The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1897-04-07

romance is always in results. The
preliminaries are always prosaic.
1t is sufficient for me- to say, there
fore: that ! wolked hard, aud at
the end of the season found that |
had cleared $1,000. That isn'l
much money nowadays, and very
often since then | have cleared ten
times that amount in less than
half The time, but never have ]
felt SO happy as over that little
pile of dust dug ont IF the gravel
of California Gnlch in the summer
of 1860. The next summer | work.
ed my claim, and in the two sea.
Sons made $l5, 600.
After this Tabor moved to Buck
skin Joe, a booming mining camp
then, a wilderness now, where lie
opened store Of general mercllan.
disc and was made Postmaster.
There he staid for several years.
Then, when the Printer Bey
mine was discovered at California
Gulch, he moved his store over to
the old camp aud was made Post
master there. Then for nearly
twenty years Tabor jagged along,
meeting with moderate prosperity.
Thousands of times, as he says, he
walked over Fryer Hill, and never
thought it worth while ssto stick a
pick into it," when within twenty
seven feet of the surface lay tue
crest Of silver deposit worth
millions Of dollars. Every season
he "gru5.stakpd" meu to prospect
for him and themselves, and every
season was out jnst that much, for
they never found anything. For
the benefit IF those unfamiliar
with mining terms it may be said
that to stgrub.stake" Il prospcctor
is to furnish him with food free of
cost for share in any mines that
he mas discover. But on tin. Is III Of
April, 1873, Tabor 2"grub-stakedn
Rische and Hook. They began to
dig on Fryer Hill an, all the old
miners laughed at them. They
dug away, aud at the depth OF
twenty-stven feet struck silver
that ran 200 ounces TO the ton.
| They called their mine the Littls
Pittsburgh. This was the foun-
dation IF Tabor's great fortune.
Ia less than a month after the dis.
coyery he paid Hook 100000 for
his share of the mine, and in three
more he paid Rische $685. for
his third, thus becoming sole own
er of the Little Pittsburgh, one of
the greatest mines ever discover
ed at Leadvillc, for which he re.
ceived more than sl,O00,OOO.
Tabor was now a bonanza king;
he was public-spirited, open
handed citizen. He built a fine
opera house for Leadville at a cost
of over 100000. Then he built
the Tabor Block in Denver and
had chiseled on tho keystone of
the arch over the entrance the two
words, ''Dies Faustes," for these
were indeed happy days. The
block was worth nearly half a
million dollars. Then he erected
in Denver the Tabor Grand %.
era House, second only in beauty
to the Grand Opera House Of
Paris, and costing 100000.
| For ten years everything went
well with Tnbor. He was rated
as worth 100000. He became
ambitious for political honors. He
poured out money like water to
accomplish his ends. He was al.
ways betrayed BY those who pre-.
tended to be his friends. He was
given the Lieutenant-G Governor
ship, which he didn't want. Then
he entered the race for the United
States Senator, and was chosen
for term made vacant by the
/ death OF the incumbent. He was
Senator for three or four months.
After his return from Washing
ington he began to invest in real
estate. He loaded up with Chica
go property and got the worst of
the bargain. He invested in
mines in New Mexico, Arizona
and Old Mexico. They were fail
ures. He borrowed vast sums
He mortgaged his Tabor Block
and his grand opera house. The