Letter Posted from 500 Spring Street, Richmond VA
The envelope is postmarked Dec 30, 12:33 PM, 1940
Getting a letter from Spring Street is not what anyone
wants. But uncle Raymond had killed an old man in an automobile wreck as the
old man left New Chapel Church one Sunday morn. Wife Iva had sent Raymond to
her sister Katy Mae to get some eggs and Raymond had wrecked with the old man
on the way. Some white lightning was found in Raymond’s car. He was sentenced
to two years for involuntary manslaughter. He went to the Virginia
Penitentiary, located at 500 Spring Street, Richmond, Virginia.
Iva and daughter June went to live with her parents while
Raymond was in prison. The Lewis Steppe family moved into their house located
up the road from the Waller home place. It belonged to grandfather Waller.
Before a year was up, Raymond was released and we moved back to the converted
tobacco barn on the place dad had bought from Henry and Vivian Smith.