The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-07-28
A MILLIONAIRE MINER.
The Career of BonAn1a King-A Ro-
nance OF Mining.
Denver Cor. 81. L,uis Giol,. Demo,r,,,


had heard so much about Tabor,
mines and Tabor's buildings and Tabor.
schemes from the time I crossed the line
which separates total abstinence Kansa.
from drink.as'you.plcasc Colorado, tha,
| was quite anxious to meet the bonanza
king face to face. My curiosity was
amply gratilied to-day. by the cour,esy
Of Governor Pitkin, | occupied u place
on the balcony of the State House while
the splendid militia companies of Den
yer and Leadville passed in review under
the Executive eye. A number of the
State officers assisted the Governor. and
among them was Lieutcnant.Go Goyerno,
Tabor, arrayed in the uniform of The
Tabor Guards, his strong, bony head sur.
mounted by little skull cap apparently
40 sizes too small.
His warmost admirers would not call
Mr.. Tabor either handsome or graceful,
De Is apparently about fifty five, his hair
Is Diack and as coarse rs an Indians.
and his large mouth is covered rather
than ornamentcd by n 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 hc docs not feel ut all at home in n
military uniform.
In conversation with this luckicst of
men one soon forgets his pcculiarties of
manners and appearance. There is so
much straightiorwardness and strong
common sense i'll what he says that 20
one who knows him wonders that he has
become one of the great masters of the
great art of money making.
His hlBtOrv ia ono Oi' tho rot,op.o, re
mining. Twenty-Five years ago. when
the Pixies Peak or BUST fever was at it's
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 foot hills and mountains Of
Colorado, pursuing the phantom gold
and growing old and discouraged in their
tiresome aud bootless search. He was
sober aud she thrifty, but somehow they
did not get on in the world.
Now, when they have moro millions
delights in telling how "me aud Tabor"
moved III All OK team across the Park
from Denver to Orc City, where they
started little store for the sale of miners
supplies. Oro City was small camp
about two miles from where I.cadville
now ilonflshes, and where the first dis
coveiies OF quartz were made in Lead
vile. Tabor "grubstakcd" Two prospect
ors. August Rische and George Fryer, to
search for ore. OH the condition that he
should have half Of all they should dis.
cover
The first orc they found ran only eight
ounces to the ton, but rs they went down
on Little Pittsburg" the quality steadily
improved. About this time Leadville
had outgrown Oro City, and Tabor
moved his store to the larger place. He
came to Denyer and bought: n bill of
goods amounting tc $4,000, and not hay-
ing 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
SO, 700 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 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 tor the bill.
Well they might, for within three
months he had bought out both his part
ners for about Si50,000, paying them out
of the proceeds of the mine, and had in
turn sold out to ChafIte, Moffatt & Co.
for Sl,0D0,000. In all he made abou,
Sl,3OO,00O on the mine, which was then
stocked at $20000,000, yielded some
50, 100000 to its new purchasers, and is
now an empty ruin so far as appearances
SO.
Thousands of people in all parts of the
country who bought this stock at fancy
prices in the belief that they would make
LOCO per cent. OH the investment. now
feel that they were deceived and robbed
by the clever men who MANIPULATED the
shares; but to disinterested outsider it
looks as if the duplicity of the sellers
would have proved fruitless but for the
unhealthy greed of the buyers. So far
as know, Tabor had nothing to do with
the stock deal, but Chaffee aud NIoflatt,
who got the credit of engineering that
gigantic scheme, and are heartily hated
for II i'll some places, and arc very
wealthy and highly respected citizens of
Denver.
Since the Little Pittsburg strike every.
thing that Tabor has touched has turned
to gold His interests are scattered
every direction throughout the States.
and, rs II this whjlOm cross. roads store.
keeper couldn't find enough to occupy
his mind in Colorado, he rushes off 10
New York every now and then TO have
some fun with the boys in Wall street.
When he first turned up in that center
of sharp practice they took him for q
grceny who had made his money easily,
and would part with it readily. In other
words, they played him for sucker"
and they will never make that kind of a
mistake in his case again. He has de-
veloped talent for handling vast sums
OF money wisely that surprises all but
those who used to play ten-ccnt draw
poker with him in the old days One OF
these, dressed in brown canvas. speaking
Of Tabors luck and judgment, the other
d.y, said:
Horace was the best ten. cent poker
player in camp. He always knowed
when to come in aud when 60 stay out
when to bluff and when to lay down
when man knows these things in draw
he's able to hold his own and make mis-
way anywhere if lie ever gets a chance. y
The speaker evidently either didn',
know them things" or his chance hasn',
come yet.
Tabor's wealth now is variously esti.
mated between $4,000.000 and $4,000.
600, but it is doubtful il even ne could
state It's exact figure. Notwithstanding
his sudden leap from pover,y to millions
he is as plain and approach ,blc as ever
His only son and heir is one of the les
sees of the Windsor Hotel, and is sale
to be shrewd, level-headed young man
Mrs. Tabor delights in fine clothes, dia
monds and New England grammar, ant