The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-03-18
QUEER OLD HENRY HART, MILLIONAIRE

/, would then go across to the hotel restaur-
! ant TO get something TO eat. On such oc-
casions Mitchell sometimes would accom-
pany them sharing the meal or course,
| IL invited. When the meal was over
Mitchell would gather up some OF the
remnants and take them over to Henry
Once. when the manager objected, Mitch
ell COMPOUNDED and confused him with the
remark. What business is 1t OF yours!
1t is paid for, isn't it2' And there was
no gainsaying the proposition. There used
to be an all-night coffee and cake saloon
where the new part OF the Tribune build
ing now fronts on Spruce street, and at
one time Mitchell used to go there at
about midnight for a meal. He always
thought of Henry up at the shop and took
some OF his meal back to him.
Mitchell Hart died twenty years ago.
When the Third avenue road was started
Henry Hart put money into it, secured the
controlling influence and became a mil
llonaire. But he was as frugal as ever in
his personal expenditures. He gave up
his pawnshop about twenty-five years ago,
but lived in the old building in his ac-
customed way. The house was curiosity
shop dim and dusty and filed with
swords, opera glasses, watches, clothing
jeweIry-a thousand varied unredeemed
pledges. But while ne sat in the dim light
over his scanty meals he could hear the
Third avenue cars changing by and his
wealth was pillng up. piling up. He could
look out of the window and count the pas
sengers In the passing cars II he wanted
TO. When the old house was torn down
Hart went TO live with his niece uptown,
and II was then that he hired his office
in the Tribune building and set up his re-
markable carriage. He gave up his office
In Printing House square about two years
ago.
Not long before he gave It up the people
O.
lar figure were surprised to see him ar
rive at the door OF the building in really
nice-looking carriage drawn by two good
appearing horses Soon after the region
which had known him 50 long knew him
no more.
In the days OF the civil war Hart was
pronounced in his sympathy for the South,
and once or twice came in danger OF be-
ing taken to Fort Lafayette. 1t IL said
that when Jay Gould was deep in Pacific
Mall, Hart had some dealings with the
Little Wizard" and, sharp as he was,
had his claws cut to a pretty lively tune.
A story Is told of how Edward Iauter-
bach reconciled Hart to the compromising
of n suit for damages against the Third
Avenue. Mr.. Lauterbach said: 1--WE have
compromised that suit for $500 II was
a dead sure thing against us. II It ever
gets into court we are gone for $4,000"
Hart was furious and declared that he
would never pay such an amount Lauter-
bach the next day got hold OF n blank and
made out subpoena for Hart to appear
in court and testify in the suit Hart
sent for the lawyer In hurry when he
got the subpoena. He asked what was to
be done, and was told there was nothing
but to obey IT, In reply to a question as
to what they would ask him in court, Mr..
Lauterbach gave such a long list of things
that Hart capitulated and said: Com
promise" Then Mr.. Lauterbach told him
that the suit had been compromised for
5000. instead OF 81. 500, and Hart felt happy
again. This was one OF the ways In which
his lawyers used to manage" the mill
ionaire when money was in question.
They say In Wall street that when Hart
used to borrow large amounts there. when
he came to pay he would claim the benefit
of the rate for loans Mt the time he paid
IL the rate was lower than 1t was when
he borrowed. 50 the money lenders said:
We'll. Mr. Hart IL you want to make II
a sliding scale. so be IT." He got a big
loan and then. when II was time for MIN
to pay, up went the rate of interest and
Wall street was richer and Hart poorer