Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1909-08-27

life burden to him, for they looked
upon the fact that son of Maine should
fight with the Southern States as nothing
less than treason of the worst sort. Final
ly all the prisoners were released, and he
was taken to Memphis, where he found
himself without cent of money, and
clad in rags. He went to the river bank.
hoping To find some boat on which he
could work his way to New Orleans. and
stranger, seeing his plight, bought him
Clothes and paid for a stateroom for him.
He went back to Tensas Parish, where
he resumed his old activities, and i'm the
early seventies became AN assistant engi-
neer Tor the Louisiana Levee Company,
a corporation which had been formed for
the purpose of building all the levees i'm
Louisiana, During this period RecoI. struc-
ton was IN progress, and the feWwhite
people living i'll that part of Louisiana
were at the mercy of the horties q ne
groes. Major Richardson did more chan
ms share in those dark days.
In 1876, when the State Board of En-
glneers was formed, with Major b. NJ.
1arrod as chief State enginen Major
Richardson became an assistant Engineer,
and continued As such until 1879. That
year the Mississippi River Commission
was created by Congress and Major Har-
rod became member Of it, !being sue
ceeded a. chief State engineer by Captain
| llardee, who got the appointment while
on his death-bed, and who Gas almost
immediately succeeded by Ben Green.
Mr.. Green served but a few months.
when he resigned to become chief enpi-
neer OF the Texas and Pacific Railroad
construction. Then it was that Major
Richardson was appointed chief State en-
gineer, which position he filed with
honor To his State and credit to himself
for twenty-four years, resigning ON March
| 81, 1903, to accept the position on the
Mississippi River Commission, made va
cant by the appointment of Major Har
rod to the Panama Canal Commission.
| Major Richardson was a man of un-
usually modest and retiring disposition,
las gentle and mild hammered az a woman.
but as intleXible as adamant when he
had mapped out course that he con-
ceived to be right. He was a man of pro-
found knowledge, deep student, and
he knew the vagaries of the Mississippi
River as probably no other man knew
them, except his intimate friend and as
sociate, Major HIarrod. Though his early
life was filled with thrilling incidents, il
was seldom that he could be induced to
discuss them, and when he did, his own
lexplOits were recOunted in half-jocu-
lar, disparaging way. His greatest charm
was the complete absence of egotism, and
there are many of his friends who be-
lieved that had he been possessed of more
self-assertiveness he would have attained
to much greater honors and more world
ly wealth than fell TO his lot.
In 1870 Major Richardson was married
to Miss Anna Farrar, a sister of Edgar
III. Farrar, OF this city, the family then
residing in Tensas Parish. Mrs. Rich
ardson survives him, with six sons and
two daughters. The sons are John, Rog-
er, Henry, Kemp, Frederick and Morgan.
The daughters are Mrs. Mary Rasch, OF
Virginia, and Mrs. Anna Dodge of New
Orleans.
Passed Assistant Surgeon T. Farrar
Richardson, of the Marine Hospital Ser
Vice, who was chief assistant to DIR. White
in the yellow fever campaign of 1905,
was eldest son, and his death in 1906 was
severe blow TO Major Richardson.
| Major Richardson was member of the
American Society of Civil Engineers, and
from 1900 to 1902 served as member OF
the board of directors His only diver
sion in the way of club life was his men,
bership in the Round Table Club. He
was essentially home man, and devot-
ed his time almost exclusively to his
home and his work.