The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1899-06-20
TAB0R'S LIFE-ROMANCE.
A DAY LA6oRER WHO BECAME WORTH
100000 AND LOST ITALL.
A Career That Was the Most Wonderful
i'm the Whole History of the West
Marvellous Luck with Colorado Mines
Quick Turn in His Fortunes.

Marvellous Luck with Colorado Mines
Quick Turn in His Fortunes.
BY dying recently in Denver in
comfortable circumstances, former
Senator H. A. w. Tabor surprised
many people who predicted that he
would end in ditch without cent
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, whether
of good or evil, so it is not to be
wondered at that his death should
have been under unexpected circum-
stances. This man, who at first dug
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 a
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
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 a stonecutter
in Massachusetts, 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
claim for himself, he went to work
for another man at So 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 i'll hardearned cash. He
started for Orc, Col, against the adj
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 90
wrong, for Tabor didn't start out as a
prospector. Settling at ORC, which
was then beginning its boom, he
opened general store, selling food
implements, tobacco, clothing and
notions. Orc grew to be n 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 burst bubble In those hard
years the storekeeper lost most of
what he had made, aad his wife, Il
hard-T orkiug, faithful Irish girl. took
IN boarders to help him along For
more than ten years the Tabors
pluclily 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
n 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,
Leadville, by Tabor's naming. 1t is
said that the name was given in this
way: Several of the old timers were
talking Of name for the place when
it had become certain that there was
to be n permanent settlement there,
and several sugges tions were made.
One hopeful spirit suggested Gold
town, latter the metal that's common
around here" 1t so happened that
the night before there had been O
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
the matter with Leadville?" he said.
And Lesdville it became.
Soon he began to grub-stake needy
prospectors, who with the outfits fur
nished by him would go back into the
hills and hunt for precious metal,
which they usually didn't find.
For one day in 1878 there came to
the storekeeper an Irish prospector
and a German tailor, badly smitten
with the gold fever and withoutme
whom Tabor started on their search
with good outfit They went up on
the hill and dug until they were ex-
ceeding weary Of digging and attained
to no gold-only species of curious
looking gravel, heavy in the spade
and not pretty olook at. When they
became finally convinced that no gold
was in reach at that point they
abandoned the claim and went away.
tho Irishman taking with him a bag
Of the gravel, saying that, as he had
dug so much Of it, he would just find
out what it was that made it so eter-
nnlly heavy to hoist The assayer TO
whom he took il told him 10 was silver.
almost pure The Irishman and the
German survived the shock, went
back TO the claim, and sold out for
/ 300, 600 apiece. This was the Little
Pittsburg Mine. One-third of it be
longed to Tabor as his stake for the
grub. He was regarded ms an ire
sponsible idiot when he refused 300.
600 for his share. There was plenty
Of time, however, for those who so re.
garded him 10 change their minds
during the days when the claim
achieved the neat little outputof $4,000
a day. Tabor finally sold his part OF
10 for a million, and said that rs he'd
done tolerably we'll ON his profit and
I loss account he'd just keep on i'm the
mining business for q while.
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