The Robesonian. [volume] (Lumberton, N.C.) 1870-current, 1897-01-27
F ORTUNES WON AND LOST
HOW FORMER SENATOR TABOR
ACQUIRED VAST RICHES.

plaintiff is granted"
The entering Of this order in the
records of the District Courts of
Arapahoe County few days ago, says
a Denver letter to the New York Her
aid, was an incident passed unnoticed
by the casual frequenter of this hall
Of justice, but to those who have kept
track of the fortunes and misfortunes
of the early pioneer it meant the last
aud most painful act of a drama
which wiped out of existence the last
dollar Of the once magnificent fortune
oi former Senator H. A. w. Tabor
aud the first appearance in business
circles of woman whose wealth was
made by lucky turn of fortune.
The petition of Mrs. Smith was one |
praying for an order from the court
giving her possession of the Tabor
block, seven story brown stone |
structure covering block Of ground |
on the corner of Sixteenth and Lari.
mer streets, and the Tabor Grand |
| Opera House, the handsomest theatre
in tbs West, under q foreclosure ag-
gregating SSoO,000.
On the day this property passed
from his hands Mr.. Tabor was allowed
to yemove from the box Office of the
riay house one large iron safe and
buautiful life.size oil painting of
RJchiiieu and Julie. representing them
il the scene where the great Chancel-
lUr of France dehes the Kings brother,
which was presented him by the citi-
heEs of Denver on the opening of the
house by Emma Abbott, September
d, 1881. These two articles are all
that he retained out of property
and cash which fifteen years ago
amounted to more than Sc. 900, 900.
When a young man of twenty five
ears Tabor was lighting grasshoppers
apd starvation on a small claim in
Eastern Kansas. Becoming disguised
With that kind of life and learning
! fsom returning trappers of the rich
gold discoveries made along Cherry
Greek in 1858, he packed his wife and
few belongings into prairie schooner
AID in 1861 started for the new Ell
Dorado. For many years he followed,
with Indifferent success, the tickle god
dsss through the exciting days OF
Golden, Central City, Black Hawk,
Breckenridge and Buckskin Joe. In
1877 he sold his last yoke of oxen.
> and with the proceeds opened little
, store on the site where Leadville now
stands.
,, In April of 1878 August Richie and
y George F. Hook, two shoemakers, who
Y had been prospecting for long time
:. with poor results, applied to Tabor
for ''grub stake" agreeing to di
y vide, share and share alike, in any
thing they might fnd. Tabor sup
piled them with the necessary arti
: Giles and the cohblers went directly t.
the top OF Fryer Hill and began dig
ging. Everyone laughed at them TO-
i wasting their time and stake in so I'm
= promising place. They persisted il
e their work, having to make frequen
/ acquisitions upon the store for sup
q plies, which were always granted
D About May 1, after reaching deptI
n of twenty-six feet, they encountered
= vein of rich carbonate ore, and in tina
. hour the famous Little Pittsburg Min
i became reality. The first WACO
e load Of ore taken sold for $215, an
:, ~ the yield during the last half of th
e following July was at the rate {
tie $4,000 week.
~ When the ore body had been thol
~ oughly developed it's richness was
$. revelation to every one. In Septen
a. Der Tabor aud Richie bought Hook
N interest for $685. 900. The mine pal
100000 month in dividends fe
many months, and then Tabor sold b
half interest to Senator J. B. Chaffe
and D. II. Moffat for 100000. e
Immediately entered into partnershi
o. with Marshall Field, of Chicago, an
bought up the Chrysolite and adjoi
- ing claims. The first five dividen'
i's paid out OF this property amountt
of to 1000, 900, and Its production du
'es ing the eleven months prior to Apr
no l, 1880, at which time he sold his il
re- terest for ST., 500, 900, was So, 100,0
Besides these fortunes, which car
in rapid succession, Tabor made fro
So, 900, GOO to $3,000,000 out of t
Morning Star, Matchless and 9th
Leadville mines, and at one time
was said his daily income was great
tQan UudI OI any OGueI Ahu pSIWS
New York City ana Nevada.
In 1880 the city of Denver was
prosperous town of SO, 900 inhabitan
Tabor's confidence in her future
duced him to come here in that "
and begin the erection of La Vi
place, terrace, ssout on the prairie
as the town folks declared, which c.
him in the neighborhood of 81, 90
4 900, and at that time was the hal
soonest residence west of Chica,
This he Immediately followed by
III Tabor block and the Tabor Ora
HI Opera House, at cost Of nea
NJ $4,000, 900.
i Fortune came quickly, so did
financial troubles, aud five years {
he was compelled to seek assistal
from q New York insurance compal
1t advanced him $1,000 The pa
- of 1898 increased his distress, an
ter second mortgage for 1919, 900 in ia
iia. of Mrs. Smith was placed on his pro
rex, erty, and in the end she came i
~ possession by settling the first {
DR.. forclosing her own.
am am Mrs. Smith not many years ago
lila MIS-. Laura oWIckuelluer' que
the her husband David lived in Rico
!ss7 mining camp in the southern part
,dis the State, and, like Tabor, he wa
lila prospector, and was working a eli
he had named the Enterprise.
two years he had worked his way i
the side of the mountain, hoping "
every blast to open up the vein. E
day brought only disappointment {
the steady decrease of supplies
funds, until at last not cent no
lon- loaf of bread renamed in the cal
:ates With heavy hearts the couple ma
NJ. up the entrance to the Enterprise
Is at began preparations to tramp out
raw camp in search of other work.