Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-15
TAB0R'S THREE MINES.
FROM FLOODING STOREKgsPeR TO
SUCCESSFUL SPECTATOR.

The Romances OF Little PittsSur. Chrys-
Law in n Scrub Stass',-No, Broken In
Fortune.
AT length came the realization Of the car
Donate wealth hidden in these hills whsrr
Orc had been established In 1880 Iesavilie
was laid out in 1878. Even in this period Of
new excitement Tabor's head was not turned
from his routine OF storekeeping. His trade
doomed naturally with the growth of the
camp, which sdded TO its population IS many
as 500 day during the big rush. LAWYERS.
gamblers, everybody focked TO the hills and
laid out claims, and strained their backs ut
tire pick and windlsSs Tabor was not 50
carried away He stood behind the counter
and weighed out the bacon and the meal
| ~Hs was q steady going-you might say
plodding-storekeepern Is the description
given by the pioneers. "That was al there
was 10 him Nobody ever thought Of him IS
. mining msn.'
Occasionally the impecunious proSpector
came 10 Tabor with proposition for grub
| stake The storekeeper usually fell in with
the suggestion. and weighed the supplies.
The miner shouldered the pack and went over
she hill. And Tabor entered up so many
pounds Of bacon and 50 many pounds Of -four
to profit and loss How many miners Tabor
has grub stakedS il his time Leadville does
/ not pretend 10 say. Probably the number il
well along in the hundreds II anything
came OF this grub stalking for nearly twenty
years no record has been kept of the fact.
But Tabor accumulated a few thousands and
good name during this plodding period Of
his life. No III word is spoke; Of him as a
storekeeper.
One day miner named RiSche made the
usual credit arrangement with Tabor for
grub walked up the hill as SO May others
had done before him, and went to work. Hs
came down town OF evenings, aud got tailor
interested with him in the prospect Tho
tailor was George Hook, who, after listening
to Rische's speculations about the claim,
chucked his goose under the table, followed
the miner up the hill, and went TO work at the
| shaft For some time Tabor would have ~
signed that grub stake claim for fifty cents
on the dollar, and George Hook secretly re-
| GREETED the day be left the bench 20 become q
mining man.
But the time came when two az the part
uers sold out their thirds for sle0, 900 apiece,
while Tabor, true TO his character for hang
ing on, stayed in and saw that claim yield
s., 900 day, half Of which he put in hts pocket
as the interest on his grub stake principal
This is the romance Of Little PittSburg.
Tabor, the Flooding storekceper, became an
ether man entirely He and Jerome II.
Chefree held on TO Little Pistsburg until 10
yielded 5000 day. Then they stocked 1t.
One day when they had jus, received returns
| from the latest shipment 20 the smeter and
were sitting in the back room OF the bank,
Tabor said to Chaifee: "We1l stock this mino
for Sl0o00000"
"Oh, no. protested Chafce, "tha;'s too
much. Make it G., 900 600, or something rea-
| sonable like that
Come 10 think OF it, though said Tabor,
paving no attention 70 the interruption, Il
believe wen make it $50 coo, 900"
And they did The 2O0, 600 shares AZ 500
par value were issued. and climbed until
| they reached SIS, representing a capital Of
| 81, 100000 And then Tabor showed that be-
sides possessing a capacity for holding on, hs
! knew when TO let 60. Telling people plainly
that while Little PittShurg was a great mine,
he didn't believe it was a fair equivalent for
that valuation, be let go Of bis stock. Thers
were plenty Of takers, for the reports mads
J by experts could rot have been more glowing
if tho wboIe Fryer bill was Of solid silver
Little Pittsburg was a grand producer for
| awhile, 'ahd has yielded 81 900 900, tust 100
! per cent. on the investment represented by
/ the stock at s35 share. But the date Of tho
! last dividend is ominous-"Narcb, $500
! In four months Tabor made out 81 Little
/ Pittsburg g 100000 But his luck didn's
stop there. There used 20 be character in
| Leadville known a. Chicken Blll. His
mother knew him William Lowell
| Chicken Bill took up cla'sn on Fryer bill
and worked 10 industrously for some weeks.
But after tho shaft got down % such depth
| that IL was quite tiresoIBs % haul toe dirt up
| in q bucket be became Disguised. In tho
| language If Leadviile, "he hadu't smell q
ore" Bill left bis shaft one night and walked
down tie hill. As be came 20 George Flyers
New Discovery mine his eyes fell on SOHO
very good ore, which lad Just been taken
out Bill looked around. Tint was be-
fore the days Of watchmen at tho
dumps and when all Lsadvins was sup
posedtto be honest. Bib gathered up a LOT ot
ore, what be could carry comfortably. walked
back 10 his shaft, and threw the chunks IN.
Then he wen. down town IA very good
hurnor. The next morning bright and early
he was down his shaft pounding away among
the rocks About noon be went down town
and told Tabor and others that be had ~ttfuck
in AZ last. Tabor, flushed with his Little
E ~
for anything and everything. and be ser,
man up TO Sc what Chicken Bill had got
The investigator cnrns back and repeated
aseveral inches Of nice looking ore IN sight"
Tabor asked bin wha: be wanted for his find.
and Bill said be owed 500 for grub which
mus; be wiped out. and on top Of tia, he
wanted 80 for spending money. Tabor paid
$50 and took possession. He sank thst Saltnd
shaft Eve feet from where Bili had STOPPED aud
struck ore tia; yielded over q, 600 go
This Is The roussncs - t3s discoysry q
Chrysolite Chicken BIZ eosldE'L stand H.
Prosperity by proxy was too much for him
he told the whole story on himself Chicken
Bills claim ard those Il tbs Chrysoilts Min
ing company consolidated with il have
Yielded 81 $50 .Do1 bat 10 diyidsndr have been
paid since December. Isl
The Matches was arother niuzsrssiou Of
Tahors wonderful luck Tin Foley snf his
partners. WLg71s and tbs others, worked this
claim until they hsd discovered some ore aad
sold out 20 Tabor for sil2.0oa. Thsy vert
around Iesdvilis shaking bands ard reoeiv-
Ing congratulations CT having pat IL up on
the Old man tbs tlrne~ Bat Taf0r hf.G tie
property and kep. On with davslopeusnt
work 1Taen r. rad taxa cut $4,000.
sentirent ts-Ten 10 chengs decidedly a. - t'ss
vision Il il-s .1vs5fflenf- Egt tie prfduc-
tn kept right On ~ % sZDhoe1 Ihru
r,e1rlS bean 70 Uofsde- Shy Iaoor dtd1t
stock tse uains ard unl0ad S;i - SD On
Tbs Matches lsst year pzzsas4 10 I'D. 30
paint, and today II = stl4i pFf'dicsnS iess9T
= the so's ourrr. IL halz nsTFr pzftst si.n
O dollars interest r. tse Tfcr@TtF. lie sasgys
ths digtinc;i0s % issi.lz ah0 CAY leafFise5
ran who has bought Diz rHl1ss aEs9 csFs3-