The Rock Island Argus., 1883-09-01
A CHICAGO GIRL.
4 Graceful aad Truthful Tribute t, hrs
John Y. lliff, the Richest Lady
in Colorado.

4 Graceful aad Truthful Tribute t. hrs
John Y. lliff; tn. Richest Lady
in Colorado.
| The richest woman in Colorado, il
may surprise nany to know, is not a
! bonanza princess, nor am | aware that
! the smallest proportion OF her wealth
| even came III any way, either directly
or indirectly, through mining So the
Hninitiated outsider may discover that
| there are other sources of money max
ing in this new State, less hazardous,
| though slower, perhaps, than that of
which the most has been told.
1t Is something 10 be the richest wo-
nan in any State 1t is often a question
hard to decide, who is the richest wo-
man in n State?" But in Colorado it is
Mrs. John W. Tiff, widow OF the late
John ". Lift, popularity spoken Of
rs ''the cattle king" of tie State, man
who died owning, perhaps, twice as
many herds as any other stockman in
/ Colorado. Considerable over 100000
was the number of cattle possessed by
| Air. lift when he died; and, rs 10. 600
| or 5000 are sufficient to make a wealthy
man, it is easy to see that the Tiff estate
was vast enough to render the widow
| and children the richest heirs in all this
| State Ordinarily, the life of the rich is
not subject of sufficient interest to
ind its way into newspapers col
| umns, bat, as have remarked, it is
something 10 be the richest woman in
the Rocky Mountain region; while, be-
sides. her lie has been one of so much
| dignity and good sense, that it is pleas
ant to sketch it-and many, / think, will
| find it pleasant to read of it.
| Fourteen years a@o n Chicago girl
came to Denver 10 sell machines for the
Singer Manufacturing Company, She
had wealthy brothers. who offered her
a home and provision, but she had that
| independence too rare among young
women outside of novels, refused their
proffers, and started out for herself.
Once when | heard woman, not this
girls equal beratiHg her brothers for not
Nvishing on her money, dress and Jew
| els, could not refrain from contrasting
with her Elizabeth Frazier
She was Il graceful, slender, dark
haired lady, not handsome, perhaps, but
with an interesting face, full of fine
| womanly resolve. She determined to
work for her company hard, constantly
and faithfully; she had youth, health
and energy. and so admirably did she
bring her efforts to her work that her
machines were sold by hundreds
throughout the third Territory. 1t was
here she met Mr.. Iliff. who became so
greatly interested in the bright, ami
mated persevering young agent. that
| when, after two years, s,ly in the
West, she returned to Chicago, it was
to become the great cattle dealers
bride. Theirs was happy life until
MIR lifts death. a few ycats siuce: his
loss was 10 his wife blow from which
she has never fully recovered, and prob
ably never will He left no will. so
under the Colorado statutes one-half of
the mammoth estates goes to his wife,
and the other halt to the three children.
but as twill he long before these a&tain
their majority, the management of the
estate involves untiing supervision pc
culiarly difficult to execute since SO much
of it lies in cattle, ami the head of it all
q woman.
But Mrs. Iliff has shown singular
Judgment and surprised her closest
| friends BY her wonderful and decisive
management; but one woman in 800
could control the reins so suddenly
thrust into her hands with success. Mrs.
Iliif happened to be that one woman.
The wealtIiiest lady in Colorado. there
= l-tfa.. l,,r-;->o-.-. - :.
/ is no DUtt5:"" = tssIiiteS woman in all Its
stretch OF pr&iries and mountains. TO
have seen the great Iiiil estate rapidly
tlunr to the winds BY incompetent
guardians would have been only the his
| tory of great estates. but that epitaph
one may safely predict will never be
read over this one, so long as Elizabeth
| Iliif lives.
Although her bereavement and busi-
i;ass cares have pressed heavily upon
her the l;.-J Il. years, she has vet found
| time 10 do IIItiireis of good works, and
liberal. even for one of her wealth, are
her donations to charity and the
church. She is a'sensible mother, and
her little girls are brought up in very
simple way, much indeed after the ex-
ample set American women by the
lovely Princess of Wales. She is nO
more devoted to her own children,
Edna and Louise, than she is to hel
step-son Willie, who fairly idolizes hel
in return She is a devout member OF
the Methodist Church, and never. if hel
| Df
vices, not even the prayer-meetings and
special services, too often voted by aris,
| tocratic members "a bore.
1t is too common, unfortunately, t.
| pay respect to wealth and position, tC
the exclusion Of unadorned worth
there are those who even reach such
an acme of vulgar obeisance to these a'
did one woman, who, fortunately as she
considered it for herself, had secured q
servant who had once been employed il
the family of the chief executive of the
State. Thenceforth she gagged her ac
quaintances not by cultere, nor vet by
kindliness of heart, but As to how they
would appear to my girl, who has liveC
at the Governors. What magnificent
material for heroine such a woman
would make in the caustic hands of tht
author of daisy Miller 1t is, one
must admit, though with deep regrets
ali American weakness. Nothing but 8
broader education will effectualiy rid us
of this plague spot. Mrs. Iliff is shrewc
enough to know that much of the defer
ence is paid not to her, but to what il
hers; and she keeps her closest friends
they who were her friends before shC
became 1.-THE richest woman in Colora
do, kansas City Journal
GENTLEMEN 3 DRESS.