The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-09-16
A MILLIONAIRE MINER.
The Career Of a Bonanzn King-A RomaBce
of Mining.

| mines and IaDOrS building ana laDOr
schemes from the time crossed the
line which separates total-abstlnencC
Kansas from drink-asyou-please Col
orado, that I was quite anxious to meet
the bonanza king face to face. My curl
osity was amply gratified to-day. BY
the courtesy of Governor Pitkin, occu,
pied a place on the balcony of the State
house while the splendid militia com,
panies of Denver and Leadville passed
in review under the Executive eye. A
number of the State officers assisted the
governor, and among them was Lieu
tenant Governor Tabor arrayed in the
uniform of the Tabor Guards, his
strong, bony head surmounted by lit.
tie skull cap, apparently two sizes too
small.
His warmest admirers would not call
Mr.. Tabor either handsome or graceful.
He is apparently about fifty-tiye, his
hair is black and coarse as an Indians,
and his large mouth is covered rather
than ornamented by a heavy moustache,
which is slightly tinged with gray, His
arms and legs seem made of wood and
his joints Of iron, and it is very evident
that he does not feel at all at home in a
military uniform.
In conversation with this luckiest of
men one soon forgets his peculiarities of
manners and appearance. There is so
much straighforwardness and strong
common-sense in what he says that no
one who knows him wonders that he has
become one of the great masters of the
great art of money making.
His history is one Of the romances of
mining. Twenty-Five years ago, when
the "Pikes Peak or bust " fever was at
its height, Tabor and his wife left their
hungry home in Maine to seek fortune
in the wild West. They didn't find it,
For eighteen weary years they went up
and down the foothills and mountains
of Colorado, pursuing the phantom
gold and growing old and discouraged
in their tiresome and bootless search,
He was sober and thrifty, but somehow
they did not get on in the world.
Now, when they have more millions
than they had hundreds then, Mrs. Ia
Dor delights in telling how "me and
Tabor moved in an OK team across the
Park from Denver to Orc City, where
they started a little store for the sale of
miners supplies. Orc City was small
camp about two miles from where Lead
vile now fourishes, and where the first
discoveries of quartz were made in
Leadville. Tabor "grubstaked" two
prospectors, August Rische and George
Fryer, to search for ore, on the condi-
tion that he should have half of all
they should discover.
The first ore they found ran only
eight ounces to the ton, but as they
went down on Little Pittsburg" the
quality steadily improved. About this
time Leadyille had outgrown Orc City,
and Tabor moved his store to the larger
place. He came to Denver and bought
bill of goods amounting to 50, 500, and
not having money enough to settle, he
offered his share in the mine to the
Denver firm, but they preferred to take
their chances on getting their money
back when he had disposed of the
wares. Later he bought 1870 worth
of goods from another firm, and actually
succeeded in inducing them to take his
half of Little Pittsburg in payment.
When he reached home, however, he
received a letter from the firm asking
him to take back his mine, as they had no
desire to 60 into that kind of business,
and assuring him that they would trust
him for the bill.
Well they might, for within three
months he had bought out both his
partners for $3.50, 900, paying them out
of the proceeds of the mine, and had in
turn sold out to Chaffee, Moffatt & Go.
for S1,000,000. In all he made about
81, 800, 900 on the mine, which was then
stocked at S2O,OOO,0OO, yielded some
S., 5,0O0,0 900 to its new purchasers, and is
now an empty ruin, so far as appear.
ances go.
Tabor's wealth is variously estimated
between $4,O00,00O and $10,000,000,
but it is doubtful if even he could state
its exact figure. Notwithstanding his
sudden leap from poverty to millions,
he is as plain and approachable as ever.
His only son and heir is one of the les-
sees of the Windsor hotel, and is said
to be a shrewd, level-headed young
man. Mrs. Tabor delights in fine
diamonds and New England
grammar, and is now enjoying tour Of
Europe.
1t is said that the presence of glucose
in sugar can be detected in this way
Take handful of the mixture and drop
it into glass Of cold water. Stir il a