The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1899-07-15
TABOR'S LIFE-R0MANCE.

lTABOR'S LIFE-ROMANCE
IADAYLABoRER WHO BECAME WORT
$1,000. 900 AND LOST IT ALL.
in the Whole History of the West
Marvellous Luck With Colorado Mine
| -Quick Turn In His Fortunes.
By dying recently in Denver il
comfortable circumstances, forme
Senator II. A. w. Tabor SURPRISED
many people who predicted that b
would end in ditch without q cen
to bless himself with. Throughout
his career, one of the most romantic
In the whole history of the wonderful
wealth, producing West, he consis
tently disappointed prophecy; whethe
of good or evil, so 1t is net to b,
wondered at that his death SHOULD
have been under unexpected circum
stances. This man, who at first due
bitches, then was a millionaire many
times over, then went back to digging
bitches as means to earn his bread
and who, three years ago, hadn't /
cent OF all his great fortune left, and
lived literally by the sweat Of his
brow, found himself at sixty-nine
years of age Postmaster of Denver,
with an income that put him beyond
danger OF 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 to have
enough to live decently upon.
In 1860 Tabor appeared in California
Gulch, COL, where men were finding
nuggets that were the wonder of the
world. He was then about thirty
years old, and had been q stonecutter
in Massachusetts, q farmer in Kansas,
and . member of the Legislature
there, and finally sort of superior
tramp until he struck the diggings.
Then, having come too late to locate
a claim for himself, he went to work
for another man at s. day. Before
long he had enough saved up to start
. little store, and when he was ready
to move to new fields he owned about
$1,000 in hard-earned cash. He
started for Orc, COL, against the ad-
vice 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 to 60
wrong, for Tabor didn't start out as
prospector. Settling at Orc, which
was then beginning its boom, he
opened general store, selling food,
tobacco, clothing and
notions. Gro grew to be town of
1000 inhabitants. As Tabor accumu.
lated money it was predicted that he
would soon succumb to the mining
fever and go into the business on his
own hook. But he stuck to the store;
stuck to it even after Orc began to de-
cline, and its best friends saw that it
was q burst bubble. In those hard
years the storekeeper lost most of
what he had made, aad his wife,
king, faithful Irish girl, took
in boarders to help him along. For
more than ten years the Tabors
pluckily stood by the store and saw
the town dwindle from 1000 to seventy
people. Then the husband made up
his mind that it 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 business was resumed at the new
place.
This new place was subsequently
by Tabor's naming. 1t is
said that the name was given in this
way: Several of the old-timers were
talking of q name for the place when
it had become certain that there was
to be q permanent settlement there,
and several suggestions were made.
One hopeful spirit suggested Gold
town, latter the metal that's common
around here" It so happened that
the night before there had been q
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 matter with Leadville?" he said.
And Leadville it became.
Soon he began to grub-stake needy
prospectors, who with the outfits fur.
aishsd by him would 60 back into the
bills aud hunt for precious metal,
which they usually didnt aud,
For one day IN 1878 there came 10
be storeksepsr an irish prospeosor
md q German tailor, badly sn!tsen
With the COLA fever and without means,
vhom Tabor started on their search
With . good outfit. They went up on
lie hill and dug until they were ex.
'eeding weary Of digging and attained
o no gold-only q species of curious
ooking gravel, heavy in the spade
md not pretty to look at. When they
became finally convinced that no gold
vas in reach at that point they
Ibandoned the claim and went away,
he Irishman taking with him a bag
# the gravel, saying that, as he had
lug so much of it, he would just find
'ut what it was that made it so eter-
tally heavy to hoist. The assayer to
vhom he took it told him it was silver,
Ifmost pure. The Irishman and the
German survived the shock, went
Jack to the claim, and sold out for
'100, 900 apiece. This was the Little
3itkahuro Mine 0na-third of IL ho