National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-07-12
1oNDoN,s GREAT TAILOR.
Hecoliections OF the Man who Put
Disraoii on the Road 20 Fame.

Philadelphia Times
II remember Henry Poole very well,"
said X. Day yesterday. "He was q fine,
tall, handsome man, over six feet in
height, with blushy blonde whiskors.
He measured AZ inches round the chest.
There was no mistaking tho man when
you saw him; he walked the streets as II
London wero his own private property.
Henry Poole was tho second son of the
old tailor of that name. Uo was edu-
Gated at Cambridge and graduated with
q bachelor of arts dogroo. Ho might
never have taken to the tailoring bust.
ness. but his brother died and thon
Henry thought ho saw his way to max
ing n big thing Of 1t. You SEQ, tho largo
connection he had among his college
friends helped him. Ho was q man who
always dressed with great taste and not
only expected but insisted on all of his
employees dressing we'll, too. When
Henry Poole took the business in hand
first there were not moro than hun
dred men employed; in ten years there
were nearer q thousand"
us there any truth in tho story Of
Poolo's patronage of Disraeli ?"
"Oh, yes. Disraeli was In very poor
circumstances when he first obtained the
clerkship in the home Office. Poole, who
was always in and out of every place where
young mon congregate. saw him, took a
fancy to him, and believed there was
something great in him. He,took Disraeli
out with him one evening to dinner
aud proposed that he should supply him
with clothes suitable to the position in
society that Disraeli ought to hold. The
future prime minister jumped at the offer,
and there is little doubt that he also re-.
ceived pecuniary assistance from tho
shrewd and generous tailor"
"Did he not assist the lato emperor of
the French in the Same way 2"
Eyes; but there was reason for that,
you know"
"No, no; there is not word of truth in
that. 1t was Miss Howard. She was a
cousin of Poole's. Her mother kept a
very fashionable little hotel in Dover
street, Piccadilly, just behind the White
Horse cellars. She was created Duchesso
de Beauverne by Napoleon on his mar.
riage to the present ex-empress on con-
dition that she left France. He also
settled very good income on her. Poole
did not marry until late in life. His
wife was lady with whom he had fallen
in love while quite q young man at
college,"
"Ho was very strict, was he not, in
| business
II should think he was, indeed. He
mover allowed anything to 20 out of his
shop that had not been tried ON and fitted
over and.over again. He would employ
man and keep him in his employ for the
simple reason that he was of the same
size and build as good customer. have
known man to sit for couple of hours
on a saddle-block, only having the
creases in pair of riding brooches recti.
fed. He reduced tailoring to science"
did he do any cutting or measuring
himself?"
mo, sir! There Is story told of Lord
Hardcastle meeting Poole on the chain
pier at Brighton. He stopped him and
said: Look here, Poole, / got this coat OF
you, and see how badly II fts' Poole
took bit of chalk out of his waistcoat
pocket and marked his lordship's coat all
over and said Take that coat to my
cutter, my lord. and he will make the
necessary alterations"
He was very extravagant in his
habits, was he notT
"Very. He had house at Brighton,
another in Burlington street, near his
store. which was q perfect mine of art,
and on the Thames, at Hammersmith, he
had regular palace. His champagne
luncheons must have cost him fortune.
He had one of the finest hunting studs in
Great Britain. He never cared what he
paid for horse, and though he was such
q big man he was q magnificent 'crose
country rider"
"He did not die rich, did he ~
| mo, he was worth about EOS, 900 when
he died, and the result of the sale of his
houses and horses barely settled the
claims of his creditors. He was generous
to fault. He never could pass beggar
and many half sovereign he's given
away to people who perhaps didn't de.
serve his charity. He was the best OF
employers, and he kept men with him
for years. but there was never the least
mistake about who was master on his
premises"