Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-01-14
No NEW COURT HOUSE
The Hsnrlco Supervisors Reconsider Inelr
Determination 10 Build
, An EXCITING SESSION
,,rs, Number of Tsr-P"yers
c.,.fuiiy Oppose the ''"" ~
huild, and the Dtsc"
Heated at Times

a., a dc Discussion becomes
Heated ut Times
,.no s,ormiest meetings ever N''U
u,,,,n tho historic walls Oh -, - YES
1T courthouse TOOK place ~ ~
,..,,oen The hours Of noon any
80, !, was the special s'ss'o" ~
. o ''o'"' ~ spp. rvisors. held Tor 'no
,.,roose Of ratlfying p'e' ',- -, 90
80. o,ong the members oil 'ie oO1'
.....,t a new courthouse Dul'u'ns o.
.,.,,,, ,e00o therefor All duiNs
"iS' '.,.rIn, hours 'here we're mfs7
~ c.,,zens upon the courthouse
h''' "a .b.re were mutterings OF
.',., an, finish when the board shouiu
-,,sne and 20 again into this nu'"-"e
tsteI question.
Tho opposition to the innocence, -,
',sslr In most formidable fashion,
,,. members OF the board found o''
' ...,,,e,ny with their plan In the
,..,. crowd which assembled IN 'he oo"'
,-..., nj, the hour when the meeting was
,.re1 TO order The result OF the sess'o"
,,s reconslderng OF the previous ac-
.... ~ tho board. by which the sum o'
s,..o, Was 10 be expended IN the erec''o"
,sy, building. and the rescinulhs "a
liza. resolution .,.,
-r,o euperyisors present were Mess''
-, l,hsirman). Fraysier, Downins'
md Rose. while Of the citizens oI
..rntv there were present Major ), -
nooley. Mr.. Joseph Bryan. Dr. H. a. O.,
,,rson. Mr. A. W. Patterson, MI W.
r.,ori5ee. Mr.. +. II. BisselI' C4p'ai"
~ c,ssons. Mr.. J. G. Machell M. VI
" Thomas. Sheriff Simon solomon wv u
Nyaddin. and many others o,,o-
rne hoard WAS promptly called TO oluer
h, Chairman Hechler. who S'"''u
the object Of the meeting was 10 oo"9'
tho rlons Of Mr.. carl Ruehrmunu lot INC
proposed new courthouse
MAJOR DooLEY's PETITION.
-. ,.-o arose and asked IL II
r'' o'.n,r.teut for him at this Juneture
..,t,,if "a pctitIon from some OF the
+.,.rs of the comfy OF Hehilco'
- tine erection of new court
81. was answered in the afhrma-
In chairman Hechier, and Major
$3.50. ,hen handed to the committee q
..,t.r of raIlIs. ne body or when
Contained the same matter, but WIlch
wore s.gnfd by different cluzehs III the
..yer,l districts OF the county. Major
uoolsv said that these several petilioHs
had been signed by 5es of the most pIoml-
,.,t f.x-payers of the county OF Hen
had neen secured
ta two davs. with very little effort. ana,
D. NOR. time had been afforded, the lists
would have been much larger. Not
man had been approached who mad not
affixed his signature. Major Dooley spoke
Of The old assertion that the old COURT
r,uee was unsafe: but said this matter
lad been briefly disposed Of by the state
rent and opinion Of Colonel w. II. cut
shaw that the walls would be made per
fecuy secure by being pointed and plas-
tered. Colonel Cutshaw had further pre-
souted the committee with drawings,
whereby the present building could be
Gwen ample accommodations for the Of
fcors and the court by the expenditure Of
only about 5000 In repairs. Major Dooley
thought it would be absurd, in view
Oe this for the Supervisors to go ahead
and eXpend an enormous sum in the
building Of new courthouse, and take
the funds so badly needed on the public
roads and in the public schools of the
county. He also spoke OF the absolute
inability for the supervisors 10 fix any
specific cost for the new courthouse.
the present Board Of Supervisors might
not be in office when the new house
would be completed, or even when work
should be commenced upon it. and he
was sure the expense would greatly ex-
coed $1,000
Major Dooley had heard but once of
auy persons beirg in favor of the new
courthouse scheme. This information
had come to him from an item in the
Dispatch which said that the consensus
of opinion among the loiterers on the
courthouse green was favorable to build
irg the new courthouse. Major Dooley
aid bee thought il would be better II the au-
thorities would look into the matter of
the paint and whitewash. which was
rubbed on the county buildings by the
greasy heads OF these loiterers.
The speaker went on to discuss the
financial phase OF new courthouse,
AVID declared that when the old building
had once been torn down there could
not possibly be any limit to the cost OF
new structure
THE PETITION IN FULL.
tINt AF''itA = DtlllOn Was addressed
lo the Board Of Supervisors and was as
follows:
The undersigned free-holders and tax
payers, resident IN the county Of Henrico.
respectfully represent 70 your honorable
noay that they are opposed 20 the de-
sfucuon % their old courthouse and the
erection OF q new building upon its site.
That they consider it, in the first place.
tolalIN unnecessary expense. In the
second place, they fear that IL will place
81 burden upon the county which must
necessarily cripple its future growth and
development
ihoy earnestly request that il the pre-
.'Nt building IS ont Of repair. il may
he put 10 proper condition with the least !
possible expenditure 20 the taxpayers.
among the signatures 10 the petition I
were these OF Major Lewis Ginter Mr. /
"oseph Bryan. Mr. T. H. Blsseu. DR.. Pat /
lefson' NJ J. II. D0oley. the West-End 1
L7n1 company and many other promi- /
hcnt citizens and corporations.
CHAIRMAN HECHLERs REPLY.
chairman Hechler replied TO Major
i'o'iey' presenting the defence Of the
"oar1 RE said that body had spent a
tI''l deai or time considering the ques-
'''H ana as "a body OF businessmen.
'rtnhs with simple business question.
"aI concluded that the most adyanta-
se'iH ihng 10 DO was 10 build a new
NDuii-holre al cost not 10 exceed
s'V] OF $1,000 IL was true that esti-
haits hd1 been made upon the repairs
''' tssafy 10 be made upon the old court
mousse ana that Colonel Cuishaw had
I'. scented the committee with plans
whereby this work could be done for