New-York tribune., 1912-01-28
Anglo-Americah Memories
CIVI.
Mr.. HENRY LAeoUcHERE.
Copyright, 1912, George W. smalley.,

and had much more to do with the uuc-
cess of the paper than most of It's read
ers suspected. 1t pleased Mr.. La
bouchere to have Voules's work taken
for his own. Anything pleased MIN
which confirmed his contempt for his
fellow men.
1t IS gravely said in the biographies If
him which appear in to-day's papers that
he was married in 1868 to Miss Henrietta
Hodson. 1t is quite certain he was not.
In 1868 and for many years after that
Miss Hodson's first husband was living.
This was very generally known, but there
were houses-some of them very good
houses-where Mr.. Labouchere and Mrs.
Pidgen were asked together and went
together as Mr.. and Mrs. Labouchere.
Nothing was wanting to the regularity
OF their union except a legal sanction.
Save for that they lived a most immacu-
late life of fidelity and strict decorum
the first husband died. Miss Henrietta
Hodson was an actress-pretty. clever
and favorite with the public. I saw
her on the stage in the days when she
appeared in blue silk tights in a piece
then known as burlesque, which now
might be called musical comedy. There
was no secret about it, nor did Labou-
chere care two straws about other peo-
pies opinions in such matters. He was
devotedly attached to the woman who
a., III ,it tfo,,
was precisely analogous to that which
existed for many years in the case Of
George Lewes and Miss Marion Evans
better known as George Eliot-who were
not and could not be married: though in
this case not because the woman had a
husband but because the husband had a
living wife. They were nevertheless re-
ceived by many excellent people as Mr..
and Mrs. George Lewes. These things
happened long before such days as the
present, when the conduct Of men and
women is judged with an indulgence
then unknown. The Laboucheres had "a
house in Old Palace Yard. Westminster,
where they entertained and where ex
cellent company was 10 be met. SO
long as there was an irregularity in this
connection there were always guests,
themselves in irreproachable positions. to
whom the irregularity was an attrac-
tion. But Labouchere himself was at
traction enough. and nobody ever spent
q dull hour In his house or in his com
pany anywhere.
He had feminine side to his nature
which showed itself partly in a love Of
tormenting, partly In conceptions of
honor and Justice different from those
when usually prevail among men. / do
not suggest that women have a less re-
gard for honor than men, but only that
the notion Of what the word honor means
is different Mr.. Labouchere had. on al
most all subjects where morals were con-
cerned, a code of his own; or pretended
TO have. But whether he talked with his
tongue in his cheek or otherwise, he in
terested you His talk was challenge.
He loved talking in paradoxes. He loved
to shock. He liked to feel that he was
himself a paradox TO others; a mystery
man, an unsolved problem. Whatever
line he took he could hold his own
against the best. That was true intel
lectually. What baffled him was a gen.
uine simplicity Of nature; a real sin
cerity; real belief in principle or in
ideas. Men of that sort he had no means
Of measuring.
For long time he was gambler on a
great scale. ard while he gambled he
cared for nothing else. 1t was perhaps
the one overmastering passion Of his life.
He played and played with great skill
trente ct quarante. roulette. baccarat
and other games for which facilities are
given at Monte Carlo or Nice or Ostend,
and were given in earlier days at HON.
burg. Baden and Wiesbaden. He knew
all the so-called systems of winning,
tried them all, and abandoned them all.
II ,he had a belief he believed in luck
What else could a man believe in who
staked $4,000 on the turn of a carl?
Later he took TO gambling heavily en-
the London Stock Exchange; losing
heavily at first and then winning great
sums.
, He understood finance and the methods
of Capel Court. but would never trouble
himself to conform to City customs in
matters Of business detail. He would
not have a passbook from his bankers
nor checkbook. He wrote checks
on bits of loose paper, or sometimes even
on the margins Of newspapers. AS hc
kept a good balance with his bankers
these eccentricities were tolerated. One
day he went in to Messrs williams
& Deacons, the private bankers now in
corporated with other concerns. and re-
marked that he was going to draw in a
day or two a larger check than usual
and II might be convenient for them 10
know 1t. Asked how much, he said
about $4,000.
But, Mr.. Labouchere you have moth
ing like that amount to your credit"
"Oh. yes have. It's true have no
passbook. but I keep accounts in my
head and always know about how
much my balance is"
But in the daily list OF customers
credits 1t appeared that Mr.. Labou-
chere's balance was about $1,000. The
books were sent for and the checks
that had lately passed through the bank.
These latter Labouchere examined one
by one and sorted into two piles; then
said
Those are my checks and these are
not. You have paid 10000 over the
counter on forged signatures"
1t was true, and presently II was
known who forged them, and IL was
seen that Mr. Laboucheres habit of
scribbling orders to his bankers on