Omaha daily bee., 1883-04-14
The RICHEST COLORADO LADY
A Graceful and Truthful Tribute to
Mrs John w. Lift.
X lnsas City Journal.

A Graceful and Truthful Tribute to
Mrs John w. lift.
Kansas City Journal
DENVER LETTER. - Tho rlcheat
woman in Colorado, it may surprise
many to know, Is not a bonanza
princess, nor am l aware that the
snallest portion of her wealth even
came In any way, either directly or
Indirectly through mining, SO the
uninltiated outsider msy discover that
there are other sources of making
money inthis new state, loss hazardous
though slower, perhaps, than that of
which the most has beon told.
1t Is something to be the richest
woman In any state. 1t is often a
question hard to decide, "Who Is this
richest woman In a stated" But l
think there Is no doubt that In Col.
orado 1t Is Mrs. John w, Tiff, widow
OF the late John w. lift, popularity
spoken of as "the cattle king of the
state, a man who died owning, per.
haps, twice as many herds as any
other stockman In Colorado, Consid.
cradle wei 100, 600 was the number
of cattle possessed by Mr.. Tiff when
he died, and a 10000 or 5000 are
sufficient to make a wealthy man,
t is easy to see that the
lift estate was vast enough to render
the widow and children the richest
heirs In all thlu state. Ordinarily the
life of the rich Ia not a subject of
sutf ,ient interest to find Its way into
q newspapers columns, but, as l have
remarked, 1t Is something to be the
richest woman In tho Rocky noun.
tain region; while, besides, her life
has been one Of so much dignity and
good sensethat 1t Is pleasant to sketch
1t, and many, I think, will find 1t
pleasant to read If 1t.
Fourteen years ago q Chicago girl
came to Denver to sell machines for
the Singer manufacturing company.
She had wealthy brothers, who offered
her a home and provision, but che had
that independence too rare among
young women outside of novels, re.
fused their proffsrs and started out for
herself. Ouce when / heard a woman,
not this girls equal, bsratlng her
brothers for not lavishing on her
money, dress and jewels, l could not
refrain from contrasting with her
Elizabeth Frazier.
She was o slender, graceful, dark.
haired lady, not handsome perhaps,
but with an interesting face, full Of
fine womanly resolve. She letter mined
to work for her company hard, con,
stantly and faithfully; she had youth,
health aud energy, and so admirably
did she bring her Efforts to her worl
that her machines were sold by hun
dreds throughout the third territory
0 IL was here she met Mr.. Ilif, wht
. became so greatly Interested In the
bright, animated, %perseverlng youn,
agent, that when, after two years sta,
In the west, she returned to Chicago
; 1t wal to become the great oattl'
dealers bride. Theirs wal g hspp,
. life until Mr.. lifts death, q few year
since; his loss was to bis wife q blov
from which she has never fully re
covered, and probably never will. H.
left no will, so under the COLORADO
statutes one. half the mammoth estat
goes to his wife, and the other half t.
the three children, but u 1t will no
be long before these attain their ms
|. jority, the management Of the estat
3 involves untiring supervision, peou.
liarly difficult to execute since 80 mucI
n of 1t lies In cattle, and the head of ]
n oil Is . woman.
But Mrs. Iliff has shown singula
Judgment and surprised her closes
friends by her wonderful and deoisiv
@ management; but one woman In 80
control the refine so suddenly tbrus
into her hands with success. Mr.
Tiff happened to be that one woman
the wealthiest lady In Colorado
there is no better business woman l
all Its stretch of prairies and mour
tains. To have seen the great II,
Q estate rapidly flung to the winds b
y incompetent guardians would hav
been only the history of great estate'
but that epitaph n may safely pr
l. dict will never be read over this on
n 20 long az Elizabeth lives.
70 Although her bereavement an
!. business cares have pressed heavil
n upon her the last few years she h,
" yet found time to do hundreds
l. good works, and liberal even, for OF
% of her wealth. are her donations
IS charity and church. She Is a SCI
70 sible mother and her little gir
y are brought up in q very slmp
J. way, much indeed after the Q
n ample set American women by II
re lovely Princess of Wales. She IL I
m more devoted to her own ohildre|
o Edna and Louise, than she IL to h
=. stepsop, Willie, who fairly idoliz
t. her In return. She Is q devout moi
r. Der of tho Methodist church al
3 never, If her health permits, miss
y any Of it's services, not even q
prayer meetings and special servic
or too often voted by %aristocratio mel
bers ga bore"
n 1t Is too common, unfortunately,
IL pay respect to wealth and position,
T. the exclusion of unadorned wort
,h there are those who even reach su
In an acme of vulgar obeisanoe to the
as did one woman, who, ~fortunateI
30 as she considered 1t for herself, h
secured q servant who had onoe be
~ employed In the family of the oh
X executive to the state. Thencefor
she guaged her acquaintance not