The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-03-16
NOTES RECORD
TRAGIC STORY
Of BABY DOE
Cryptic ScribbIings Reveal
Loneliness, Suffering
of Final Days.
BY CLARA A. SHEPHERD
Unitsd Press star Correspondent

Doe Tabor. once the celebrated and
beautiful queen Of the silver empire
81 H 4. W. Silver Dollar Tabor.
recorded the tragic story Of the clos
ing months % her lonely life beside
the Matches mine.
The calendars came 70 light today,
the final records Of a unique life
In 1888 a beautiful blord 2l-year-
old girl. the wife Of HarT y Doe. ar
rived in the pioneer min ng camp OF
Leadvllle where Tabor lready had
smassed a fortune. Tabor lover her
a. first sight. She divorced her nus
band and he divorced the wife Of his
poverty.
Tabor was appointed Senator and
with President Arthur among the
guests. he and the blond girl. whom
admiring miners had named Baby
Doe. we're married. For a number
Of years she had Jewels and man
sions and clothes worth fortunes.
Then Tabor lost his money. When
ne died In 1899 he told her 70 keep
the Matchless silver mine because
some day it would make her rich
again.
Lived in Direst Poverty
From that year until last week,
Baby Doe lived in a shack beside
the mine. in direst poverty. fighting
of persons claiming the mine.
fighting of even sight-seers. Last
week she was found dead Of pneu-
mOnia. She was % years old. Yes
terday she was buried and today
came the calendar records Of her
last pathetic years.
The calendars revealed that to-
ward the last. Baby Does mind was
growing dim. II reconstructed the
years Of her glamour IN dreams Of
golden horses and Of silver. On
March s. 1884. she wrote:
20 terrible. no food left. need
bread. Alone. Went down 10 Lead
vile from Matchless mine in snow
so terrible I had 10 90 down on my
hands and knees and creep from
cabin door 10 7th-st. Mr. Zaits'
driver drove me 10 our get-Of place
and he helped pull me to cabin. I
falling down through snow every
minute. God bless him"
Dreamed Of Daughter
Baby Doe had two daughters by
Tabor. one was called Silver Dol
lar, In commemOrati0n OF the basis
Of the then Tabor fortune. Silver
Dollar died but she was in her moth
er's last thoughts. On June is.
1884. she wrote: Dreamed of Baby
Silver and a gold horse" On the
back Of the sheet. was written: To
day I dreamed Of HOneymaid and
gold red big horse. o so big. as big
as four or i've horses facing south.
From the first entry. written Jan.
%, 1884. to the last. inscribed after
her last trip to Leadville. a mile
from the lonely cabin. the calendars
told Of an aging. lonely. destitute
woman. haraSsed by visions Of dew
lis. delighted by visions Of lovely
spirits" pleased BY calls from true
friends. and infuriated by the visits
Of curiosity seekers.
That first entry told Of visions
which we're 70 recur TO her more and
more frequently in the IA months
before neighbors found her dead.
her body frozen, on the floor Of the
cabin
It read:
"A wonder vision. and talked with
two spirits. one bad. but the bad one
fed
Talks With Spirits
Perhaps a hundred times there
after she recorded talks with Spir-
its" or tells Of seeing visions"
Some times hundreds" of the
spirits appeared TO her at once. and
she talked 10 them. Some she de-
sCribed as purple. gold and pink"
Again she wrote of purple on the
wall, deep purple"
And one notation told a vision
Of death in purple. writing my Wis
ion Shortly after this entry &C.
ours one saying only. attacked by
devils" and again a little later she
wrote. two deathly times. something
IN nv nose and mouth. Devils"
Once she saw "A dragon in my
coffee cup" and four days later. says
the calendar. something terrible
happened today"
Through the winter Of 1884. there
we're frequent entries such as ter
rible cold" awful deep snow" ";he
water and everything frozen up"
and little records Of her trips 70
LeadviIls for supplies. her battle
through the deep drifts. her frequent
falls.
Lonely in Winter
The winter DAYS made her con-
scious Of loneliness Such entries
as o so cold. alone" terrible snow.
alone terrible blizzard. alone &C
CURED increasing.
Other entries told Of sunshiny
skies. and Of the visits OF lovely
people" Those who came out OF
curiosity we're devils"
Lots Of awful folks. 7 did not let
them in" and men. I did not Ike.
came in" are recurring entries.
When her friends came. she re-
corded their names II she knew
them. II not. they were entered as
lovely man" or lovely girl. with
white earrings"
one visitor she did not like re-
ceived more than usual mention. He
was elegant dressed man. lots Of
white shirt open at neck. black
clothes. not a good man"
Visited by Priest. Nuns
Gifts Of wood. food. clothing.
from friends are mentioned. always
with the notation. lovely man" or
lovely woman" Sue" is written
beside many dates. apparently re-
ferring to calls from Miss Sue Bon
ney. a ueighbor who was one Of
those who found the body.
Every time she received or sent a
letter. IL was recorded Every time
the priest visited her. IL was men
toned. as were visits Of nuns.