Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1899-04-11
Il. A. W. TABOR DEAD
Colorado Ex-senator Passes
Away After Short Illness.
One of The Best Known Men In All
the Great WeSt-HiS Wonderful
Life History More Strange Than
Fiction.

a. m. today of appendicitis after a
days illness.
Henry Austin Warner Tabor was one
of the best known men in the United
States and his life history if written in
full would make a more wonderful
story than the greatest romance ever
penned From farm boy to many times
millionaire and back again to al
most poverty covers a wide range and
one embracing many and varied
phases of life. Henry A. w. Tabor was
born at Holland Orleans county, Yer
mont, November so, 1880, and was
therefore past sixty-eight years of
age. He received but meagre educa-
ton and learned the trade of stone cut
ter in Massachusetts, but in 1855 moved
to Kansas wnere he became a -armer.
He was elected a member of the free
soil Legislature in 1856 which was re-
moved at the point of the bayonet by
orders of President Pierce, and he
passed through all the free-soil warfare
of Kansas in the latter fifties.
Attracted to Colorado by the Pixies
Peak gold excitement in 1859 Mr..
Tabor removed to that territory and
located in California Gulch, where the
city of Leadvlle now stands. For sew
eral years he worked in the mines and
in 1865 started a small store in Cali
! fornia Gulch but still engaged in min
ing enterprises "grub-staking' many
prospectOrs. At last he was rewarded,
for in May, 1878, August
Rische and George F. Hook,
lwhom Tabor had s5aked >discov-
cred what was afterward known as
the Little Fittsburg mine and which
| bacame one of the bonanza mines of
the world Tabor's interest WIS one
third and he purchased the interests of
one Of his partners for $250,000. Ia
! Dor sold q one-third interest in the
nlinc for s10OO,00 This sum he in
vested in other mines in the Lcadville
district and in real estate in Denver
and Leadville and soon was rated as
one Of the weslthiest men in the west.
At one time his income was estimate
to be not less than $1,000 a day.
The city of Denver owes much Of Its
| present magnitude and grandeur as a
city to Mr. Tabor The first modern
business block to be built in Denver
known as the Tabor block erected in
1882 was built by Mr.. Tabor. This in
duced other capitalists to have faith in
the town and it's progress was rapid
from that date. Two years later Mr..
Tabor erected the block in which the
Tabor Grand Opera House is located
at a cost of S1,250 900. He also took
an active interests in politics and was
the first governor of the
state being elected in 1878 and serving
till January, 1884. February Of that
year he was elected United States sena-
tor to succeed Senator Henry M. Tel
| ler resigned. and served until March 4
following Mr.. Tabor was again can
didate fer the senate in 1889 but was
defeated i'm the republican caucus by
Edward o. Wolcott.
In the height of his prosperity Mr..
Tabor became involved in domestic
complications that brought about his
downfall and financial ruin. He be-
came enanored of a Miss McCourt.
known as "Baby" McCourt and di-
vorced the wife who had been his COM
panion and helper in all the struggles
| in Kansas and in the early days in
California Gulch He settled a large
amount of property on his divorced
wife but his action alienated many of
his old friends and when the tide turn
ed there were few to stand by him.
While On the crest of his financial
wave Mr.. Tabor purchased large tracts
of wild land in Texas and southern
Colorado and spent hundreds of thou
sands of dollars in trying TO make
them productive. He also spent large
sums in trying to develop a concession
he secured from the Republic OF Hon
duras and in developing mines in
Mexico, none of these ventures proving
profitable.
About seven years ago Mr.. Tabor Sc
cured an option and bond on the old
Vulture mine in Arizona from which
he expected much. Al one time nego-
tiations were all but completed for a
sale of half interest in the mine to
an English syndicate for 100000 but
litigation sprang up between Mr.. Tabor
and the man he had engaged in work
ing the property and the sale was
broken off. Finally work was suspend
ed and Mr.. Tabor's resources dropping
lower and lower the mine was fore
closed on by eastern bankers to whom
he owed $4,000, and the properly
passed out of his hands.
In the fall of 1897 President Nc
kinley appointed Mr.. Tabor post
master of Denver at the request of his
old political enemy, Senator Wolcott,
and his salary from this Office was his
only source of income at the time of