The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1857-08-06
The Patch ON Marcy,s Breeches

Almost every body has heard the sto-
ry about the patch On Marcy's breeches,
which some years ago was regarded as
important item in the political contests in
New York. Harper's weekly relates the
following pleasant anecdotes in regard to
the matter.
While he was Governor of this State, he
was visiting Newburg on some public oc-
casion, and with party of gentlemen
Wings and Democrats, was at the Orange
Hotel. Good humor was prevailing, and
one story suggested another. The gov
ernor always enjoyed story, and could
tell one with excellent effect. A Wing
lawyer was present, and the Goyenor,rec-
ognizing him, said:
"Ah, yes; I'll tell you good story of
Spooner. The other day he came up to
Albany, on his way to the Wing Conven-
ton at Utica, and so he took it in his way
to call on me to get a pardon for a convict
at Sing Sing. Iheard the case, examined
the documents, and being satisfied that,
all was right agreedto grant the request.
Spooner handed me the paper to indorse,
and l 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 Why
speech that he aoas agoing TO make at Utica,
abusing me TIE worst possible way. But
l had granted pardon in advance, and I
suppose he committed the offense after
ward.'
The story was received with great ap-
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, I 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 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
that some accident had occurred. When
We were all out. standing on the ends ofthe
logs of which the road wasmade, the driver
took of his hat and said: "Gentlemen, we
always stop here out of respect to the
Governor; this is the identical spot where
Marcy tore has pantaloonsr'
The story was heard with great ioliica-
ton, in which no one joined more hearth
ly than the Governor himself.
That pantaloon incident deserves to be
recorded in every history OF this great
man. He was sent on to hold special ses
sions. of court to try the anti-Masonic par
ties charged with murder.
He was to receive salary and his e1-
penses. With that nice regard for details
that belonged to his sterling character he
kept minute account of all his expendi-
lures, and handed in the list on his return,
without thinking it necessary or proper to
revise or strike out those items of pri-
vate nature which other men, less scru-
pulous in greater, matters, might have sup
pressed. There STOOL 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 newspapers and
making an efigy of Mr. Marcy. suspended
it in the streets of Albany, with great
patch on his pantaloons, and the tailof'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 recognized frankness and trans
parency of character that commended him
to their warm approbation.-It is not
probable that the pantaloon charge lost
for him a single vote, while it is doubtless
true that it made for him multiiudes of
friends. He was never ashamed of it,
and never had reason to be.
THE BOY FOR THE TIMES