RICHES TO POVERTY

Evening Post, Volume CXIX, Issue 95, 23 April 1935, Page 3

RICHES TO POVERTY

A TRAGIC STORY

A wortian, once famous throughout America, whosie marriage 52 years ago was attended by the President of the United States and his entire Cabinet, was found frozen to death in her miserable cabin in an abandoned silver mine in Denver, Colorado, states a "Daily Telegraph" correspondent.^ She had been dead 15 days, and two neighbours had to break a window to effect an entrance. . Of her former wealth, once estimated at £10,000,000, the only remnants were a couple of crumpled-up notes of small value, and a few silver coins. Known as "the beautiful Elizabeth Doe," she came to Colorado's rough mining camps as a young girl, and almost immediately married *Mr. Horace Tabor, one of the most famous characters in the closing decades of the last century. Tabor had come to the 'silver country" as a prospector, • and finally settled at Leadvilje, now a tiny community, but at that time a roaring "bonanza town," filled with mushroom millionaires, and garish gambling saloons. He finally stumbled upon the famous Matchless mine, which was so rich in silver that, at its height, it returned him more than £7000 a day. Tabor became the first Governor of Colorado, and shortly afterwards a Senator at Washington,' where his marriage was celebrated. His prodigality was notoripus. He spent £2000 a day on living expenses, and showered his young wife with quantities of valuaole jewels. ■ * Shortly afterwards, .however, the mine became worked out, and the demonetisation of silver completed Tabor's downfall. He lost everything he had, and at the time of his death <he was a common labourer in the streets of Denver. All he left his wife was his Matchless mine, and there she remained for more than 40 years, obstinately faithful to the belief that the mine still possessed concealed silver. Up to quite recently she had spent | long days with an oil lamp making the rounds of the mine armed with a pick and shovel, and kept the machinery in such good order that full operations could have been started at any time.