The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-09-01
Thurlow Weeds Autobiography.

rumOrs from time TO time, VIC arc plea
sed TO learn is progressing as rapidly
as Mr.. Weed health will permit. 1t
promises to be one of the most inter
esting autobiographics ever published
i'm this country with the single excep-
ton of Franklin's, and, on the histor-
zeal style, will have greatly the advan-
tage of that precious fragment. Its
publication may not be Immediately
looked for, but VIC have had the advan-
tage of reading some portions of it,
and have received permission to pub
lish the account of an incident which
will be found equally curious and in
~tcresting to readers whose recollcctions
extend over a period of half Il century
az well as to the younger generation.
The following is the eXtrac':
I'm 1917 there was n disastrous split
in the Republican par y of this State,
Governor Clinton healing one faction
and Mr.. Van Buren, the other. A
political and personal warfare of UNI
usual virolence characterized the cam
paign of that year. Mr.. Clinton, an
able and v%ituperative writer, assailed
the leaders of the opposition side in
the columns of the New York COtann-
tian and Albany Register. William
E-Marcy, then ayoung mar, and 9th
9 crs, replied through the columns ofthe
Albany 4ryus. One morning a vehe-
Oment article, highly denunciatory of
Governor Clinton, provoked q note
from the gentleman ~assailed to the e =
dit6r ofthe argus, demanding the name
Of the writer. Mr. Buel, the editor,
j handed the note to MI. Van Buren,,
ofwho invited MI. Charles E. Dudley,
& Mr.. William l.. Marcy, Mr.. Benja-
min Knower and Judge Roger Skin
,aher to his house that evening. While
& they were discussing the embarrassing
question which Governor Cinton's
note had raised, the servant brought
Peter H. Livingstone TO the library.
4 Mr.. Clinton was at the time Governor
eief the State, while Messrs. Van Buren,
land Livingstone were members of the
Senate. The conversation, rs Mr..
Livingstone discovered, was Interrupt
Lifted by his appearance, He said, IN
-iilits usual brasque manner, "1Ou are
talking secrets here, and l have inter
1irupted you" Mr.. Van Buren, replied.
bl"Governor Clinton has demanded the
name of the writer of the article in
Lthis Mornings 4rgus, and we were talk
ling of the peculiar awkwardness of ex-
posing tie writer" ''There is moth
! ing peculiar about it." resp led Mr..
Livingstone, nor need there be any
embarrassment. Send my name to Mr.
Clinton Mr.. Van Buren, remarked.
.5t"This is no occasion for trifing. Dir.
Livingstone. You know what Mr.
& Clinton means by his demand" yes,
v sir,s replied Mr.. Livingstone, Il do
know, and it is just what 1 mean. !
hayc long wanted d shot at the -
rascal lrersisting in the avowal that
he was the writer, and in the request
that his name should be given up they
finally yielded, and Mr.. Buel was in
structed accordingly. AT n late hour
the parties separated. Just as the day
dawned the following morning Mr..
Van Buren, was awakened by n violet
? application of his knocker, and, look
ing out of his bedroom window, a voice
which he recognized as Mr.. Living
stones, inquired, is that you Van
Buren, On receiving Il response i'll
the affirmative. Livingstone said, Let
me in Mr.. Van Buren, threw on a
/. wrapper, opened the door, and showed
his visitor into the cold parlor. Mr..
Livingstone said, What the devil were
you talking about last night when l
came ia? Mr.. Van Buren, replied,
1--WE were talking about your attack
on Governor CHRGon in the ArguS.'
: Mr.. Livingstone, using a-srong .eX-
pletivc, rejoFRea, Il would not stand
that. You CAN'T father your paintings
son me. / had been dining, and was
me THIS rendered it necessary to
reassenB1e the council of the previous
evening. The real embarrassment was
/. 6his:-nke article had been written by
James fixing, a young lawyer from Or
~s1geeounty, who had just obtained the
consent of William James, n warm
personal and political friend of Cover
i Clinton's, to marry his daughter,
sander a pledge to abstain from politics
-sand devote himself exclusively to his
profession. And now, before the mar
riage was celebrated, Mr.. King had
written a most abusive attack on hisin
tended father-in-law's intimate friend.
After much and anxious consideration
it was decided that Mr.. Knower should
call ON MI. Isaiah Townsend, a mutu-
al friend of Mr. James and Governor
Clinton, and endeavor, by stating some
extenuating circumstances, to appease
Mr.. James. This, however, was no
easy task, for Mr.. James was offs stern
and implacable disposition. But Mr..
Townsend knew his man, drove him
up to Waterford, drank two Or three
glasses of gin and water, and succeed
cd in smoothing over the difficulty
Mr.. Townsend then proceeded to lay
the whole matter frankly before Coy
Clinton, whose of the hui
morous was touched by the awkward
position in which Mr.. Livingstone's
sudden belligerency had placed his
friends, and by the extreme delicacy
of Mr.. Kings domestic relations. He
good~naturedIy withdrew his note, and
took no further notice of the subject.
.'In 1862 [ asked the late John Van
Buren, if he had ever heard his father
speak of this incident, which I COM
menced relating to him. He soon
stopped me, saying that he had had a
hearty roar over the affair, and that
he and his brother intended to make
it the subject ola chapter in the forth
coming memoirs of his father. He