIR. Marcy,s Breeche,.

Harper's Weekly relates the following anec
dotes of Mr.. Marcy:
While he was Governor of this State, he wa.
visiting Newburgh on some public occasion, and
with party of gentlemen, wings and demo.
Gratis, was at the Orange Hotel. Good humo,
was prevailing, and one story suggested another
The Governor always enjoyed story, and could
tell one with excellent effect. A whig LAWYER
was present, and the Governor, recognizing him
said
"Ah, yes; I'll tell you a good story of Spoon.
er. The other day he came up to ALBANY. on
his way to a whig convention at Utica, and SC
he took it in his way to call on me to get par.
don 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 it was q
s0hig speech that he pas going to make at Utica
abusing me the worst possible way. But had
granted pardon in advance, and I suppose be
committed the offence afterwards"
| The story was received with great applause
and spooner, being look to for response, instant.
| ly went on with the following, which, for an
"Yes, gentlemen-yes did. And when the
convention was over we went to Niagara Falls,
and as we were dragging along by stage over
miserable corduroy roads, banging our heads o.
gainst the top of the coach, and then coming
down as if we were going through the bottom,
the stage came to dead halt; the driver dis
mounted, opened the door, and requested US all
to descend. We did so, supposing some accident
had occurred. When we were all out, standing
upon 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
for the Governor; this is the identical spot aohere
Marcy tore has pantaloons!" !"
The story was heard with great jollifcation,
which no one enjoyed more heartily than the
Governor himself.
That pantaloon incident deserves to be record
ed in every history Of this 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 salary and his expenses
With that nice regard for details that belonged
to his sterling character he kept q minute &C.
count Of all his expenditures and handed in the
list on his return, without thinking it necessary
or proper to revise and strike out those items of
a private nature which other men, less scrupu.
lous in great matters, might have carefully sup.
pressed. There stood the tailor's charge for
mending. The political foes of the judge, when
he came to be candidate for governor, found it
and paraded it before the world in the newspa.
pers and making an efigy of Mr.. Marcy, sus-
pended it in the streets of Albany, with great
patch on the pantaloons, and the tailor's charge
on the 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 his they recogniz-
ed frankness and transparency OF character
that commended him to their warm appreciation.
1t is not probable that the pantaloon charge lost
for him single vote, while it is doubtless true
that it made for him multitudes of friends. He
was never ashamed Of it and never had reason
to be.