The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-06-28
KEPT A DIARY
FOR FIFTY YEARS
John E. RichmOnd'S Re-
cords Once Decided a
Civil Suit
PRACTICE TO
YOUNG PEOPLE AS GOOD
HABIT TO ACQUIRE.

FOT Cne past uIJy years, JOQn T..
Richmond, the well-known music
teacher of 91S Church street, has
kept diary. This is a record which
is probably surpassed by no living
person in the country.
Fifty years ago when l was at
Wesleyan University l started to
keep diary" said Mr.. Richmond to
a Citizen man who called on him
several days ago to find out if we
ever had such weather before in the
month of June. Before leaving the
weather question, this is what Mr..
Richmond had to say on the subject:
Never had any such weather in
June!"
Harking back to the diary: when
l left Wesleyan, that's in 1853, l
kept a diary / went to New York
in 1854, and came to Carbondale in
1855, keeping diary all the while.
II tell my wife," laughingly re-
marked Mr.. Richmond, 81 may want
to prove an alibi some day. 1 always
leave space.
"No man comes to me twice for a
bill. l always put down in my
diary when l get money and when 1
paid so and SO, and how much"
Mr.. Richmond's diary has figured
in Wayne county courts notably in
the case of the Vedder estate, when
record in his little book was in
strumental in saving j. j. Curtis two
hundred dollars.
when Vedder died" explained
Mr.. Richmond, "a. Hartung and j.
j. Curtis were appointed admins
traitors of the Vedder estate. l was
in business at that time. Curtis used
to drop in and see me. He asked
me to keep his books. Hartung was
a German and couldn't keep accounts
in English. One day Hartung and
Curtis came to the store, which was
located where the Wayne Co-Opera-
tive store now stands and said: I
just paid 5000 to Gus. Hartung in
Keipels store. / wish you would
make a memorandum of that. So l
put in my diary 5000 paid by Curtis
date l put it on the diary from
istrators came to settle up, Hartung
forgot he'd received 5000, and Cur
tbs came to me and asked me about
it. The case went to court. / was
subpoenaed. I showed the Judge
the entry in my diary and Curtis
won his case.
There's nothing like it. 1 would
not miss it,"
eff Mr.. Richmond is out of town,
he wants me to keep diary"
laughingly interjected Mrs. Rich
mond, and don't get any commits
sion either!"
81 can see from my dairy who |
rode out with, who l called on, and
if paid BILL" said Mr.. Richmond.
would you advise young
person to keep diary?" asked the
reporter.
by all MEANS" said Mr.. Rich
mond. why l am at home with
that. That's authority. l am willing
to swear to what l write in there.
81 never missed day excepting
when l was sick and my wife OF
somebody else kept it for me then
IL d mdIICI VI UuolhSSS. w u1
where were you last year on such
date? Let me see. Here's my
diary. That'll settle it."
Mr.. Richmond cnerishes his dia
ries very highly. In the front o.
several of them appears this inscrip
ton:
"a liberal reward will be paid fol
the finding and return to John E
Richmond of this book"
On the fly-leaf of one of the
diaries appears this fitting verse:
"Steal not this book
Mine honest friend
Lest the gallows
Win be thine end!
For in that day
The Lord will say
Where is that book
You stole away?
"And you will say,
| L do not know,
Then He will say,
GO down below!'"
with the figure of a hand affixed
pointing downward).
Here is another solemn warning:
"He who steals this Diary
In search of knowledge
VIII end his days
In Sing Sing College"
Here is another that is YER
apropos in view of the widespread
religious unrest prevalent to-day:
"The children of the world an
the children OF the church go to
gether hand in hand, but only tn
good Lord who made them can tel
the two apart!"
But gracious me, Just to think O
1t. Fifty long years with 365 Ion
days in each one of them-18,25
days. It's a lifetime!
''Magna pars eruditionis est scir