The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-05-17
TALE OF TABOR'S LIFE.
Day Laborer Who Became Real Million
saire-F1e Also Sat in the u. s. Senate.
Nrw l0rk San.

what it was that made it so ctcrnally
heavy TO hoist. The assaycr to whom
he took it told him it was silver,
almost pure. The Irishman and Ger
man survived the shock, went back to
the claim. and sold cut for 800. Gb0
apiece. This was the Little Fits
burg mine. Onc-third of it belonged
/ to Tabor as his stake for the grub
lie was regarded as an irresponsible
idiot when he refused 800, 900 for his
share. There was plenty Of time,
| however, for those who so regarded
him to change their minds during the
days when the claim achieved the
nea little output of SO 900 day.
Tabor finally sold his part of it for
million, and said that as he d done
tolcrably well on his profit and loss
account he 4 just keep on in the min
ing business for while.
I This was source of unselfsh sor-
row to his friends, who knew that an
innocent sort of chap like Tabor
would get swindled right and left if
he tried to increase his capital in gold
instead Of soaking it away The first
person who thought TaDor would be
a good subject for confidence game
was called "Chickcn Bill Lowell, ex-
mail carrier for the district. ''Chickcn
Bill" had claim on Fryer hill not far
from the spot where the two prospcc-
tors located the Little Pittsburc, and
he had worked for six weeks without
, taking anything out in exchange for
his labor except tones Of Improbable
soil. One day he helped himself to
some pay dirt from another and luck
icr man . claim and dropped it in the
mud vein he was working Then he
sent for labor, showing him the dust
and offered to sell out for $3.50. I'm
hcsitatingly, the innocent Tabor paid
the price. Chicken Bill went down
to town and bought drinks for himself
for week. At the end Of that time
he was looking for some one to blow
him off to carbolic acid cocktail, for
Tabor had dug FIVE feet deeper than he
had gone and had struck gold that had
not been transplanted. Before the
vein was worked out it brought in a
million dollars. That was the way the
Chrysolite minc was discovered.
People said this was bullhead luck,
and Tabor was q good fellow, but
didn't know enough to go in when it
rained. After he had organized few
stock companies and come out far
ahead on all Of them public opinion
had another opportunity for secon2
guess.
Among those Who thought that Ia
Dor was easy where Foley and Will
gus, owners of the Matchless claim,
which showed some color, but not
enough to convince them that il was
really much good. They convinced
Tabor, however, so successfully that
he gave them sl12,0OC for the prop
erty. It was reokoped to be worth
perhaps $25 900, as claims were going
then. AS soon es the sale was COM
pletcd the former owners went about
telling everybody how they had s'fool-
ed good oi1 Tabor The curious cir
cumstance Of q subsequent offer Of
So, 900, 900 to Tabor for the Matchless
saddened the remainder Of their exist
ences with the knowledge that under
some circumstances honesty is the
best policy by huge percentage.
Then there was the Maid of Erin mine
which Tabor and Maj. Dubois bought
for 500, 900; dead loss, said Lead
vile. Two months later they sold out
to an English syndicate for ten times
that amount; the luckiest hit ever
made, as Leadville put it. But the
syndicate didn't like the looks Of the
claim after they had bought, and rails
ed such lamentations over the matter
that Tabor said he didn't want to
swindle anybody and he'd take the
minc back at the same price. There
upon Leadville, which hadn't learned
any better yet, wrung its collective
hands and said that somebody ought
to look up nice quiet lunatic asylum
for poor Tabor, where he d be restrain
cd from dissipating his fortune in such
manner. A ysar or so later some
body tried to buy that same rejected
mine for s2,0O0,O 1000 and was greeted
with cheerful laugh.
Thus far all had prospsred with Ia
Dor to which he put his hand. People
called him tbs luokiest man in Col
orado, and as soon as he got the title
his luck changed. It's singular cir
cur stance in world where evil deeds
arc not always visibiy punished that
| anop ko Ioeo-kxl IL.