One of the most important insurance companies in the city is the
Virginia Fire and Marine. This old and strong institution antedates
the great war, and its officers were at one time as follows:
President, Mr. Thomas Alfriend; secretary, W. L. Cowardin, who
afterwards became the president. At this writing--the year
1912--Colonel William H. Palmer is the president and Mr. W. H.
McCarthy is the secretary. It has a corps of efficient clerks and its
business is vast, and constantly increasing. The prestige and
conservative mode of doing business of this model fire company,
commend it to the confidence of the insuring public.
A unique man of Chesterfield county was a certain Mr. W. B. C., who
was considered the best set-back player in Manchester, and could play
longer on a small capital, or "stake," than could be found anywhere.
He took few chances in "bidding," but when he offered so many points
for his hand, the board of players deemed it advisable to let him have
all the points that he claimed, as he was sure in the end to score
them all. He was a very genial, pleasant companion, and he was
welcomed in a game.
Many of the landmarks, in the matter of buildings, have been torn down
and thus removed, and in their places more modern ones erected in
Richmond. For instance, the old Swan Tavern, which stood on Broad
between Eighth and Ninth Streets. In its day, before the war, it was a
famous hostelry. It was there that the celebrated trial of the
notorious Aaron Burr was held. Burr had been indicted by the federal
court for high treason against the United States government, in
attempting, by filibustering means, to inaugurate a separate
government in the then new Southwestern States. Very able legal talent
was engaged in this case, among whom was Mr. Jno. Wickham, Luther
Martin and several others of national reputation. Chief Justice John
Marshall presided at this trial. Mr. Burr was acquitted. He had been
for several years an important figure in American politics and
history, and had been a candidate for the nomination of the Federal or
Whig party against Mr. Thomas Jefferson, the nominee of the
Republican-Democratic party. In the election that fall there was a tie
vote in the electoral college, and in consequence the election was
thrown into the House of Representatives at Washington. The leader of
the Federal party, Alexander Hamilton, gave the deciding vote which
elected Mr. Jefferson as the President of the United States.
This embittered Mr. Burr towards Mr. Hamilton, and he made a most
severe personal attack upon him through the newspapers. This drew from
Hamilton a challenge to mortal combat on the field of honor and
resulted in the death of the latter by the bullet of Burr's pistol.
Alexander Hamilton was considered by many as one of the greatest men
of his time, and was the brains and leader of his party, then styled
the Federal, or later the Whig party. His theory of government exists
to this day and time.
A prominent citizen was Mr. Jesse Wherry, a man of wit and humor, a
good mimic and was a candidate at the time for Commissioner of
Revenue, to succeed Parson Burton, who had died. During the canvass he
attended a Methodist religious meeting and when the preacher offered
up a long, earnest prayer, Wherry emphasized it by his approval in
frequent and loud amens. A party out of spite informed the leaders of
the meeting that Jesse was not only not a Methodist, but not even a
member of any church whatever. This action came very near causing the
defeat of Mr. Jesse Wherry for the office, for the whole meeting voted
for his opponent. There once lived in Richmond a man by the name of
Hicks, who kept a livery stable on South Tenth Street, between Main
and Cary. He owned a fine female pointer dog named "Sue." She had a
pedigree nearly a yard in length. The puppies he found a ready sale
for at a good price. One day a party approached Hicks and said: "I
wish you would give me one of her puppies." He replied: "You go to
Major Doswell and ask him to give you one of Sue Washington's colts."
"It costs the major a good deal of money to produce her colts,"
exclaimed the party. "Don't you suppose it costs me something to
obtain my thoroughbred puppies," was Mr. Hick's reply.
I remember well the time when the last mortal remains of the great
Confederate general, Stonewall Jackson, were brought to Richmond for
interment. The body lay in state in the rotunda of the capitol and all
who desired could view the corpse. There lay still in death, the man
who had been the right-hand and arm of General Robert E. Lee, and but
few, if any, who passed around his bier failed to shed tears of sorrow
at the great calamity which the South sustained thereby. Upon a
caisson was placed the casket and conveyed to Hollywood Cemetery.
His faithful colored body-servant led the famous old sorrel horse that
had carried him through so many battles. At the battle of
Fredericksburg, General J. E. B. Stuart, with the aid of his servant,
had provided the old horse with an entirely new equipment--new saddle
and bridle--and when his men saw their general seated on his familiar
old sorrel, bedecked and ornamented with the new trappings, they were
utterly amazed at the improvement. His new uniform of Confederate
grey, which had been procured for the general without his knowledge,
became him well and was admired by all.