Frederick Demond

[Pamela]

(08-13-2015 04:06 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Gary Planck wrote a small book on A.C. Richards about thirty years ago. I can't remember if the Weichmann topic was included, but will try to check our copy in the library here at Surratt House.

Thanks, I bet there aren't many copies of his book. Maybe Risvold got his info about Richards from Planck's book. He added a nice little bio about Richards in the chapter with the letters. He had an interesting career. He was a teacher, then founded a school and was it's principal. When the war started he accepted a position as a financial clerk in the Washington post office, then was elected a city alderman. At Lincoln's first inauguration, Richards volunteered as a deputy Marshall and rode at the right wheel of Lincoln's carriage in the parade. Lincoln remembered him and appointed him as Superintendent of the Metropolitan Police, the position he held at the time of the assassination. Years later he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the public schools, and years after that he graduated from law school and practiced law. His last career was owner/operator of Lochmead Orange Groves in Florida.

There are many interesting details in his letters, including his visit to Mary Surratt's house before the visit when Weichmann answered the door. He said that Mary answered the door to her darkened house, fully dressed as if she was waiting for someone, and he informed her of the assassination and that Booth and her son were suspected.