El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-11-30

Widow in Strengthened Circum-
stances is Fighting Hard to Recover
the Matchless Mine-Great Human
Drama
From poverty to riches. From rich
rs to poverty. That is the Tabor his
tory. the most thrilling drama in hu-
man life ever enacted in the history or
the west. says the Denver Times.
The great mining holdings OF Elk
Senator Horace A. w. Tabor have
been scattered to all quarters OF the
globe. The last piece of property or
the once immense estate has been sold
under the hammer to satisfy a judg-
ment of $13 900. The Matchless mine.
Leadville's wonderful ore producer.
goes the way Mrs. Tabor's jewels went
the way everything has gone. She
has made a hard fight against over
whelming odds. Thelast penny goes to
satisfy the demands of mortgages
Horace A. w. Tabor was the son OF
poor people. who were not able to even
give him the best of the common coun-
try school education eforded in Or
leans county. VT That was seventy
years ago. The boy studied at night
and worked between school hours to
assist his struggling parents. But the
stern demands of life cut OF his edu-
ftlfo Dflott ht f1A'
to put him on an Intellectual footing
with his fellowmen. Still The persisted.
and what hec ould not learn in school
he absorbed through his own efforts.
At the age of % years he mad learned
the trade of stonecutting and was earn
ing fair wages. He had been married
in the meantime and moved with his
wife to Kansas. where he engaged in
farming. His crops failed. His stock
died. His farm was burdened with
mortgages. The good fortune met him.
and he managed. by hard struggling.
to regain the lost ground. He became
a Free Soiler. and vase elected by that
class as its legislative representative in
Topeka That was in 1857. Hard
times came again. Again fate seemed
to be against him and he found that he
found that he could not earn a living.
Denver and Gold Fever.
In 1859 he deserted the farm with its
mortgages and poor rop and came to
Denver. He cast about for some time
searching for employment. bue met
with no encouragement During the
following yea gold was found in plac-
ers along the upper Arkansas and Ia
Dor. with no hope in his heart. but
driven nv desDeration. started for the
scene OF the discovery.
There were scores ahead of him. He
landed at the loot of ache Creek. but
found that those who had gone in ad-
vance had gathered all the riches in
sight Heart sick. but still determined.
he went on to California Gulch. where
ne made h first strike. There he
worked a claim adjoining the Discov-
cry. and with such success that he soon
had money enough to establish himself
in the supply business in 1865. Then
he sold his mine. and with $4,000 cap
itaI went across the Mosquito range to
The nrrrECEfp Toa dicfrfcf IF parE rnun-
ty.
They needed a supply store there.
and Tabor began business with a rush.
accommodating the savings with an eve
to the future.
In 1868 he ven Jack to h Gulch
and opened a store at Ore City. The
gold there had played out. however.
and for a ong time Their was suffering
among stranded miners. Then IL was
that Tabor's real nature came to the
front He furnished supplies to his
felIowmen. free of charge when nee
cessary. otherwise on long time. and
they appreciated IT,
Bought the Matchless.
When IL became aparent that gold
50 far as that section was concerned.
was a thing of the past. he went to
Leadville. and there IL was that he be-
gan to deal in gold mines. Everything
he touched turned to gold. Money
flowed into his pocket with such rapid
ity that the men in the hills supersti-
tiously believed iii guided by some
supernatural power. They sought his
advice eagerly. and those who took IL
grew rich. One great success after an
other folowed. until two years after
his arrived at eadvi he bought the
Matchless for s117 900 from dealers
who had bought IL from ~half-starved
p~rospectors for almost nothing.
The Matchless was a big payer from
the start Tabor's profits on that one
mine were never less than 81. 900 a day,
and at times ran ND as high as 800 900
a month. Tabor was the Midas of the
camp The connection of his name with
mines sent stocks STEWARD n 4 hurry.
His condemnation of a project meant
its instant death.
AS fast as he accumulated wealth he
Fought interests in the San Juan re-
gion. New Mexico and Old Mexico. He
was chosen mavor Of LeadviIIe and
showed his public scirit by building an
opera house. establishing the Bank OF
Leadville. promoting the water and gas
works project. securing valuable street
improvements. and inducing capital to
come west. His fame spread through
out the civilized world.
In 1875 he was elected lieutenant
governor of Colorado and served with
unusual distinction. In 1889 he was
elected senator by the General Assem-
bly, to fill the unexpired term of Sena-
tor Teller. In 1886 he was made chair
man OF the republican state committee
lent of the chamber of
Politics False Friends.
His wealth began to disappear when
he entered politics. False friends