Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-30
ONE OF The RoaANCES OF THE WEST
\ Dashing, Mctcoric Career rs n Win
ing Millionaire Comes 10 an End
THE woman Who succeeds
to His Properties,

mistortunos OF the carly pioneer II meant
the last ana most painful act Of q drama
which wiped out OF existence the last dollar
OF the once magnificent fortune Of former
Senator II. A. w. Tabor and the first ap-
pclrance in business circles Of woman
whose wealth was made by a lucky turn of
fortune
The petition Of Mrs. Smith was one pray
| ing for an order from the court giving her
possession of the Tabor block seven s iory
! brownstonc structure covering a block OF
! ground on the corner of Sixteenth and Lari-
| mer Streets and the Tabor Grand Opera
| house, the handsumCst thcater in the west,
under foreclosure agEregating 100000.
! On the day this property passed from his
| hands Mr. Tabor was allowed to remove
| from the box office OF the playhouse one
| large iron safe and a beautiful lfesze oil
| painting Of Richeleu and Julie, representing
| them in the scene where the great chancellor
of France teiics the kings brother, which
! was presented him by the citizens OF Den
| yer on the opening OF the house by Emma
| Abbott, September 3, 1881. These two 'arti-
! cleS are all that he retained out of property
| and cash witch fifteen years ago amounted
| TO more than $600OOO0
HOW HE CONQUERED FORTUNE.
When young man of 25 years Tabor was
| hghting grasshoppers and starvation on
| a small claim in eastern Kansas. BcCom-
| ing disgustel with that kind of life and
| learning from returning trappers of the
| rich gold discoveries made along Cherry
| creek in 1858, he packed his wife and few
| belongings into prairie schooner and, in
/ 1851, started for the new El Dorado. For
many years he followed with Indifferent
success the iiclde goddess through the ex-
! citing days of Golden, Central City, Black
Hawk, Breckenridge and Buckskln Joe.
This dtScouraging and monotonous exist
ence was followed until 1877, when he again
81 M lnl in
| placer camp, near the head of California
| gulch Rumors OF the rich carbonate dis
| coveries on Fryer, Iron and Carbonate hills
were beginning to be heard. So he sold his
last yoke of oxen, and with the proceeds
opened little store on the site where Lead
vile now stands.
This was early in the spring of 1878. and
in April of that year August Richie and
George f. Hook, two shoemakers who had
been prospecting for long time with poor
results, applied to Tabor for grub stake"
agreeing to divide, share and share alike.
in anything they might find. Tabor supplied
them with the necessary articles, and the
cobblers went directly to the top OF Fryer
hill and began digging. Every one laughed
at them for wasting their time and stake
in so unpromising a place They persisted
in their work, having to make frequent
acquisitions upon the store for supplies
which were always granted
About May l, after reaching a depth OF
twenty -SlN lttt, luty encountered q VEIN or
rich carbonate ore and in that hour the
famous Little Plttsburg mine became a real
ity. The first wagon load Of ore taken out |
sold for $2l5. and the yield during the last |
halI OF the following July was at the rate OF
$4,000 a week.
ENORMOUS PROFITS.
When the ore body had been thoroughly de-
Veloped its richness was revelation to every |
one. In September Tabor and Richie bought
Hook 5 interest for $9S.0OO. The mine paid
100000 a month in dividends for many
months, and then Tabor sold his half interest
to Senator j. b. Chaffee and u. H. Moifatt
for $l.OOO,O 600
He Immediately entered into partnership
with Marshall Field of Chicago, and bought
up the Chrysolte and adjoining claims. The
last hve dividends paid out of this property |
amounted to $1,OO0,OO0, and its production
during the eleven months prior to April /,
1850, at which time he sold his interest for
81, 900, was $3,i00,OOO.
In the meantime he had become interested
In the famous Robert e. Lee mine. which
has produced more rich ore than any mine
on the continent outside of the Comstock of
Nevada. Tho average daily output of the
Lee during its best days was SIS 900 or the
startling total of $5,I75,OOO a year on the
l3th day OF January, 1880, this mine gave its
owners IN the twenty-four hours sl2S,OOO,
sum never equaled by any mine in the world
Much Of this ore ran as high as l l 900 ounces
IN silver to the ton, and as the white metal
was then worth in the neighborhood of Sl.25
an ounce the enormous profits can readily
be imagined
Besides these fortunes, which came in
RAPID succession. Tabor made from 50 OOO- |
coo to 600 out of the Morning Star.
Matchless, and other Leadglle mines, and
at one time IL was said his daily income
was greater than that of any other man
between New York City and Nevada
In 1850 the city OF Denver was a prosper
Gus town OF $4,000 inhabitants. TabOr's con-
hdence in its future induced him to come
here in that year and begin the erection
OF La Neta place a terrace, "out on the
prairie as tho town folks declared which
cost him in the Eeighb0rhOod Of 81 900 900 !
and at that time was the handsomest resi-
ience west of Chicago, This he Immediately
followed with the Tabor block and the 4
Tabor Grand Opera house. at a cost of |
nearly S2,00OOO0
TURN or THE TIDE {
Fortune came quickly, as did his inan-
'lal troubles, and five years ago he was ,
to seek assistance from New !
York insurance company. They advanced
aim 100000. The panic Of 1898 increased
ais distress, and n second mortgage for
$4,000 in favor of Mrs. Smith was placed
IN his property, and in the end she came {
nto possession by settling the first and fore
losing her own.
Mrs Smith not many years ago was Mrs. I
laura Swichheimer, She and her husband
David lived at Rico, mining camp in the :
outhern part of the state, and, like Tabor
le was a prospector, and was working
lain he had named the Enterprise For |
wo years he had worked his way into the
lde OF the mountain, hoping with every :,
last to open up the vein. |
Each day brought only disappointment
nd steady decrease OF supplies and funds. Y
NTH at last not a cent nor a loaf of bread
emained In the cabin. With heavy hearts
he couple nailed up the entrance to the Z
and began preparations to tramp
ut Of the camp IN search Of other work
The old Concord coach which came In [
rom Durango that night brought Mrs.
a letter On opening It she y
'as almost paray2ed to find a notice from q
lottery company Informing her that
icket she had month before purchased 6
Or 81 had drawn a prize OF $1,000 After
reasonable delay the money came. and L
hen the question arose as to whether work
hOuld be continued In the old tunnel or a
ow location sought fer y
II was finally decided to put in one or
40 more shots Of dynamite. When the
moko cleared away after the first explosion [
wickheimer could hardly believe his own
yes, for there before him was a wall of i,
Dck so full Of mineral that there could be q
a fnia 10 -, ito MI.