The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-09-14
DAVID G. RICHARDSON,
A CHARACTER SKETCH

speaker; there is no rhetoric about his
heart to heart talks with jury; there
are no flowers in his delivery, but he
concentrates series OF circumstances.
mass of evidence in a manner which
is convincing. and since he has been Com
monweaith's Attorney he has secured
greater percentage Of convictions than
any man who ever held The place. Mr..
Richardson is an honest man. and jury
is prone to believe him.
DIsLlkEs RUTs.
For nearly thirty years Mr. Richardson
has dealt directly with the law and has
subtracted a livelihood from It. AT
times, even he confesses this, it was, a
thin living. but there came more opulent
times after awhile and on his 5000 a
year. his present salary. he is comfort
able. But there are judgeships to be won
and Mr.. Richardson is ever ambitious
he dislikes rut: he is student or the
active life and 1t is Of that life that he is
a part.
Rather than get into a rut Of work. "
he says 81 would resign from my pres
ent Office.
MIR. Richardson smiled pleasantly when
a reporter made bold to ask him when
he was born, and that's all he did do.
A Few minutes later. however. he adj
nftted that he was sixteen years old at
country. At that time he had been liv-
ing in Richmond for six years. Mr.
Richardson's first idea was of war. this
trait of his character has been SUISSE
ouently reflected in open court. and he
sought to Join the Confederate Army.
In 1862 he joined Parker's Battery Of ar
tiIiery and he served until the last gun
was fired.
When the war had ended he turned to
the law 1t seemed to offer more posi-
biiities OF lighting, intellectually. than
any other Thus it was in 1867 he en-
tered the law office Of Johnson and
Guigon Later he left there to engage
in commerce, reading law between times.
In 1s70 he was elected clerk to the Police
Justice OF this city, and there he re-
manned for ten years. and every spare
moment was devoted to the law. He at
tended the lectures at Richmond College
and left there a 3. L. That was about
all he had except his c!erkship.
BUILT UP PRACTICE.
Then in 1880 Mr.. Richardson took the
Jusiceship of Police Court. For eight
years he reigned there and acquired
knowledge of criminal Jurisprudence
which has been OF incalculable advantage
to him since. Finally, he tired of this-it
was a rutland he returned to the bar.
1t was more exciting there for a young
I'D a practice, which made the lean years
of time gone by pale into insignificance
And six years ago he decided that he
would become Commonwealth Attorney
of Richmond That settled it. He be-
came Commonwealth Attorney, sue
ceeding Mr. Harry NJ. Smith. the we'll
known criminal lawyer. Four times he
has been elected to that position.
II have never been opposed for an Of
tice in nv Iife'' he saws after I had
Won it once.
When he first ran for the office OF
Commonwealth's Attorney it paid a
salary of $1,000 a year, and the year he
was elected it was cut to $1,000. Since
then 1t has been the same. He sacri-
feed a practice of 5000 year for the
official position. but he apparently
doesn't regret it, for he is not a money
gafherer. He has enough to care for
his wife. formerly a Miss Florence
Helcher. and his children-there are five
of these-and there are two little fellows
whom Mr.. Richardson acknowledges are
grandchildren. He bushes when he adj
mltS 1t.
MIR. Richardson was deeply absorbed
in the preparation of indictments to be
submitted to the grand jury on Septem-
Der I'D when an OVERLOAD reporter went
into his office.
Me TALK" asked Mr.. Richardson. 1T
took few arguments to induce him to
begin and then it was clear sailing.
Il am beginning to feel like veteran"
he said They tell me that I'm an old
timer. but I'm young yet, l guess With
the exception of Judge Wexford, how
ever, there is not one man in the city
government now who was a city official
when l began to practice law. Let's see
Some Of my contemporaries in those days
were A B. Guigon, the father of Alex.
Guigon. Marmaduke Johnson, one of the
most celebrated lawyers this State ever
produced. W. ". Crump, John B. Young
and James Peasants. Judge Wexford
is the only one who is still in official
life.
NOTED CASES.
"I had some connection with several
noted cases ir my time. For instance
there was the Cluverius case, which came