The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1886-11-26
EMl emorraf-SMr
Old MASTER '.NED."
Az He was Described by "Fan-
N.Y." his Trusted Servant.
Cor. St. Louis Globe

Cor. 81. Louis Globc-D Democrat.
A well known character OF Vicks
burg is Fanny, or Mrs. Crawford
as she is less frequently called,
Fanny was raised in the family OF
old Ned Richardson, aud calls him
SPA" MIR. Richardson, before his
death, a year or so ago was known
as the largest cotton planter in the
world. He left an estate valued at
little short of $28, 900, 900. Mrs.
Crawford is a middle aged, sharp
eyed, quick moving, light colored
woman. AS her old masters bust.
ness expanded he employed Fanny
TO recruit labor tor him. From that
sue has come 10 be the principal
labor agent in V~icksburg, is reputed
to lie worth $15. 600 or $4,000, and
10 educating her children at the
Fisk University ut Nashville.
"What kind of a man was Mr..
Richardson with his labor 7" she
was asked. "He was a kind man.
He got better work out OF them Nv
kind treatment. You know lie
made all OF his money after the
war. l remember when he used to
have a little store in Brandon. He
sold ice water for fifteen cents and
gave away whisky. That Wac the
way he escaped the law. l used to
carry his dinner to him, and they
had me up as q witness. | had to
say | didn't know he sold whisky,
tor l didn't. He always said to his
Customers, Il charge you for the ice
water; the whisky Is freeP Old
Ned's first big start came from go.
ing on the bond of u man who had
killed another. He got " mortgage
on q plantation, the man ran away
and old Ned got tho plantation.
Mrs. Richardson was a Miss Patton,
of South Carolina. That is the way
the children came to have a z
in their names. Patton is tue mid.
die name for each one of them.
Old Ned couldn't write bis name
until Mrs. Richardson taught him."
"He made n good deal out of
convict labor 7" |.
eyes. When he got the contract
the Mississippi Legislature {
after tho war he had liquors, l
and all that set out in
ny parlor for the cOlored members
who voted for him. The prisoners
used to say Old Ned treated them T
we'll, but / know he didn't like con-
riot labor. lie used to say, 'YOu
get work out of the miserable
unless you treat 'em mean
Ind cruel, and | don't want to do s
hat He wanted all free labor.
You know Old Ned never bad but h
slaves in his whole life. When
he old man died heIdidn't owe q v
He always kept his affairs
losed right up. | remember one m
we were having a settlement
4 the business l had been doing n,
or him. There was five cents COM
ng to him and and l didn't offer to nj
i've it up. Il want my five cents,
Tanny,' lie said, pm not going to IL
i've it to you, | said. 'Yes,' he said,
give it to me. That's the way TO a,
o business. | must have the books
Ight.' Then | handed HIM the FIVE a,
ents, aud he gave me u dollar. He
as that kind of a man. He was Al
cry strict in business matters but
beral outside The night before IN
f died he came into my house here
nd handed my daughter Eliza some 81
and said she must 60 back
} Fisk University and finish her "
iucation. The next morning my
lildren woke mo up knocking on a,
10 door and crying, Mother,
get up, your pa is dead.' Sc
Mr.. Richardson went from Vicks.
urg to Jackson the night referred b,
)..and some time after leaving the IA
lain was found on the street in a
.ing condition, having been strick v
D by apoplexy. jackson was his Y
d home, although his extensive
l~siDeSS interests kept in New Or al
most of the time. Years ago Il
@ had his monument erected in the
emebery at Jackson. 1t is a tall p
halt sTmOunted by a life size fig S
re of OH Ned.
lie stands facing the East, and
10 vii OF jackson, away back in
construction days, when there
as a good deal of talk about
i~chardson's pemtentiary contract, e'
postrophlzed the mable figure al
lus ; There you stand, Old Ned, 81
death as in life, with one eye on n
10 Mississippi Legislature asd the :.