The Newtown bee., 1898-01-14
Local Affairs.
The Late Joseph Richardson.
MARCUS C. HAwLEY WRITES CONCERNING
HIM IN THE NEW YORK TIMES.

and other exaggerations.
Now, first as to the "Spite House"
1 am prepared to state that this house
was not built out of spite to any one.
The facts, believe, are as follows:
When Lexington Avenue was laid out
by the city there was left on the hands
of Mr. Richardson's wife small strip of
ground-say, 10 feet wide by 15O feet
long. Mr. Richardson was approached
by one of his neighbors living on Eighty
second street to know what he was going
to do with the ground thus left In his
possession. He said he should build on
it and live in the house himself. The
party said he could not make any use of
such small piece of ground, and offered
him $1,000 for it. He said no; it was
worth $4,000 to him, and he commenced
at once to excavate preparatory to build
ing. The neighbor, seiug he actually
uedub W uo dS DS solus Ihcu CnSISu HlD
the sum he had named. But Mr. Rich
ards on said he was too late, and he was
brick mason and understood putting up
buildings, went forward and erected two
houses between Eighty-second and
Eighty third Streets, covering the
ground on his hands. The houses do no
discredit to adjoining property, being
four stories, with suitable facings, and
Mr. Richardson lived and died there. If
the same was any discomfort to himself
and wife this is DO business of the public,
and can't see that any one has aDy
right to take exceptions.
Mr. Richardson was a self-made man,
without dollar in the world. At the
age of ii we find him acting as tender
to some boss mason, and one of the in
cidents of his first experience, he told
the writer, was that one day the boss
wanted some hair to mix with his mortar,
and they caught young Richardson and
cut off all his hair, Che had heavy head
of hair,) and used the same to finish
their job. For years he worked as a
journeyman at the wages of $3.50 per
day, and what he did he did we'll. He
soon began to make contracts himself,
and in later years he pointed with pride
to numerous stores and Office buildings
he had built in the vicinity of Wall
street. He also turned his attention to
water works, and built among others the
Bridgeport Water Works, at Bridgeport,
Conn , and also the Houston Water
Wo-ks, a Houston, Texas. He also
turned his attention to railroad building,
doing much to build the Union Pacific,
and entirely the Utah Northern Road
from Ogden to Boise City, in Idaho for
this latter road he furnished the whole
capital, equipping the same with locono-
tives, cars, &c, and not issuing any bond
or stocks; the whole was finisbed-sev-
eral hundred miles in length. He after
ward sold the same to Jay Gould and his
associates.
He was a dear friend of Brigham
Young of Utah, and was connected with
h;ro ~ ,upoorops loy0a aptarpriaoz IN
Salt Lake City, and later years with his
son, John w. Young, much to his regret.
Mr. Richardson has been called by many
a miserlY person. This could only be
said to be true as to himself, but he did
not carry this out toward others. He
was far from self sh. and he did much to
encourage and help young men, as his
estate lshows large holdings of notes
against great many people which are
not worth the paper they are written on.
The writer could tell of many instances
where his donations were large and only
since his death have come to light. 1t
was his wish that these benefactions
should not be known while he was living,
He gave largely to enterprises connected
with the Episcopal church; also to other
benevolent objects
Mr. Richardson WAS always a welcome
friend and counselor in the Office of the
vanderbilts and Goulds. and much..of his
success in middle life Is largely traced to
information gained by his frequent inter.
courses with them, and in later years
with the sons of the elder Gould, Chaun-
cey M. Depew, and others.
The newspapers, at the time of the
death of Mr. Richardson greatly ex.
aggerated the amount of property he
left, some of them placing the amount al
$50, ,0OO, 900. Now, the writer, who
probably was as close business &C
auaintance as Mr. Richardson possessed
being with him for 80 years In the own
] ersnjp of railroads, steamboats,, waite
companies, &C., states that Mr. Richard
son, some 10 years ago. was worth from
| rs ,000, 900 to So 600 900. This was dur
Jug the life of Jay Gould, Sidney Dillon
i and William H. Vanderbilt. At tha
sims he placed the greater part of hi
i wealth in the names of bis son, daugf
4 ter, and niece, leaving some two million
orgthousands for speculative and inses