The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-02-24

the headwaters of the Arkansas. His
wife was sick, but he put her into the
old covered wagon and started anyhow.
Nothing permitted delay in those days.
This was the 10Th of February, 1860.
They went to the place where Manitou
now is and stayed short time. and
then began cutting their way ever Ute
pass. After two weeks of toll they
reached South Park, on the other side
of the mountains.
II shall never forget my first vision Of
the park, Mrs. Tabor wrote once. THE
sun was just setting. I can only de-
scribe it by saying it was one of Colo
radios sunsets. Those who have seen
them know how glorious they are. Those
who have not can never imagine any
thing so gorgeously beautiful. The park
looked like cultivated field, with little
streams coursing through and herds OF
antelope in the distance. We camped on
the bank of a. clear stream and the men
went fishing. We had fine broiled trout
that evening for supper, and game Of
cards afterward by the campfire
But they had hard work and cold
weather and hunger before they tray-
ersed the broad, level depressions in the
mountains which is called a park, by
reason of it's sheltered and beautiful
character.
They came to the Arkansas and spent
six hours crossing it amid the ice IN the
swift current They made a fire, dried
their clothes and nursed the famished
cattle, knowing that IL provisions got
lower they would have to be eaten Hav-
ing revived somewhat they prepared to
camp there for awhile. The men made
sluice boxes and began washing gold out
of the sands of the stream. 1t was very
fine gold. and after four weeks labor
they had only a small amount Of the
precious metal. One morning a man
came to the camp and told them how to
reach the new diggings, for which they
had started when they left Denver. In
attempting to cross the river at a place
which seemed shallow they got into a
deep channel. The wagon bed. with the
woman and her child in it, was lifted off
the wheels and floated down the stream.
Mrs. Tabor managed to cling to some
willows with unnatural strength until
the men came to her assistance. They
got out safely, and that was the last
serious adventure
RICHES AT LAST
In a few weeks more they reached
California Gulch. The first thing they
did after getting into the little mining
camp was to slaughter the oxen which
had brought them from the Missouri
river. The meat was divided with the
other miners in the camp, who had none
too much to eat in their wintry snow
bound homes. Happy once more in
cabin of green logs and rough, home
made furniture, though with nothing to
eat but poor beef and dried apples, Mrs
Tabor prepared for new start in life
there on the top of the mountains. With
IN few weeks from that time there
were 10000 people at California Gulch,
and the amassing of riches began. Tabor
worked his claims, and his wife, possess
ing the only pair of scales in the upper
part or the camp, was busy most of the
time weighing gold for the miners, the
q Of hon n -
at the end of every "clean up have a
big spree and come home broke to go to
work again.
They prospered rapidly, and the young
mother was happy. On the 10th of Sep
TENDER she took 81 900 in gold dust and
started to visit her old home in Maine,
travelling by mule train that was going
to the Missouri. She bought 100 more
acres of land in Kansas with part of her
gold.
'.Mr. Tabor" she has said. ..gaye me
one-fifth of what was made that sum-
mer when I left. The other 81 900 he sent
to Iowa, and bought flour, and in the
spring we opened a store in our cabin.
He worked in the mine all day while 1
tended the store. 1 feel that in those
years of hard labor, self-sacrifice and
economy / laid the foundation to Mr..
Tabor's immense wealth, for had I not
stayed with him and worked by his side
he would have become discouraged, re-
turned to his trade, and so lost the op-
portunity which has since enriched
him.
The pathos of this declaration can only
be felt by those who know the whole
miserable story of their separation the
marriage of Tabor to another woman,
the great place he came to take in the
thoughts Of the people of Colorado, and
the humble place to which he has now
fallen by the loss of all his millions.
The whole story cannot be told. 1t can
"a ar n +, hoo
fatuated with a woman of the glittering
prodigal mining camp, known as Baby
Doe;" how he secretly procured a divorce
decree in the far distant town of Du-
range, and how Mrs. Tabor, when she to
her sOrrowful surprise discovered this
had it set aside because it was obtained
fraudulently
Later, when he secured divorce in
the Denver courts, it was with and by
consent of his wife, and this time she
required that he settle upon her a small
part of his immense fortune. All she
asked was the comparatively small sum
of 100000, principally represented in
real estate. With this agreement, al
though she still loved dearly the man
with whom she had struggled through
poverty to wealth. she allowed him to
secure a divorce on the grounds of in
compatibility. At this point he left her
to seek sorrowful secluson. while he
floated high upon the tide of popularity,
"
AS Tabor's wealth increased he had
began to take a prominent place in State
affairs. He was popular because of his
generosity and his lavish expenditure of
his millions. He had come down to
Denver to live as the bonanza kings did
in those ever-to-be-forgotten days after
making their great fortunes in the noun
tains. So they sent him ito the United
States Senate In 1883 to fill the unexpired
term of about thirty days His distinc-
ton cost him about $150,000. He had Sc
cured his divorce the year previous, and
when he went to Washington he sur
prised everybody by marrying Miss Nc
Court, who was known in Leadville as
Baby Doe" It was made splendid
{ social event.
Tabor served the people as Senator
but short time. Many tales are told of
his crude extravaganza, but these and
many others have no place here. Only
there are many people who think that
but for his domestic infelicities and
plumbers he could have had anything he
desired at the hands of the citizens Of
Colorado.
When Senator Tabor got his divorce
his wealth was fairly estimated at So
100000. Now the mortgages upon his
last piece of property, except a some
what mythical gold mine in the inner
wildness of old Mexico. are being fore