The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1897-04-07
TICKLE FORTUNES yICTIsI,
Romantic Career of Ex-Unitcd
States Senator Tabor.

Ten Years Ago He Was Worth &c..
600. 000-To-da day He is Poor
Miner Seeking Another
F0rtuae.
The fact that "Fortune is fick-
le goddess" was never more aptly
Illustrated than in the career Of
ex Senator ii. A. w. Tabor, of
Colorado. A farmer, stonema.
son, a small grocery keeper, u
great mine owner, multi.miilion
aire and proprietor Of great blocks
OF buildings in Denver, the pos.
SCISSOR and builder of one of
the finest opera houses in the
world, Lieutenant Governor OF
Colorado, u. S. Senator, and now a
poor man once more, delyiug in
the dirt for another fortune among
the golden hills of Cripple Creek
this in paragraph, is the history
OF a man who has received more
tlattery and more criticism, more
favors and fannts of fortune than
fall to the lot OF most meu. The
other day a brief telegram from
Denver was published to the eff.
feet that the last piece Of property
owned by ex-senator Tabor had
been sold under the hammer to
satisfy a mortgage for sS0O,000,
thus closing one Of the pages in a
strange, eventful history.
November &c, 1880, this man OF
varied fortunes was born, and on
the 10Th Of November, 1896, be
fonnd himself, at tie age Of sixty
six, as bereft Of earthly posses.
sions as upon the day Of his tirlb,
Notwithstanding the fact that less
than ten years ago his fortune was
rated at over Sc ,0G0,G0O. When
Tabor was rich aud prosperous lie
Was fond IF recalling tue days OF
poverty and labor through which
lie had passed, aud the following
facts are a condensation OF his his.
tory as he related it to me seated
i'll his private office in the Tabor
Grand Opera House, Denver, be-
fore adversely had oyertaken him :
In 1859 Tabor came TO Denver,
leaving a farm in Kansas aud a
seat in the Kansas Legislature.
He stayed in Denver through the
winter, and early in the spring OF
1860, with two friends, drove a
yoke OF oxen attached to a riekety
old wagon ont OF the city en- route
to California Gulch. the present
site of Leadville. Rumors Of the
finding of gold in the gulch had
reached Denver, and thus early III
his career Tabor began his search
for the yellow. metal. The oxen
were experienced travellers, hav.
ing truGged all the way across the
plains from the Missouri River to
The foot Of the front range Of the
Rocky Mountains the season be-
fore, bgt it must be confessed that
there was great lack OF styl.
about the turnout.
1t is curious coincidence that
i'll making this journey more than
sc Years ago Tabor must have
passed directly over the rich gold
fields Of Cripple Greek, ignorant
of their presence, where to-day he
is beginning life over again in
search of gold. The difficulties OF
that Journey were many; often the
grade was so steep that the wagon
had to be held back from tumb
ling descent by fastening a big
pine log behind it to serve as
a brake; often after u days toll
some march camp was made in
sight Of the smoke from the fires
OF the previous night.
Filled with experiences of this
kind it took just six weeks tC
make the Journey from Denver tc
California Gulch, the party srriv.
| ing at their destination ,in April.
The snow was from three to five
feet deep and there weren't more
than fifty men in the camp. Il
did not take very long, however
to change these conditions, and By
the middle Of July there were
1000 men at work DrOspectine
and washing gold. In recalling
those early DAYS in the gulch. Mr.