The morning times., 1897-01-24

en- route TO California Gulch, the present
site of Leadville Rurnors of the finding on
gold in the guleh had reached Denver, and
thus early in his career Tahor began his
search for the yellow metal. Theoxen We're
experienced travellers, havingtrndged allthe
way across the plains from the Missouri
River TO the foot OF the front range of the
Rocky Mountains the season before, but it
must be confessed that there was q great
lack of style about the turnout.
1t is a curious coincidence that in max
ing this journey more than thirty-six years
ago Tabor must have passed directly over
the rich gold fields of Cripple Greek, ignor-
ant of their presence, where today he is
beginning life over againin search of gold.
The difficulties of that journey were many;
often the grade was So steep that the
wagon had 20 be held back from a tumbIing
descent by fastening a big pine log behindit
to serve as brake; often after day toll
some march camp was made in sight of the
smoke from the fires of the pre- vious nights
encampm ent.
Filled with experiences of this kind, it
took just six weeks TO make the journey :
from Denver to California GuIch, the party
arriving at their destination n April. The
snow was from three to five feet deep, and
there wasn't more than fifty men in the
camp. IL did not take very long, how
ever, to change these conditions, and by
the middle of July there were 10000 men
at work prospecting and washing gold.
In recalling those early days in the
Gulch Senator Tabor Said: The every
day life OF a miner is not very interesting.
He digs in the gravel, he throws it into
the sluice, he forks out the powders, he
'cleans up to see how much gold he has
secured day after day, week after week,
month after month. There isn't any rO-
nance in any kind of hard work. The TO-
nance is always in results. The preIinli-
narieS are always prOsaic. 1t is sufficient
for me TO say, therefore, that | worked
hard, and at the end OF the season found
that | had cleared So 600. That isn't
much money nowadays, and very often since
then | have cleared ten times that amount
III less than half the time, but never have
felt so happy as over that little pie of
gold dust dug out OF the gravel of California
Gulch in the summer OF 1860. The next
summer | worked my claim, and in the two
seasons made about SIS GOO"
After this Tabor moved to Buckskin Joe,
a booming mining camp then, a wilderness
now, where lie opened store OF genera!
merchandise, and was made postmaster.
There he stayed for several years. Then,
when the Printer Boy mine was discovered
at California Gulch, he moved his store over
to the old camp, and was made postmaster
there. Then for nearly twenty years Ia
Dor logged along, meeting with moderate
prosperity. Thousands OF times, as he SAYS.
he walked over Fryer Hill and never thought
it worth while Ito stick pick into it,
when within twcnty-seyen feet Of the sur
face lay the crcs5 Of a silver deposit worth
millions OF dollars. Every season he "grut-
staked' men to prospect for hiGI and them
selves, ana every season was out just
that much, for they never found anything
For the benefit OF those unfamiliar with
mining terms it may be said that to grub
stake a prOspector is to furnish him with
food free Of cost for a share in any mines
Uhat-he may discover Bat on the 18TH Of
April, 1873. Tabor "grub-staked'' Rische
and Hook. They began to dig on Fryer
Hi.l, and the old miners laughed at them.
They dag way, an a5tha d .pEn OF twenty-
seven feet struck silver ore that ran 600
ounces to the ton. They called their mine
the Ligtle Pittsburg. This was the founda-
tion of Tabor'S great fortune. In less than
a month after the discovery tie paid Hook
S9O,0G0 for his share Of the mine and IL
three months more he paid RisChe S262,-
500 for his third, tauS becoming sole Owne.
of the Little Pittsburg, one Of the greatest
mines ever discovered at Leadville, and
from which he received more than ST.,
100000
Tabor was now a bonanza king; he was
more than that-he was a publiC-SpinteG.
open-handed citizen. He built fine opera
house for LeadviIIe at a cost fovcr S5O, geo
Then he built the Tabor block in Denver
and had chiseIed on the keystone Of the
arch over the entrance the two words
Dies FauStes," for those We're indeed
happy days. The block was worth nearly
half million dollars Then he erected in
Denver the Tabor Grand opera House, sec
oEdonlyin beauty to the Grand opera House
of Paris, and costing S90U,00O.
For ten years everything went we'll with
Tabor. He was rated as worth So 100000.
He became ambitious Tor political honors
He poured out money ike water To accom-
plish his ends. He was always betra yed
by those who pretended TO be his friends
He was given tile lieutenant EUvernoTShip.
which he didn't want Then he entered
the race for United States Senator and
was chosen for an uneXpired term. made
vacant by the death of the incumbent
He was Senator for three or four months
After his return from Washington he
began to invest in real estate He loaded
up with Chicago property and got the
worst of the bargain. Hcinvested i'll mines
in New Mexico, Arizona and old Mexico.
They We're failures He borrowed vast
sums. He mortgaged his Tabor Block and
his grand opera house. The panic of '93
finished the work begun by injudicious in
veStments. He fought foreclosure in the
courts, but all in vain. The sheriff took
possession of all the property he had His
wife gave up her diamonds, and but a fe W
days ago the last fragment of property
was taken from him. Now he digs in the
gravel. There isn't any romance in any
kind OF hard work. The preliminaries are
always prosaic. The romance is always in
results
JUSTIFIED HIS SHOWN ESS.