Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1925-08-29
A. D. PRICE, JR.

A.D. Price, who founded the great
A. D. Prices funeral directors es,
Enlistment and with it livery and
automobile service, carefully planned
that his son, A. Douglass Price,
should succeed him. With this idea
companion, training him in all OF the
In view, he made him his constant
details of the business. Young frice
had the mastery qualities OF ms
father and the lovable characteristics
of his mother. Coupled with the
home training, he made friends HIM
self and held those who admired ms
father. Douglass father saw TO II
that he was present during the en-
balming of bodies, and IN TINS way
he got practical, first hand n1orma-
ton upon this all important subject:
He taught him, too, the rules OF
the service, drilled him in officiating
at funerals. A. d. Price, ST., would
have charge of one funeral and A. u.
Price, Jr., of another. At times the
two would be officiating in the same
church. In speaking of Mr.. Prices
fondness for horses, he having a
horse, which was the speediest in the
citv and known as Handsome his de-
voted wife, who was prior to her
marriage Miss George A. Gibbons OF
the famed Gibbons family of Char
lottesville, Va, said that at one time
she gently chided her husband about
his fondness for this particular mare
SAYING that he thought more OF the
horse than he did of any one else. :,
He tenderly replied; mo, | THINK
more of you. then comes Douglas and
then Handsome" He trained Doug
lass along mechanical lines. Douglass
would make full sized casket boxes
and his father would encourage HIM
bv paving him 25c APIECE for the
work. 1t was with great reluctance
that A. D. Price, ST., disposed OF ms
horses and, carriages. He kept MS
buggy with its rubber tired wheels
and his favorite Handsome and FLASH
to the last, often letting others go IN
the automobile. Then he established
in the rear of his mammoth establish
ment a model repair shop with John
T. Fauntleroy in charge.
Douglass showed an aptitude Tor
the business and Mr.. Price bought
the best mechanical outfit to enable
him to exercise his gift in this re-
spect. He pulled down some OF the
most expensive cars, and then reas-
sembled them making the necessary
repairs. 1t was Price characteristic
to lead and to give his patrons the
best service obtainable. For this rea-
son, he denied himself the usual COM
forts sacrificing everything to a bust
ness that he loved so well. In this
his wife co-operated. After leaving
the private apartments upstairs, all
else was given over to business re-
quirements.
As a result, A. D. Price could
render service second to no other
establishment in the city and white
and colored funeral directors and
liverymen used his outfits from time
to time. In conversation with the
late Mr.. Price, Editor Mitchell was
much amused over his anxiety about
Douglass in driving a car. He had
inherited his fathers qualities, which
were briefly stated by his father: Il
never let no man throw the dust in
my face on the road" He regarded
him as one of the most skillful driv-
ers, but he, the father, who out
stripped everything on the road that
drove horse was uneasy about his
daring son, who drove high-powered
car.
When A. D. Price, ST., mastered
an automobile himself, it was
Douglass time to remark: "Pa drives
faster than l do" AS horseman, he
could get speed out of his animals
that no one else in the stable could
rival. Handsome needed no urging
when the boss held the reins. She
was more like a faithful dog than
like horse, roaming at will. 1t was
night when the writer wondered in
side of the long corridor at the A. u:
Price establishment. A glimmer OF
light, after, he had traversed the long
line of automobiles showed space
to one side, in two stalls being one
horse each and in another which was
more like a room than like a stall
was a fine animal well formed, wear
ing no halter.
So delicately formed was she that
it was evident that she came from
blooded stock. That's Handsome,