, 1878-07-20
LITTLE MISS BARTLETT"
starting with 81 Is Capital and Dying with
One Hundred Men In Hrr Employ ...Ssmc
Characteristic anecdotes Of busy Life.

One Hundred Men In Hrr Employ ...Samc
Characteristic anecdotes Of IA busy Life.
Miss Emma Bartlett, the Mell-known
Warren street dealer In saddles and brides,
who died IN this city, was remarkable We
man, and her life, achievements. and capac-
ity for taking care Of herself oilers practi.
cal suggestion of great value to the New
York theoretical women's rights people. She
was diminutive person, and when IN what
she con~:,ier,-l ieurishing condition uis-, ,hed
only eighty.four pounds, but she faced the
army of males VINO bought saddlery with a
pluck that WAS colossal, and forced a fortune
out of them with ease The story of her
life is told by one who has known her for
many years.
Miss Bartlett was born in London fifty
seven years ago. She lived there two and
twenty wears, becoming a shop girl rs soon
as she was old enough, and working at the
manufacture of men and boys caps and
then she came to this country, thinking TO
push her fortunes with rapidity III a COM
munity that was less crowded. She had 4
brother-in-la law, Mr.. Moore, then An actor of
I tragedy IN the Bowery. at present stage
manager of the Fifth Avenue theater, and
as soon as she descended upon the Battery,
she set forth IN search of dinner and OF him,
on foot, with precisely tl.ree English shil
hngs IN her pocket Dinner she got without
| difficulty, driving good bargain i'll the
| transaction whereby it was procured but
she had great difficulty in reaching her
brother, inasmuch rs she could not find the
rear entrance to the Bowery theater, and
was unwilling to pay the price OF gong IN
at the front. However, she found HIM at
last. and after a little, through his agency
! probably, 20. a position as needle-wonaa
| her work being to sew horse SHEETS.
When Miss Bartlett started III business for
herself she had capital Of precisely 81 10
| She began To make and sell brides, securing
httic loft on Pearl street At first her
operations were confined to the city. but her
commercial abilities were marked, and it
| was not long before she began to travel.
| The great epoch lii her fortunes was when
| she got her first stock of raw material.
Walton Bros, then at the corner of Cedar
! and Church streets, told her where To buy
! ii at auction. That's all the lift | have
| got" Miss Bartlett used frequently to say.
| When she came INTO possession of this stock
| she put her nephew III charge OF ITS manu-
| facture, and went herself travelling around
| the country with all assortment Of sample
| Galters Oa her arm. She visited every State
III the Ugjon. In SIX years from the time
of her starting she had, i'll place of loft, a
| whole buiidins on Pearl street.
| Her great success was In horse bands, or
| fronts, the small section Of harness which
trave-ses the head of a horse between his
ears. She originated the idea of the cTeas-
ing ,rachine, which rolls up a longitudinal
ridge along this bit of leather, and therein
triumphed p:oiitably over the slow workers
by hand She was also the first to Use
Singers machine for sewing leather; and
she also later, bought up al the patents on
horse honnets, thereby securing monopoly
Miss Bartlett didn't prevail over the trade
by means of her beauty. She had none OF
th2t. \ description once given OF her face,
to which she never made any objection, and
which Is here quoted from oGe 0f her friends,
Was that It was precisely hike copper halt
Quart measure that had been battered and
Eisshapen by long use III grocer's shop
Il was her manner that carried authority
She was not only like male, but like an
emphatic one She WOuld sWaggcr up to al
mast any man and browbeat HIM terribly.
Wee unto anybody who attempted to chati
her; that vas her strong point; she would
carry dismay into the soul OF an aggressl"e
chatter, and make him buy hundreds OF
dollars worth of brides. i loose Joke
went bounding back from the well-panoplIed
little person like boomerang Five men
came up to her room in Chicago hotel,
where she had brides spread oui en- table,
just for the purpose OF provoking her. They
didn't want TO buy. They asked her Sravely
if she would join taem IL drink
Whats your tipple2' she inquired OF
the guintctte, as qrick as fash.
Four of them answered whiskey and one
brandy. She roared at the waiter like a
Saracen, and ordered up five bottles Then
she drank with the foolish males glass for
glass, anu got them so tipsy that they bought
5000 worth Of brides.
1t was rule with her never to show
ignorance Ill any matter, and never to be
frightened ont of undertaking anything.
When her business was still confined TO
brides, customer said, Miss Bartlett,
will You make me a martIngaie Tor hight
harness =
.Of course | viii, said she. Thereupon
she went off 10 harnesSlnaker- On the way
s. forgot the name. Accordingly she pop
ped IN on the tradesman with:
ssWiu Won make me humming gale"
"You must mean martIngale, SAID he
"Oh, well, eonfound you, if You can't
make me one you can 90 to grass
With that she went to another shop,
bought a nIartingale, made another Ike 1t,
and presented the same TO her customer
Alter awhile Miss Bartlett turned on. her
rephew. carried ON the home business herself
and sent out iiocks OF men to Sell her BRIDES
She changed her quarters over to the corner
OF Warren street and College place ten
years ago, where her well-scocked store,
with gilt horses head sticking ont OF the
Warren street wall over the sidewalk, has
crown to lie a familiar object 1t vas her
nabit to come down at 5 o'clock III the
morning, and 10 leave a. at night She
had two sets OF keys 10 the store, and always
! locked up herself For time she lived IN
COSY cottage at 80 West Fifty-fourth street;
but for several years, having rented her
house. she occupied rooms at l6l Sixth
avenue. She always dined at midday at
the French restaurant on the corner OF Col
Iege place and Murray street, and drank a
bottle Of good WINE
Miss Bartlett shaved Being unwilling TO
! perform this operation at home, sne KEPT d
na;r az a small handled razors of exquisite
! manufacture, in trunk III an upper room
at her warehouse, and used them three
times a week Herpeople could always tell
! when she shaved, fer she evidently perform
| ed the operation with the same vigor which
characterized all her movements, and came
down with her face fiery red and often
a valued book-keeper. who had been IN
the house long time, had for number OF
ygars exercised his ingenuity and increased
his wages by putting the sign OF units IN the
account books, and by changing clphers IN
10 mines through the addition OF little curly
onss ,t the bottom. Once Miss Bartlett, IN