The Portland daily press., 1881-11-24
A Rich Mans Wife.
Incidents, Humorous and Interesting. in
the Life of Mrs. Governor Tabor of Col
orado.
kansas City Journal

kansas City Journal
eyes" said Mrs Tabor, wife of the million
aire Lieutenant Governor of Colorado, in re-
Spouse to an inquiry, 81 was coming down
stairs. and Rische rushed into the room with
his hands full of specimens, shouting: We've
struck III We've struck It'll
"I said to him, rather frigidly I expect,
'Rische when you bring me money instead of
rocks, then I'll believe you. !"
In this way was the first news of the discov-
cry of the Little Plttsburg received by one OF
the parties to be afterward most directly ben
Gifted by it. But her indifference is not to be
wondered at when is considered the long years
OF alternate hope aud dependency which she
had experienced in the newest regions of Col
orodo-following her husband while he fol-
lowed an apparent mirage. But for once a
prize was drawn out of fortunes whell, and
plain man and woman brought suddenly into
full public view. And how did they bear i'll
Nous UeTrons.
1t happened that Denver man, who had
been heavy property holder, had become in
volved, his elegant residence perhaps the fin
est in the State, was offered for sale, and
Governor Tabor purchased it. IT stands in
the centre of block that the former owner
had been fifteen years in cultivating, so the
grounds are most charming. The situation is
on the side of what is known as Capitol Hill,
and is a wide, spacious mansion, without much
pretention to architecture, but with acomforta-
ble homely look. When she was conducted
to it Mrs. Tabor said, with a sarcastic refec-
ton upon the ups and down of fortune in the
Centennial State, 81 will never go up these
l. :. l. al.
to go down them"
think that it is, In great measure due to
her influence, instigated by those feelings, that
her husband invested so much in Denver prop
erty that will be such grand epitaphs upon his
sagacity. -, ..,
ing in Denver, was intensely curious in regard
to Mrs. Tabor-how she would act, and wonld
she be very 0utre have heard that on her
first days establishment as mistress of her new
home she received thlrty-five callers. Still,
this may be merely conjecture, though doubt
not but that there is that number of i'll bred
curious and fattering ones, even in the lovely
"Queen City OF the Plains" Certainly she
did receive innumerable callers soon, many of
whom it WIS impossible to remember by sight,
and almost impossible to know where to find
in return. l do not think that Mrs. Tabor ever
greatly enjoyed what is denominated "formal-
ties"
Naturally Mrs Tabor was considered an eli
gible subject for criticism, not only by the self
styled ladies in her own town, but by newspap-
er correspondents. And yet why the latter
should select her from all the wives of "bonan-
"a kings" as a target l cannot conceive. /
know one such lady in Denver, fifteen years
younger than Mrs. Tabor, with every possible
advantage who do not believe is sound on
the multiplication table to-day, and who, when
q young lady of 10 at school, gravely delivered
Poe's graceful lines as follows: straight he
wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and
bust the door, But no Bohemian inveighs
against her.
think that Mrs. Tabor dropped into her
new relation TO society quite easily. attended
her first reception in Denver, given to the Leg
isature, where in receiving she was assisted by
Mrs. Governor Routt. And though the latter
Is a graceful, we-traned woman, who was in
Washing ton society for several seasons, one
could not see but that she was even as much at
home in her duties as was the other. Her
dress was quite simple black silk, pped with
canary, with no ornaments save diamond
cross. Not in the least the profusion that had
been presupposed of her. One thing pleasant
remember of this occasion was the presence
of several old ladies' not in any way courted by
society, but who had been her friends in former
years, and whom she did not choose to ignore
for newer If more elegant ones.
Consistency to her friends seems to be prom
nent element in her disDositi0n, and think
the fashionable ladies of Denver would not be
90 greatly flattered if they we're aware of the
true value she placed upon all their attentions.
l remember some young women who belonged
to the family of the '.has beens," and who,
though they allowed their father to prepare
their breakfasts we're very punctilious in their
social creeds. They were present at little,
quiet informal dance, given by Mrs. Tabor,
who as they had none, sent her carriage for
them. But when that lady allowed her SER
warts to come into an adjoining room to listen
to the music they were most indignant; bat
did they refuse her invitations in future? Not
at all: She has said often that all her old
friends, miners aud poor people were welcome
to her house; and she has never been known
to slight one of them. She is quite simple, too
in her way. On one occasion she took her
little niece to have photograph taken,
when she happened to notice that her shoes
were worn "But, no matter" she said,
children always have holes in the toes of
their shoes thus waving off a dilemma
that would have Mortified, perhaps, a quite
poor matron.
She is very proud of her position as pioneer
woman in the State; tells how this town Tabor
helped to found, and in that one he owned lots.
She was the first woman in California gulch,
and contends there would be no Leadvile to-
dav if her husband had not stayed in the gulch
and perServered In keeping store for the min
ers. She Indignantly denies that Governor Ts
Dor was very poor when the Little Pttsburg
was discovered, and ates that his store was
valued at $4,000
Her version of the discovery of carbonate is
that Mr.. Stevens, of Stevens q Letter, of the
iron mine, first told them that while digging
for gold they were walking over silver, though
1t is probable that he even did no realize the
extent and value of the beds.
Among the incidents she relates of her noun
tain life, is that she once read in the Rocky
Mountain News her own death, with highly
sensational details. There was some little trou-
BILE in Lake County at that time among the
county officials. and News correspondent who
favored the opposite side from Mr.. Tabor,
wrote a thin and sketchy falsehood up sensa-
tionally. She seems to have cause for bitter
feelings toward that paper, as it was also the
one that, during the campaign that her hus
band was elected Lieutenant Governor, inveigh-
ed against not only his political, but his domes
tic life.
remember in an article not long since a
sneering sentence that spoke of "Mrs. Tabors
New England grammar. IF there is such a
thing as sectional and New England grammar
Mrs Tabor's New England grammar is also the
grammar of Emerson and Richard Grant
White; for she is very strict and choice in her
language. doubt not that she was gagged in
his direction, as she was already pronounced
to have no "artisic sense by one whose pic
ture of an impossible pass she had refused to
purchase for $1,000 She is Maine woman by
birth, and her prenom is Augusta, after the
town OF her nativity. She has correspondent at
different times for European papers, and once
she and myself attended in company meeting
Of the State Press Association at Manitou,
when she kept journal on the way, which was
most happy, showing keen observation and
good sense oil the ludlcrOuS, better considered
than any of the reports forwarded by repre-
sentatives of their respective papers. Her
judgments may be tested by remarks such
as this uttered upon discovering that the va
rious churches were seeking the Tabor's mem
bership: az suppose Mr. Tabor's and my
souls are of more value than they were year
ago."
She is in person thin, rather angular, with
curling dark hair, and wears blue glasses to
benefit her near sighted eyes Her voice is es-
peciaIly soft and pleasant. She has good taste
in dress, usually wearing subdued but not SOM
Der eolors. Her only child is her son Maxey
a young man of %, who is already quite
a business fellow. Her devotion to him is
shown in the fact that she was once asked if
her son should marry one she did not approve
what would she do, she answered at
once:
II should try to like her, because he liked
her."
II all women in this respect were only like
Mrs Tabor
FLORA ELLIcE STEVENS.
MEFEOHOLOS4lCAL.
rgrdoArIoEs FOB THE NEXT rwKNTg-FoUa
HOURS.