The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-14
LATE Ex-sEN ATOR TABOR.
A Day LabOrer Who Became Worth
&7OOO.U0O and Lost IL All.

S7.OOO,UOO and Lost IL All.
On Tuesday our dispatches announced
the death of H. A. Tabor, postmaster of
Denver, Col The man had remarkable
career.
BY dying in comfortable circumstances,
says the New York Sun, he surprised
many people who predicted that he would
end in a ditch without a cent to bless
himself with. Throughout his career, one
of the most romantic in the whole history
of the wonderful, wealth-producing West
he consistently disappointed prophecy,
whether of good or evil, so 1t is not to
be wondered at that his death should have
been under unexpected circumstances
This man who at first dug bitches, then
was a millionaire many times over then
went back to digging bitches as a means
to earn his bread, and who, three years
ago, hadn't a cent of all his great fortune
left, and lived literally by the sweat of
his brow, found himself at 60 years of age
postmaster OF Denver. with an income tina;
put him beyond danger 81 want once
more. A short time before his death he
said that his days of money making were
over, and that he was quite content 20
have enough to live decently upon.
In 1850 Tabor appeared in California
Gulch Col, where men were finding mug
gets that were the wonder of the world
He was then about thirty years old. and
had been a stonecutter in Massachusetts,
farmer in Kansas, and a member Of the
legislature there and finally a sort of su-
perior tramp until he struck the diggiugs.
Then, having come too late to locate a
claim for himself, he went to work for
another man at S. a day. Before long he
had enough saved uD 20 start little store,
and when he was ready to move to new
fields he owned about 81 900 in hard-earn-
ed cash. He started for ORC, Col. against
the advice Of his friends, who warned him
that he would lose all his little capital In
that then little known locality This was
the first prophecy 10 go wrong, for Tabor
didn't start out as a prospector. Settling
at ORC, which was then beginning its
boom, he opened a general store, selling
food, implements, tobacco, clothing and
notions ORC grew 10 be a town of 1000
Inhabitants. AS Tabor accumulated money
II was predicted that he would soon sue
cumb to the mining fever and go into
the business on his own hook. But he
stuck to the store; stuck to Ii even after
ORC began to decline, and its best friends
hard years the storekeeper lost most of
what he had made. and his wife. a hard
working, faithful Irish girl took in board
ers TO help him along For more than
ten years the Tabors pluckily stood by
the store and saw the town dwindle from
1000 to 10 peop,e. Then the husband made
up his mind that IL was time TO move,
so what remained OF the stock was packed
a mile or two up the gulch where there
were rumors Of good strikes, and bust
ness was resumed at the new place.
This new place was subsequently Lead
vile, by Tabor's naming. 1t is said that
the name was given In this way: Several
OF the oid-timers were talking of a name
for the place when IL had become certain
that there was 10 be a permanent settle
ment there, and several suggestions were
made One hopeful spirit suggested Cold
town, latter the metal that's common
around here" 1t so happened that the
night before there had been general
shooting at the saloon and bullets had
flown in all directions with fatal results
to three of the men concerned. Having
this in mind, Tabor spoke up:
IF you're going to call the place after
the metal that's plenty, what's the mat
ter with LeadviAe2" he said. And Lead
vile II became.
Soon he began to grub-stake needy pros
1JfcLOrSt VINO WIN Lnt Oud1lIS furnished by
him would go back into the hills and hunt
for precious metal, which they usually
didn't find. Tabors friends said Il was
bad business and predicted his ultimate
ruin but he kept adding TO his business,
and despite the items charged to profit
and loss on account Of his grub-stake |
business, he prospered II was gen.
orally supposed that his aid to the pros
rector. was not regarded by him as an in
vestment, but az q charity which he could |
afford to dispense where 1t was most need |
ed: and Il is certain that he saved many |
men from want and hunger In this way.
knew that these Items Of profit |
and loss were all loss, and as usual every |
body knew the thing which was not.
FOR one day IN 1878 there came 10 the |
an Irish prospector and Ger |
man tailor, badly smitten with the gold |
fever and without means, whom Tabor |
started on their search with O good outfit |
They went up on the hill and dug until |
they we're exceedingly weary OF digging |
and attained 20 no gold-only a species Of
curlous-looking gravel, heavy In the spade
and not pretty too look at When they be- |
came hnally convinced that no gold was
in reach a. that point they abandoned The |
claim ana went away. the Irishman taking |
glth him a bog Of gravel, saying that. az
he had dug 30 much Of Il. he would Just