Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-12-09
HENRY HART.
A Pleasant Picture to Look Upon.
The Chatham street MilIto..ire.


Portrait Of 1e Nan ,eho ours he wasai~eto~
dsd Georg>towa Street Raifscoy and his MS Ora
sayt. Destrostsg and Dt!ssurisg re Streets
81 ne National Capital
Iron the New York World, Dec. 81
Who that has readthe stories told the tyranni
car sultan by the fair Scheherazade but viii re-
collect for all his life the legend OF the two
brotl ers of BaCdsd. the vi oslem peders par ex-
cellence. Scheherszade in the pithy but capti-
yatng style which so captivated the sultan that
ne not only spared her life but raised her to the
dignity of his throne. narrates the incomparabIe
ingenuity of the peders in barter and sale in the
toiIowing way; Behold, the brothers by the or
der of the cadi were then i'm INJURED in n dark
dungeon and the day was black As mi pht to their
eyes Their minds 40 sharp and calculating,
were rapidly becoming vague when A5ou Said,
the time. 1t was that he and his youn ger brother
should. as strangers, barter their clothes. For
hours they bargained ana traded until Abou Said
had become owner of all the apparel, and
All parts. save one, of his brothers body. This
last part was then traded for. when, by master
piece of strategy, the younger became repos-
Sessed of all he had lost. AbOu Said turned TO
him, and said: :" oh. Abou Achm {. worthy son
art thou of my father" Ii one were disposed TO
make comparison, the only brothers in New
York who equal the Arabic peders are the
brothers Henry and Mitchell Hart the retired
pawrbrokers of Chatham street. But a. the
MOslems were admirers of juicy kabobS AND
never failed to pay their piastTes for RahaI-r-
lacoum. in the candy shops OF their period,
hey are diSsimilar in an important sense from
the Fart Brothers.
CENTURY AGO.
As far back any resident Of the Fourth
ward can remember an old Hebrew gentleman
named Hart was in business on the Sixth Ward
SIDE OF Chatham street nigh to where Ieggett's
h"tei now stands. The sign OF the I.ombardS
was over his door, and passing beneath the
gGiden balls which swung from his Sign-po>t
went many resident Of the then respectable. if
rot aTi>tocratiC Cherry street TO obtain tempo
rary accommodation in lieu of their salt-ceilars
and tea-urns The DANES of the period obtained
the signature OF the old man and some of his
dollars for their long earrings, and even old
Clothes were not despi-ed by him. But even
worth must have its day, and Mr.. Hart. ST.,
one morning was gathered to the bosom of his
people, leaving behind him a family of two
Young men, the Moslem pedlers of the city.
Mr.. HENRY HART.
That was over fifty years ago, and yet those
who ought to know say that between the Mr..
Henry Hart of to-day and the Henry Hart of
that time there il very little difference in ap-
pearance. To-day Mr.. Hart must be IS years OF
mustache, and beard. very red, coarse face and
razor edged nose. His eyes are round, and of
that cold steel-sray hue 50 uncalcu,ated to make
him q confident of another mans secrets. He
always dresses in poor fashion. and on one Oc-
casiOn, when dressed in what might be termed
his opera suit, his appearance was far beneath
the after-work condition of a Boulevard laborer.
His best attire il: first an old wine-coiOred over
coat. patched and threadbare; then an old
underceat, greasy and diseolored: ,,iispidated
waiStcOat, a murky Old black pair OF pants,
which he has worn for at least five years, and
black felt hat with turned-up brim. the exact
shape OF which, whether sexahedrOnic or Octa-
hGdronie il impossible to accurately determine
His shirt and collar are generally of a fluffy
white color, his old black tie is marvel of Cos
ssmer veb-work. and when he doas blow his
nose the operation rs performed by the aid Of a
red cotton pocket handkerchief, yaue about
seven cents He speaks with a confused nasal
accent, and has brisk. quick mode OF walking.
He usually carries stick almost AS large him
self. Mr.. Henry Hart is the eldest of the two
brothers and the business man OF the firm and
never married.
"MIcH' HART.
Mich" As he is called. is the younger broth
er, and the one who does the rough work OF the
concern. He is about 50 years of age. and has
sandy red hay and mOustache. He Is very stoOp-
shouldered. and creeps along rather than walks.
He dresses in even verse style than his brother,
and talks in hesitating way, a. ii lac were con-
tinually afraid of being arrested for what he
might speak. He. like his elder brother, is a
bachelor, though several proposals have been
made to him by fair women that dared. but
whose beauty and chiyalry in thus Offering TO
enliyen his WEAKNESS &c declined.
THEIR START IL LiFE.
Shortly after OIL Colonel Simpson started his
famous pawn-oifice IN Chatham street, the
brothers Hart moved over to the Fourth Ward
side of the street, and in the little two-story
house Nc. 81 opened pawn-shop. Henry stood
behind the counter, received the pledges, and
bated down the amounts demanded by the ap-
plicaEts, filled out the duplicates. and paid the
money. Mich fixed the bundles up, and took
down the shutters every morning, which latter
proceeding he has continued Ia do up to the
present. There is an old story regarding the
irst pledge Henry Hart received. An Old wo-
man came in with her husbands best cat 1t
was late in the day-almOst the hour when
pawn offices closed. The coat was worth S2I,
and she asked s.. Henry told her he would give
Sl.J0. She said that her husband had lost his
wages, and that she wanted the money TO sup
port her household. But Henry would not adj
vance her more than the Sl.J0, and she, fearing
that the other Offices would be closed. accepted
the offer. 1t is stated that the coat was never
redeemed, and that this was Henry Har;'s first
hard bargain.
AMAssING WEALTH.
And so it went on Tor years. Every morning
the shutters were taken down BY Mich. and
Henry waited for gold behind the counter of his
the lodging they desired. Cent by cent and dol
lar by dollar their wealth mounted up, so that
now they now they are Estimated to be worth
Si2,oOO,00o. At length, ten years ago, they gave
up the general business OF pawnbroking, AL
though both reside in the old house vet. When
this was learned people for the first time began
to compute their wealth.
HENRY HARRIS HOUSES. .
Every house on Chatham street up to Pearl
street, on the east side of the street. from No 81
up, is owned by Henry Hart In William street,
this regard il somewhat remarkable. He asks
very large rents for his houses, and, if the rents
he not obtained. lets them remain without a ten
ant, going to ruin and final wreck. Thus, be-
| tween New Chamters and Pearl streets, in
Chatham, there is q lot of his partially built on
but the building never completed He will not
build because by the agreement he will nat OBJ
tain the rent he expected. And 50 the lot is
boarded up i'm front, and remains idle and profit
less. Again, for long period there was house
OF his in North W lillian street with the whole
front wall fallen down, and in that condition he
allowed it to remain, because he could not obtain
the eNorbitant rent he required.
THE THIRD AVENUE RAILROAD
At length, when ten years ago thev retired
from business, Henry Hart became the prnc-
/ pal stakeholder in the Third Avenue Railroad
| Company. He now owns over one third OF the
IL he mi 1lI,.ar kl,a