The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-21
AGAIN SEEKING WEALTH
HORACE A. w. TABOR ONCE MORE ON
THE ROAD TO GREAT RICHES.
How He Acquired and Lost "a Fortune
of $4,000, OOO-The Eccentric Life of
q Famous Multi-NIillionaire.
Chicago Times-Herala.


Horace A. w. Tabor, ex-multi- millionaire,
| ex-lieutenant governor of Colorado, ex
mayor of Leadville, ex-United States sena-
| tor and examining king of Colorado, is, ac-
cording to report, in a fair way to retrieve
his wasted fortunes.
| At the time that Senator Tabor (as he is
| yet called) was divorced from his first wife
his property, as scheduled in court, was of
the value of $9,00O000. In January of the
| present year the last piece of this property
was sold under the hammer to satisfy
mortgage Although the ex-senator made
| q hard fight in the courts to retain this rem
nant of his fortune, when the end came he
accepted the result philosophically and
shouldered pick and began prospecting at
| Cripple Creek and elsewhere. According to
recent reports his efforts have been reason
| ably successful, and the promise of a re-
| turn to opulence is bright. Having discov-
cred what seems to be valuable property
in Boulder county, Colorado, the story goes
| he applied to Winfield Scott Stratton, pres
ent mining king and multi-millionaire, for
the funds necessary to develop it, not as
| loan a gratuity but an investment
Mr. Stratton responded to this appeal to
his good offices not by buying the property
| or even share in it, but by rendering the
use of the necessary sum upon condition
that if Mr.. Tabors expectations are real
lied he may at his option repay the amount
or not, as he likes. The use of the money is
rendered as a token of appreciation of Mr..
| Tabor's services in developing the resources
of the State and creating the opportunities
which have made many others, including
Mr. Stratton, rich
Senator Tabor was born in Vermont Nov.
| Loft
promising region for the West, locating in
Kansas, where the boundless prairies held
out the hope Of fair return for honest la
Dor. Without much capital other than an
abundance of energy and plenty of zeal, he
settled on a farm, and, to borrow the Ian
guage of a biographer, fought graSshop-
pers and starvation" for a time. But
though poor, he was not an obscure citizen
| of the bleeding territory, for his natural
force was recognized by his neighbors, and
he was elected a member of the Leg1sla-
ture when Kansas became a State. But
even this proof of appreciation failed TO
satisfy his yearning for prosperity, ana
with the money obtained for his services he
equipped an outfit for conveying his be-
longings to new fields Of endeavor.
About this time returning trapperS from
the Rocky mountain regions were telling OF
the rich gold discoveries along Cherry
creek, in Colorado, near the site OF the pres
ent city of Denver, and Mr.. Tabor, with a
team of oxen hitched to a prairie schooner,
turned his face in that direction. 1t was a
hazardous Undertaking, DuI HIS SOui
was equal to the exigencies, and IN the Iall
of 1859 he reached Denver, where he re-
manned until the following spring. Ihen ne
set out for California gulch, the most at
tractive region for gold mining in the noun
tains, and with his wife, oxen ana schooner
arrived there after six weeks of laborious
travel. in April. 1860, and began work with
| out waste Of time. His experiences were
the same as other miners. lie dug grave,
threw it into the Sluice day after DAY, ano
in the evening cleaned up and counted his
gains. At the end of the season he had 50, OOC
to the good, which was 10 MN aair 90 l roe
tune In the fall the frost and SHOWS came
and operations were suspended, but ne was
not idle. He bought stock of groceries ano
ers. who. like himself, were stranded in the
hills remote from the sources OF supPLy.
When summer came again ne resul aIoso n ~
onerations in the mines, and at the close OF
| that season had SIS, 900 as the harvest Oh I"o
years of toll.
AT BUCKSKIN JOE.
While Mr.. Tabor was willing and able te
work his prescience was no greater tnaI
that of other men about him, and, like them
he failed to fully estimate the wealth. tna'
was concealed beneath his feet. California
Gulch seemed to him to be WORKED OUT II
had yielded treasures abundantly' out oS
this time thousands of men hao come
70 claim a share of the product and then
came rurnors Of other camps even more pro-
ufc There was Buckskin Joe. some distance
| V.
ing camp. and to that Ell Dorado he directed
his stems and became the leading merchant
ord was made postmaster. There he re-
NAMED several years and prospereo as pro
vincial storekeepers prosper, uii ~ CHS eIe
| printer Row mine was discovered IN Nall-
! fornia guIch when he returned 10 the scent
| Of his first successes, not as MINER pue a.
merchant though 4lwa a3,n,M mn'n world o Soon
| after a postoffice was estapllSheu tlISaS a,1t
Mr.. Tabor, who had served the goNe govern tte
| faithfnllv at BuckSkin Joe. was mace I Is
nostrna SER For nearly twenty years he lee
the prosaic life which his employ il I7;en
tailed and prospered IN a N.Y. NY; HE Stock
miners came and went, and from ms s'oT Sl'
| IN The store he grubstaked those VINO I ap,
plied to him for such accomimouat IONS out
| nothing came of it. The miners M WIZ ~
Mith hone and returned empty-hanuee on, 0dle
season after another until the Sprills " nooS
when the incident occurred which cnai1seO
iiI In "i the town of Fairplay, Park county
| there resided two shoemakerS naIleu, i n
spectively. August hlscme , "are with a
view of searching for carbonates. NY 4S
were poor and applied 70 MI. lao oa Ao Ger t
ino him an equal share with themselves IN
snch discoveries as they might make. Inere
seemed to be meager chances OF return tn,n
sorn tbe Investment, but the rations, tools
and other essentials were PROVIDED, anu we we
venturesome prospectors procee41e o 70 d rne
| onnS ~ E'rver hill where they began uls-
s g!noe late in April 1t was an unpromisi!nlg
locality and many laughed at the cr9uuI l J
| which encouraged them 10 elloi IL We
laborious work moreover, but they presS-
vered until their supplies were ,eIts Gu
when they reported progress ana asked Iot t
Nav at a depth of twenty-six feet, the VEN
YES struck and the Little Pittsburg mine
omnened During the first half of July FOL.
| Ioving the mine yielded at the rate OF So,OV;
| week The first wagon load or mineral
taken out netted over $780, ana wlthIn q
| shorf time the mine was producing from
/ seventv-five to one hundred tons or ore
week. This, of course. caused prodiglous
| activity throughout the neighborhood, and
Mr. Tabor and the two shoemakers Degan
r. absorb contiguous claims. In september
fo,lo0yinp Mr. Hook after having realized
| largely from the intermediate sales or ore
| soid his interest to his associates for SOS. 600
and a short time afterward Mr.. Rische dis
| Dosed of his half-interest in the property
r. T r. Chaffee and David Fl. Moffat for
| COCO O00 In November the New Discovery,
| TiftIe Pittsbure Dives and Winnemuc prop
| critics were consolidated under the title OF
| the little Pittsburg Consolidated Company,
| With a capital stock of $200OO.0O0. and the
nroduction of the property frcm the time
If discovery in the spring OF 1878 to April l.
1880. amounted to ~ 697 5S4Sl tor receipts OF
| ore sold and "a 246. 239.S1 actual. yield. Mr..
Tabor sold his interest to Chaffee and Moi
fat for ST. 100000.
FOR PIN MONEY.
During the interim between the discovery
NJ the Little Pittsburg and the disposal of
his interest in the Consolidated Company
Mr.. Tabor was concerned in many other
valuable properties. Borden, Tabor g. Co.
| bought nm all the properties in the vicinity