The Washington times., 1905-05-08
VIRGINIA CARROLL
VICTIM Of TEMPER
Weakness of H0rseman Well
Known III Washington.
FOUGHT WITH THE BETT0RS
Received a Good Beating at Benning
Ten Years Ago at Hands
of Marylander.
FOUGHT WITH THE BETT0RS


:. Virginia Carroll. the bookmalaer
we'll known in Washington, who died in
New Orleans of Il cancerous affection
of the tongue the other day, was an ex-
ample of an unusually clever and. at
bottom. ioyable man, who permitted
himself to be destroyed by an ungov-
: ernable temper. :. said one of the veteran
layers OF 9he Metropolitan Turf Associa-
ton lthe bookmakers' club. Carroll
had no more eantrol Of his temper and
his tongue than l have of the meteoro-
logical conditions of middle Egypt
.Once having worked himself into
$ passion-and the most trivial annoyance
got him off-he was absolutely the most
violent man ever knew He really tried
tc control himself, tool am sure of
that But he never succeeded in downing
lis habit of breaking into the most mar
I 1ow-curdling expressions OF rage,
Many Stories Afloat.
After he became a bookmaker on a
2 big scale a thousand and one stories of
his outbursts gained wide circulation
among turf followers. A good many of
these stories were made out of the
whole cloth. The time came when every
story of a savage conflict between any
beokmaler and a bettor was fastened
upon Carroll
..He got into any number of fights
with bettors who took offense at his
way of fiaring up over little slips of
carelessness on their part. ana on
several occasions he had 10 take beat
ings. But he would fight like a tiger,
even when il WAS plain that he was out
3 classed. and IL made no difference TO
him if the man upon whom he foundeC
was nine feet high, he'd so as far as his
strength permitted and then take his
medicine On several occasions his life
was saved IN these miX-upS only by
the Intervention OF the ring police
such a beating came his way at the
Benning track. nine or ten years ago
AS he sat on his stool he was approach
ed by a tail lanky countFyInan, a Mary
lander from one OF the Eastern Shore
counties and those Eastern Shore fell
lows are tough men to become engaged
with.
Carroll Excited.
-.The Marylander being new to the
racing game. wasn't certain what horse
he wanted to bet on, and began 10 run
his big forehnger up and down the
names of the horses on Carroll's price
programme. Carroll grew purple with
wrath without the slightest reason and
directed torrent OF abuse at the coun-
..-Fne MaryIander didn't say a WORD.
but stood gaping. open-nouet1sds ana
stunned. over the surprise of the Thing,
at the boaknaker. Carroll had reached
the end OF about his tenth phrase of
denupeiation when the Marylas.1er.
rea ached out his right hand, pulled the
layer from his STOOL and proceeded TO
give him a busting off that it hurt a
fellow TO look at.
Lesson From Southerner.
s'At Saratoga one day Carroll received
lesson IN the way of little talk from
an elderly Southern gentleman that
lasted him for a long time.
1.-THE old Southerner. who was a good
bettor. had been attracted to Carrolfs
stool by having heard his associates call
starting 70 bet with Virginia., learned
that the bookmakeF's Hame was Car
sVvhen the old Southerner approached
Carrolfs stool 20 put down his first bet
with the b0okmakeT whose nickname
pleased him, he was a bit slow IN get
ting his money out OF his wallet, and
the bettors were swarming all around
the stall. eager ia get their money
down This made Carroll grouchy, and
he spoke sharply to the old Southerner,
who stopped looking for his money and
gazed at the bookmaker with acute sur
prise depicted on his face.
Cutting Reply.
bookmafer had really been addressing
him, the old gentleman made some re-
prcachfni reply the gist OF II being
about men who permitted their tempers
10 get the better of them. This aroused
Carroll TO fury and he lashed himself
into pouring oue OF his torrents of wrath
upon the old gentleman's head
- he old gentleman listened calmly
and when Carroll had finished he looked
the bookmaker square in the eye.
All had heahd suh.' he said. that
yo' name was Vahginia- Calm, but now
All am convinced, sub, that 30 are
fraveain' under an assumed name No
man by the name OF Yahginia, sub. and
no gentleman by the name of Cah'n.
could talk in such a blackgahdly man
nah as you have talked, sub and I'd
scE-sly recommend yo to resume what
@evIth ruffianly No'thern name yo' air en-
titled to. suh-yo' damned Yankee
loafuh. sub!
Then the old southerner. stiff as a
ramrod turned on his heel and walked
away. while Carroll who was Southern
down to his toes and inordinately proud
of il and Of his New Orleans birth, look
ed eilagrined over the rebuke from
gentleman Of his own section. It was
a long time before ne gave vent TO an
r. t.usas 90