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Show A. PATHETIC LIFE. BTnANQE STOnY OP lltNllY HART, OF NEW YOI1K. II lha "l'nlh,l at lha Thlnl Airnna Straal I'ar l.la," lal a aal lor-laaa lor-laaa llul ll.ro, rr.l II Llm a ll.rnalL (New York letter.) A atrange life story It that of old Henry Hart, "father of the Third Avenue Ave-nue street car line, New York," tho downfall of which a short time alneo supposedly burled his millions In tho wirck and left him as destitute, savo In experience, ns ho was on coming Irom Ixindon to this country a steer-ate steer-ate passenger fourscore yrara ago, Hut within a week the railroad Block baa taken n rise and his capital has gained over 11.700.000 There nro proipeets of still greater gains nnd Mr. Hsrt will come uut, It Is said, a big winner. For decades Mr Hart has led n hermit's her-mit's life and hat become known na one of New York's most eccentric millionaires. mil-lionaires. Ho la 00 ytnrt of age. For tbe past hnlf century he has been a1 devoted to tho Interests of his road as a mother to her first-born child, and haa watched tho properly grow with the town. From an old stone line he developed a system that now tpreada Ita ateel line through two counties and carries n hundred million people n year. This was hit life's work, tho concrrto product of his energy. en-ergy. Mr. Hart la a little old man, scarcely scarce-ly more than four feet In suture. He wear a bunchy white beard on lilt thlli that gives length tn hla sharp- HENRY IIA11T. "" " lined, Impenetrable faco. Hit hair Is gone, except for heavy curly white locks over bis cars; his mouth Is broad, with thin, determined lips, and about his mouth aro half laughing lines that accentuate tbe shtrpness and alto of hla nqulllne noae. Hla partly closed almond eyes hae n nils-, Chtevous, gnomla stara, and w Villa thay follow you about, on feel that they glte'nr) consctnusners of your presence. pres-ence. A strange old man a reminder of old New York, the mystery of whoto hermit life, even by Ibe few who have been near blm nil thcto yean, has neier been qulto penetrated. Every day he makes hit appearance In a saloon on Park row and never does bo fall to attrnct attention. Men who know who ho Is whisper to their companions the little man's name. Ho seems to notice nobody, although he mutters sharply In any ono standing near blm, emphasising hla unlntcUlgl-gle unlntcUlgl-gle remarka by a vigorous, nervous pounding of his enne upou tbo floor. To tbe proprietor ho muttera n fow words which are receded very ro-spectfully, ro-spectfully, and the old man pounda hla cane harder than ever. Then ho goea over to the long counter whero aro spread out the meats and appetizers of the "free lunch," nnd taking, with many mutterlngs, ns much as his hands will hold, be goes to tho atrcct, both hands full of sandwiches. Waiting Wait-ing for blm at tho curb Is a" baraucho that was old and dilapidated years ago. Tbo bones drawing It ore old hone car animals; tho driver Is a rcllo of the Third avenue's horso car days. Ilurabllng up the narrow, noisy tbor-ougbfsro tbor-ougbfsro tbo odd vehicle goes, and pedeatrlans turn and stare at tbe llttlo man silting crouched up In tbo back seat. Hla eyea aro on tbo trnckt close by, and be muttera Incoeaantly as the cars Jangle up and down past him. Early In tbe century Hart came tu thla country and located In Now York Just as the first horse car rond In tho world waa started there. Stage linen wero In operation several years later, however, but they hid to gUei way to nrnrreis. Tho ono plying ou Chatham tlrcit finally fell Into tbe hands of young Hart, who had eaUbllthed hlm-iclt hlm-iclt at a money lander Ho lookeJ after the running of the line and mado more money. It wat nearly twenty jean after bo landed In New ork. that a company got a franchise to run a hone car lino up Third nvonue. Hart aaw that ho must have tho new road or allow hla atago line to go bankrupt, and so, when the railway promoters had about abandoned their project, the money lender bought them out for next to nothing. Such wot the beginning begin-ning of tho Third nveiiuo system. Hart got n company of hla on to-cethcr. to-cethcr. and before long had horso cars running by the door of his pawnshop After the war ho gate up his pawn-broking pawn-broking business. Illiterate not knowing bow to read .nd able only to acrawl his algnnture ho haa made men who have been Ililed prlneea of flnane bow beforo Mm and v.as at ono period many ?imes a millionaire. Hut he was wrapped up entirely In his two track ot Third avenue, and while he waa blind to everything elae a new power H took shape In a new enterprise Its 1 trafflc went up. up, up, doub- H ling In a drcado, whllo tho H Third nvenuo barely held Its H own. Bo matters went on until, when H money tightened threo months ago jH and hit stocks began to tumble, dlsns- IB ter seemed to staro him In the face tnHif nnd ruin wat predicted. Contrary lo naKaV general opinion, however, he did not HR lose hla fortune and la still a power tBfl In tho financial world. Tho gain In WfSR atoek haa placed him on n sound boats itwrefi and hit energies will continue to be 7jMWW exercised Indefinitely In behalf of bit JSwIl pet railroad. EHatf |