Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-11-23
Miss Veg, OF Atlanta One of Few Girls He Trusted
Plunger Had Little Faith in the
Ability of Fair Sex in Business,
But Made Exception in Case
OF Woman Now Employed Here,

Though John w. Gates-"Bet
Million Gates the greatest plunger
the world has ever known-has long
since taken his last chance. unique
and hitherto unpublished doings of
his turbulent financial career are still
fresh In the mind of an Atlanta wom-
an who handled many of his millions
when he was alive. She is Miss Anna
Ia Vieg, cashier at the Hotel Ans
ley.
Miss Vieg was cashier of the Man.
utacturers' Fuel Company of Chicago,
one or Gates business enterprises,
into which he put more than $1,000
200 for two years. During that time
she handled nine of the firms az
counts, scattered in nine banks in Diff
ferent sections of the country. In one
bank an account of $1,000, 900 was
carried. She estimates that in the
two years-from 1905 to 19O7-she
handled approximately $4,000, 900.
AT times, after the plunger had
made large winnings, he brought bun
dies OF money into the Offices and
threw them carelessly on Miss Viegs
desk, with the remark:
Just put that to my personal ac-
count"
With all his shrewdness and genius
for gathering money, Gates was slow
to recognize a Womans fitness for
posts of trust, and Miss Veg was
one of the few he ever placed in a
position requiring more than ordinary
ability.
Employed Few Women
In Important Work.
Mr.. Gates used to say it didn't look
right for a woman to be holding an
important position" Miss veg said
Saturday, and l don't suppose he
ever employed more than half a dozen
women in any other way than as ste
nographers"
Though his financial operations
We're reckoned among the most nota-
Bile Of the last century, Gates pro-
pensity to gambling formed the ba-
Sis Tor the greater part of his fame
He was known throughout the coun-
try as Bet a Million Gates" and was
ever ready to risk high stakes on any
sort of proposition. And yet, in the
opinion of Miss Vieg, he had decided
ly original ideas about gambling. He
rarely mentioned the subject in his
offices, and was never known to tell
anyone when he lost a bet.
His ideas about gambling" said
Miss Vieg, were peculiar He was
one of the worst losers I have ever
seen, and he never forgave a man
who gave him a bad betting tip. L
remember on one occasion a man
named Drake brought horse named
Savable to Chicago and raced it in
the Derby. Mr.. Gates bet $4,000 on
brakes horse. The animal lost
Around the offices we never did think
that Mr.. Gates forgave Drake.
Mr.. Gates never boosted about his
winnings. Many times he has cone
into the offices after winning thou
sands and never mentioned his bet,
not even to Charlie Roberts, who was
manager Of the Fuel company, and
probably as close to Mr.. Gates as any
man in Chicago. On one occasion
Mr.. Gates threw a bundle Of money
on my desk and told me to put it to
his personal account 1t was about
$4,000, which he had won at the races
the day before, but l did not know he
had gambled for it until read about
it in the papers.
Gambled on Horses
And to Win Wife.
Most of Mr.. Gates gambling that
we used to hear about was on the
races, but stories filtered to US now
and then about the stakes he would
risk at other play. Charlie Honicker,
who was auditor of the Fuel Com
pany, used to tell a story about Mr..
Gates marrying Mrs. Gates on q bet.
The way it happened, according to
Mr. Honicker was this:
when Mr.. Gates was about 20
years old he was in st. Charles, Ill, |
a suburb of Chicago, selling barb wire
for a Texas company. With other |
young men he was standing on a
street corner when a young woman
passed. Mr.. Gates remarked about !
her charming appearance, and one
Of the other men said:
It'll bet you couldn't marry her |
"Tll bet you s25 marry her with |
in a year replied Mr.. Gates
And the story goes that he Joined |
the church, obtained an Introduction, |
and married the girl less than twelve |
months later.
MANY of the stories the pa pers
used to print about Mr.. Gates gam
Ii.