The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1908-06-12
1saBRl.Ll JEWEL WENT cHEaP,
Dismonn Pawned to Aid Columbus II
Els First Voyage.

Inc recent SAFE at auCGiou " Lie
f..mous Isabella diamond. alleged &C
Re one of the original gems pawned
by ths Queen ct S.:a;n to paw fo!, tEi
voyage Of Coiu2bus which resu.led
n he discovery OF America, has
brought to light some interesting &C.
teiiz oe the histor. OF this and other
gems, Il was sold in Denver TO sat.
is1y q note given by Elizabeth Tabor
widow OF Senator H. w. Tabor who
was one of the .sost picturesque char
acters of the West.
The jewel, valued at $4,000, was
one of a collection that has figured
in Western courts more than any SIN
gle lot in existence. The entire as
sortment. estimated to be worth pos
sibly $4,000, was sold to john Ma
son of this city, the only bidder, for
$500.
Mrs. Tabor was the second wife OF
man whose career reads like q
page from some romance. Once a
prospector for gold. he discovered sAs
Matchless Mine, near LeadYi;le,
Ihicn made him many millions. He
built fine business blocks in Denver,
including the Tabor block, the Tabor
Grand Opera House block and other
fine buildings. He was an IDOL OF
the reople He was elected to the
United States Senate and took a
prominent place in the affairs Of the
West.
Then reverses came. He lost his
foctune. His wife died and he mar
sied again, and then, when he reached
the depths, he passed away. His sec.
ond wife. with the estate ali gone, the
Jewels pawned and sold and nothing
lett of the former splendor, now lives
with her only daughter in a log
caoin near Leadville,, close to the
famous mine, which made the Sena'
9or'r wealth.
The collection of jewels which has
passed. out of the hands of the Tabor
es :ara was par. of the gifts made by
the Senator to his second wife. The
Isabe. la diamond was the principal
oae in the collection. 1t was brought
to Denver from New York with or
fic.al papers which authenticated its
h tory, and was transferred to the
Tabor collection through local jew
t!ry house. That was twenty years
ago. Since then it has been the sub
iect Of almost constant litigation.
Among the jewelry in the collec-
tic was :. belt valued at $4,000,
wIic' was the. only one of the kind
in the world. 1t was made in almost
perfect imitation Of big snake ana
was Of eighteen carat gold. The two
eyes consisted Of two brilliant dia-
moris, the tongue was made OF
sparkling rubies and the tail was
formed of beautiful green emera!ds.
The belt was made. of hundreds OF
pieces so joined together ghat it could
be coile1 and placed around the body
with as much ease as If made from
leather. The ether jewels in the coli
lection consisted of earrings. brace
lets, and loose diamonds.
The collection was pawned with
the First National Bank Of this city,
through Herman Powell, to secure
note for $4,000 owing Powell by the
Tabor estate. 1t was sold by Powell
to satisfy the note and in that way
got into the vaults Of the bank. Eff
forts were made to sell the gems pri-
vatel,- through commission appoint
ed for that purpose. This resulted
in suits being brought in court to
hare them sold at,auction.
The Tabor estate at that time was
considerably in debt and the widow
was meeting with the first of the re-
verses which finally completely en-
quilted her. The popularity Of the
late Senator caused steps to be taken
by his friends three years ago to set
tie the claims. Mrs. Tabor was en-
abled to retain the jewels. One year
ago she was in want and She pawned
them with the Continental Trust
Company to secure a loan of $3.50.
This loan she was unable to take up
and the present sale followed.
A pitiful climax to the tragedies OF
the Tabor family was presented when
the sale was over. An elderly gray
haired woman. who declined to give
her name or reveal her identity 9TH
er thai. to say that she was a close
personal friend of Mrs. Tabor. was
. present to watch the disposal Of the
gems. At the conclusion of the sale
she motioned the purchaser to one
side and with quivering voice asked
hil not to sell the smallest gem IN
the collection for a while. 1t was
Mrs. Tabor's engagement ring which
had gone with the others. and she
wanted an opportunity to save it IL
possible.
Mason, who bought the collection,
will give part of the jewels to his
wife and the others will be sent East.
The Isabella diamond, the most val
liable in the collection, shows the ef-
feet of age, and in order to restore
its brilliancy, it will have tc be re-
cut. The danger Of injuring the
gem through that process. has de-
tracted from its speculative value
Denver Post.
India's Valuable Coal Fields.