Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-09-29
A VERY INTERESTING CASE.
Involves the Custody of Two of S. L..
Richardson's Children.
(Anderson Mail, 22d.)

(Anderson Mail, 22d.)
An interesting habeas corpus case
was argued before Judge Robert Aid
rich in chambers here last night. r.
Nj. Richardson, of Seneca, asked for
an order giving him the custody of
two grandchildren, aged 10 and 12
years. daughters of his soN, S. l..
Richardson, OF West Union, by his
first vie, now deceased. The grand
rather VAS repI esented by r. II.
Jaynes, OF Walhalia, and Il. l.. Rich
ardson, OF Greenwood, son of the pc
titioner, and the father by Gen. NJ. l..
Bonham, OF this city, and julius E.
BoggS, of Pickens. The arguments
were made by Mr.. Jaynes and Messrs.
Bonham and Boggs. Judge Aldrich
has not yet announced his decision.
The custodyoof the children is ask
ed by the grandfather, who is one Of
the leading business men Of Seneca,
on the grounds that the father, his
son, is utterly insolvent, and is not a
proper person to rear them as they
should be brought up.$ The mother
of the two children isEdead, and the
grandfather asks for anSorder giving
him possession of them that they
may be properly educated. TIL, de-
fendant, S. l.. Richardson, has three
other children, by his second wife,
now living, but the grandfather does
not ask the custody Of these
1t will be remembered that some
months ago, while engaged In the
lumber business at West Union, Rich
ardson was arrested for forgery and
obtaining money by false pretenses,
and was lodged in Jail at Lexington
to await trial. A few months ago
X. Nj. Richardson, father of S. l..
Richardson, took up the matter and
had the cases compromised, paying
out, it is said, about 1000 to sat
isfy the claims.
Richardson, the younger, later
went to Ohio, taking his family with
him. and was again arrested there
on charge Of forgery, the warrant
being sworn out in this State. He
was brought back here, when the
father paid the claim, and Richard
son was again released. Since that
time the children have been in the
custody Of the father at their home
at West Union.
A thriving business in lumber was
done by the younger Richardson, and
his operations extended all over the
State. He was charged with forg-
ing invoices on the railroad compa-
nies, forwarding these to Philadel-
phia banking and trust company,
having them discounted at about so
per cent Of their face value and leav-
ing the collection of the money with
the bank when the time limit ex-
pired.
The operations were carried on for
some time and several of the local
lumber dealers were roped into the
net, though, of course, the real loser
was the Philadelphia bank, the deal
ers proving that the lumber called
for in the invoices had never hean
received, and the railroads bearing
them out in proving that the cars
described were never shipped out.
In addition to the invoice scheme,
Richardson was charged with forg-
Ing the names of lumber dealers
throughout the State to notes, and
bermen were also brought into this,
but the banks in this case were also
the losers, it being proved that the
signatures were not genuine. .... ..
When the charges against Rich
ardson came out something Of a SEN
sation was sprung because of his
connection with some of the leading
and most influential people of the
upstate, and great deal of inter-
est centers about the decision of
Judge Aldrich in the action brought
by the grandfather to secure the GUS
tody Of the children. ##.
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