St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1899-04-19
An American Career.

The news deSpatcheS record the deatn
of Ex-senator Horace A. w. Tabor at
Denver, Col. April 10, the result of APP
pendicitis. The career thus ended is
remarkable, even in America, and would
have been possible in no other country.
AS quarryman, farmer, prospector and
miner, he fought his way stubbornly on
till suddenly glorious fortune blossomed
in his path and he became mining king.
Millions OF dollars were his; for time
his income was among the greatest in
the land. Political honors followed and
he became lieutenant.governor of Colo
RADIO and United States senator. Then
came speculation and the vast fortune
melted away more rapidly than it had
been accumulated, and the penniless mil
lionaire was soon toiling away with pick
and shovel. Calamity fell when Mr.
Tabor was more than 60 years old, but
he retained his courage and was in fair
way to retrieve part of his lost fortune,
when, in 1898, President Mckinley APP
pointed him postmaster at Denver.
Such is the brief outline of life which,
though extreme, is typical of certain
kind of American fortunes. They used
to tell in neighborhood i'll Maine how
Ex-senator Tabor. then living in Port
land, though OF Vermont birth, clad in
blue overalls and flannel shirt, wheeled
dirt in wheelbarrow and toiled in the
quarries. The western fever took hold
of him and with his wife he emigrated to
Kansas where he settled on d farm and
fought grasstoppers and starvation"
He also won the esteem Of his neighbors
and was elected to the legislature when
Kansas became state. By and by came
the reports of rich gold discoveries along
Cherry Creek in Colorado, near where
Denver now is, and Mr.. Tabor with oxen
and prairie schooner set forth fortune
hunting again. Prospecting and mining
in small way, he uncovered $4,000 the
first season. In the winter he sold gro
ceries. The next season his supply of
gold had increased to Sic, 1000.
For 20 years he worked hard as store
keeper and miner, made more money,
and. curiously enough, became post
master of Buckskin Joe, mining COM
munity resulting from his first location,
but the fortune of his dreams did not
come until 1878, when he furnished out
fits to two shoemakers, August Rische
and George T. Hook. who had formed
partnership with view to searching for
| carbonate. These two men struck rich
vein and the Little Pittsburg mine was
opened and wealth began to flow out.
Subsequently Mr.. Tabor sold his half
interest in this mine and those adjacent
in which he had become interested for
$1,O00,000. He had retained other in
terests and soon formed a partnership
with Marshall Field of Chicago, acquir-
ing mining properties that yielded mil
lions. Mr.. Tabor wanted to own one
mine al by himself as Senator Quay
wanted to know how it felt to own a
governor. and so he bought for Silt 900
the Matcnless mine, which later returned
him $4,000 month.
1t is natural for mining king to aspire
politically. Horace Tabor did. He was
postmaster of California Gulch when the
name Of the camp was changed to Lead
vile. Later he was mayor and Their
lieutenant governor of the state, anG
when Henry M. Teller was appointed
secretary Of the interior in President
Arthur's cabinet, Mr.. Tabor was chosen
to fill his unexpired term in the senate
He was senator but 80 days. He liket
the taste, and was a candidate for re
election, but Jude Bowen, the opposing
candidate and member of the legisla
ture, defeated him by voting for himself
Mr.. Tabors ambition was to be govern
or, but this was never achieved.
Meanwhile he had built 81, 900, 00(
residence, 100000 opera hose anf
other costly buildings at Denver; hat
become divorced from his drst wife
whose pluck, energy and Drains hat
n aided him greatly and forwhom he Sc
aside $1,O00O00, and lad embarked
t upon speculative career. He mortgaget
his beautiful buildings. The panic o
1898 added to his distress, and befor
the year had ended the last of his pos
/. sessions had been sold under the hammer
Then Mr.. Tabor philosophicaly shoul
dered his pick and began prospecting a
Cripple Creek, where in 1897 he wa
;, given assistance in fresh start by Win
= field Scott Stratton for the sake of wha
he had done for the mining resources @
COLORADO. The next year President Nc
e Kinlevs appointment made him post
master of Denver. Boys and men, toe
o dream of fortunes like that which Nj
Travor picked up and many man wi
throw away as vast fortune as Nj
y Travor achieved in the vain effort t
own the earth. 1t is national diseas,
: -[Spring6eld Republican.