The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-15
ROBERT P. RICHARDSON.
INTERESTING REMIHISCENCES OF
HIS EARLY LIFE.
RecoIlections Of an Era In the History Of
Richmond Now Almost Forgotten
and Generally Unknown.
For The Times.)

VIII yOu surrey u lew Ichh"See~NS WV
nected with the late Robert p. Richard
son, whose death am sorry to see an
nounced in a recent issue Of your paperf
They relate to period whereof the men,
DRY of most of your readers "runneth not
to the contrary'-a period far anterior
to the time when he began to wear that
very long and very white beard which
almost everybody in Richmond for the
last thirty-odd years has been accustomed
to observe ard wonder at.
Bob and Ben Richardson, brothers,
belonged to a set OF boys who used 10
have a good deal of fun together. Inc
set included Charles Fisher and John Mac
murdo, Joe Trent and Joe CheVai-
lie, Eustace Robinson and William Rod
inson, Sandy Brown and John e. Aiien'
William Leigh and William II. II. Taylor.
Henry Skipwith and Darlington Cabell,
Boiling Baker and Wash Gwath-
mey. Gus. Boiling and Walker Haxan,
Frederick. william and Met. Anderson,
and. perhaps, a few others, with my
brother James and myself thrown in TOT
good measure.
Nearly all Of us went to school TO Mr.
James A. Oswald, who kept In the
house at the southwest corner or Main
and Seventh streets, on the Cite now oceu-
pied by 1 do not know whom; but. on
the corner next below, now a part or the
pace Block" believe, was the once
of Messrs. Philip Haxall & Co, millers
of wide repute.
The lower floor Of our shcOol-house was
occupied by Mr.. Anthony Bargamin.
very worthy citizen, French by birth. and
timer by trade.
I will not speak further of the OSWALD
school, except to say that 1t occupied TWO
roorns-the front room. assigned To boys,
the back room to grls-and between the
two. I'm the middle Of the doorway, on
platform raised about two Feet ABOVE
the floor, sat the schoolmaster In haru-
bottomed windsor" chair with smali
desk in front OF him. l have never oeen
able exactly to account for the quickness
with which he could detect boy who was
playing tricks (whether he appeared to
be looking at the boy or notl. and the
unerring certainty with which he could
throw a black leather strap at that poy'
making II fall either upon his head or on
the book In front OF him, and the pleas
ure which It seemed TO give him 10 re-
auire the boy to carry the strap up 20
the platform aforesaid. ana there noiu
out his right hand ard receive two, three
the said black strap in the palm or that
hand. I'm full view OF the whole school.
both bows and girls. He was. of course,
n Scotchman, and when Mr.. William GAIT
the rich old Scotch merchant. died, In 49,
and there was great funeral procession
from his residence on Main street, near
Fourteenth, out TO Shockoe Hill ceihe-
terry. we, the male portion OF the James A.
Oswald school, with our teacher ieadihs
us. and each boy wearing Grape stream
ing from his hat and his left arm. forfneu
a part of the processlon-whlch event
naturally made us feel very big
But our time FOR real enjoyment came
after 4 o'clock In the afternoons O'Clock
being I'm those days the stated hour for
dining among business and professional
men. Sometimes we assembled on Gam
ble's Hill; sometimes on Ambler's Hill
and occasionally we engaged with nu-
merous others, somewhat older than our
selves In a stone battle, growing out OK
a feud existing between the XIII Dogs
and the Basin Cats" Our more usual
place of assembling, however, was In the
"old field" at and beyond the western end
of Franklin street-MadisOn street being
then the corporation line.
The house that lately stood on the site
Of the Commonwealth Club was built or
commenced by MIR. Peyton Drew, In eX-
pectation of his marriage with the beau
tiful belle who afterwards married a son
Of Edmund Randolph-she who was said
10 be the sweetheart o. John Randolph, or
Roanoke. In consequence. however, either
Of disappointment In his matrimonial ex-
pectations, or OF reverse In fortune. Mr..
Drew sold the house. which was very
fine one for its day, TO Mr. Mutter, the
father OF or. Ihona as Mutter afterwards
professionally distinguished In Philadel.
phia. At the boyhood period TO which
refer Mr.. Thomas Richardson Gather OF
RoberD and his family lived there. Mr..
Tom Taylor, who owned windsor,
three miles out of town. after living at
that place about three years. found IL so
unhealthy that he determined to come
back into the city, but his city house. at
the southwest corner of Main and Fifth
streets, had been leased TO Mr.. Irish"
John Allen, so he rented the house next
door below the Richardson's and dwelt
in it until he obtained possession of his
own house. That rented house was at
the southeast corner OF Madison and
Franklin streets was afterwards occu-
pied by Mr.. Joseph Mayo when mayor OF
the city, &c, and stood on the present
site OF q believe) Colonel William III.
Palmer's house.
Next to Mr.. Taylor's rented house lived
Mr. Jerman Baker, treasurer of the Com
monwealth. in the house afterwards oc-
cupied by Captain William ID. Wren, SER
geant OF the city, and after him by Mr..
Henry L. Brooke, a son-in-law Of Judge
Henry ST. George Tucker, and since owned
and long occupied by Mrs Jane o. Bayly,
but which Is now, or soon will be, substi-
tuted by fine new residence for Mr..
Allan Talbot. In the Baker house the
brilliant belle, Mary Gabrielle Randolph
(who became Mrs. John Biddle Chapman
and the mother of that superb specimen
Of woman, Ella Chapman. now the
Marquese de Potestad). was born. while
her grandfather, Mr.. Thomas Wilson. at
one time mayor of Richmond. was living
in il.
The house next below was Mr.. Robert
Gwathmey's, built by his brOther-in-law,
Mr.. Carter II. Page. Following Mr.. Gwath-
mey's family the late General James w.
Pegram, the father OF Mrs. General
Joseph r. Anderson, lived In il up to the
time OF his iamented death. 1t Is now
owned and occupied. after enlargement
and improvement, by Colonel Archer An
dersOn.
Between Mr.. Gwathmey's house and
my fathers, at the southwest corner Of
Franklin and Second. there was no house
on the south side OF the street except
a moderate sized brick house, occupied by
Mrs. Shepard, on the site afterwards
built upon by Mr.. Samuel T.. Mitchell and