The New York Times
March 8, 1893, Wednesday
AUGUSTA, Ga., March 7. -- "Wiley Barron, eighty-six years old, the best-known or the ante-war gamblers of the South, who was well known on the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New-Orleans, is lying dangerously ill at his home in this city. A few days ago he was playing with a dog at his home and fell. The shock broke some of the bones in his hip. He was born in Elbert County, went to Milledgeville, and thence drifted to Augusta, and afterward spent several years in the West. For many years before and after the war he and the late Peter Creitz ran a magnificent gambling establishment in this city. The establishment was fitted out with every luxury that the mind of a man could invent. Barron and Creitz were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and immense sums of money were won and lost in their place. Finally, they fell out and never again spoke, but neither was ever heard to say a thing unkind of the other.
Many a young fellow who lost money at Batton's would complain to the proprietor, and always get his money back on the condition that he would never gamble again.
Before Barron branched out into gambling he was bookkeeper for a cotton firm. At the expiration of the year he balanced his books, cash and turned them over to the proprietor. The latter offered him more money to stay, but Barron said: "No I am going unto a business in which I have no right to handle any body's money but my own."
An evidence of Barron's great wealth still stands in the city cemetery-a magnificent mausoleum which cost more than $10,0000."
Columbus Daily Enquirer
Sun.Dec. 22, 1894.p2
Gambler. Resident of Augusta for 55 years. Lived at Mill & Broad Sts.
"A marble vault in the Augusta Cemetery, which cost thousands of dollars to erect, has been waiting thirty years for its eccentric occupant. On Thursday, the doors of the vault were opened, and within were deposited the remains of Wiley Barron, aged eighty-eight years. Barron was for many years the most noted and the wealthiest gambler in Georgia. He was a man of culture and refinement, a during his prosperous days lived sumptuously. When he was possessed of his thousands, he had this vault erected to receive his remains when he should die. He was once a member of the Georgia legislature, and a great admirer of Alexander H. Stephens. His last years were spent in adversity."
Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Under the code duello ...By Lucian Lamar Knight:
"One of the most conspicuous objects in the cemetery is the immense square vault of granite, in which lie entombed the ashes of the noted gambler, Wvlly BarRon, who owned and operated in Augusta for years an establishment which was famous throughout the land. It was a sort of Monte Carlo, at which some of the wealthiest ante-bellum planters of the old regime were often seen. In spite of certain grave faults, he was a man of chivalrous manners and of high ideals, belonging to a peculiar type which has long since passed away, called "the gentleman gambler." On more than one occasion he is said to have refunded the money lost at his tables, especially where the loser was an inexperienced youth. He lived to be an octogenarian, but lost the bulk of his fortune long before his death. The vault was probably built by him in the height of prosperity, for when the end came he is said to have been penniless. The inscription over the door of the vault is as follows:
"Farewell, vain world, I have enough of thee
And now am careless what thou sayest of me;
Thy smiles I court not nor thy frowns I fear;
My cares are past, my head lies quiet here.
What faults you know in me take care to shun
And look at home, enough there's to be done.''
Then follows this record:
W. W. BARRON. Born in Elbert Co., Oct. 8, 1807.
Died Dec. 19, 1884. Aged 88 years.
There is some discrepancy in these figures, but they have been copied literally from the inscription on the tomb.
Judge Richard H. Clark has given us an excellent pen picture of Wylly Barron. Says he, in an interview which appeared at the time of the latter's death: "I possess no personal acquaintance with Wylly Barron, but he was often seen at the watering-places and in the principal cities of Georgia. He was among the most distinguished looking men in his prime I ever saw. Tall and slender, he appeared to be more than six feet high, and carried himself like a prince. His hair was black, his complexion of the typical brunette kind, which suggested Spanish or Italian blood. He dressed elegantly, gave strict observance to the minutest details of fashion, and adorned himself with ornaments, including diamonds and other precious gems. His whole make-up was impressive—even picturesque. It is said that he would never permit minors to play at his tables, nor young men known to have large amounts in trust, like cashiers and tellers. Byron writes of the Corsair as having one virtue linked with a thousand crimes. May not that be changed, so that a man, though a gambler, may have a thousand virtues linked to one crime. The best of human nature may be only lower than the angels; and the worst only a little above the devils; and between the two there is an infinite variety."
March 8, 1893, Wednesday
AUGUSTA, Ga., March 7. -- "Wiley Barron, eighty-six years old, the best-known or the ante-war gamblers of the South, who was well known on the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New-Orleans, is lying dangerously ill at his home in this city. A few days ago he was playing with a dog at his home and fell. The shock broke some of the bones in his hip. He was born in Elbert County, went to Milledgeville, and thence drifted to Augusta, and afterward spent several years in the West. For many years before and after the war he and the late Peter Creitz ran a magnificent gambling establishment in this city. The establishment was fitted out with every luxury that the mind of a man could invent. Barron and Creitz were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and immense sums of money were won and lost in their place. Finally, they fell out and never again spoke, but neither was ever heard to say a thing unkind of the other.
Many a young fellow who lost money at Batton's would complain to the proprietor, and always get his money back on the condition that he would never gamble again.
Before Barron branched out into gambling he was bookkeeper for a cotton firm. At the expiration of the year he balanced his books, cash and turned them over to the proprietor. The latter offered him more money to stay, but Barron said: "No I am going unto a business in which I have no right to handle any body's money but my own."
An evidence of Barron's great wealth still stands in the city cemetery-a magnificent mausoleum which cost more than $10,0000."
Columbus Daily Enquirer
Sun.Dec. 22, 1894.p2
Gambler. Resident of Augusta for 55 years. Lived at Mill & Broad Sts.
"A marble vault in the Augusta Cemetery, which cost thousands of dollars to erect, has been waiting thirty years for its eccentric occupant. On Thursday, the doors of the vault were opened, and within were deposited the remains of Wiley Barron, aged eighty-eight years. Barron was for many years the most noted and the wealthiest gambler in Georgia. He was a man of culture and refinement, a during his prosperous days lived sumptuously. When he was possessed of his thousands, he had this vault erected to receive his remains when he should die. He was once a member of the Georgia legislature, and a great admirer of Alexander H. Stephens. His last years were spent in adversity."
Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Under the code duello ...By Lucian Lamar Knight:
"One of the most conspicuous objects in the cemetery is the immense square vault of granite, in which lie entombed the ashes of the noted gambler, Wvlly BarRon, who owned and operated in Augusta for years an establishment which was famous throughout the land. It was a sort of Monte Carlo, at which some of the wealthiest ante-bellum planters of the old regime were often seen. In spite of certain grave faults, he was a man of chivalrous manners and of high ideals, belonging to a peculiar type which has long since passed away, called "the gentleman gambler." On more than one occasion he is said to have refunded the money lost at his tables, especially where the loser was an inexperienced youth. He lived to be an octogenarian, but lost the bulk of his fortune long before his death. The vault was probably built by him in the height of prosperity, for when the end came he is said to have been penniless. The inscription over the door of the vault is as follows:
"Farewell, vain world, I have enough of thee
And now am careless what thou sayest of me;
Thy smiles I court not nor thy frowns I fear;
My cares are past, my head lies quiet here.
What faults you know in me take care to shun
And look at home, enough there's to be done.''
Then follows this record:
W. W. BARRON. Born in Elbert Co., Oct. 8, 1807.
Died Dec. 19, 1884. Aged 88 years.
There is some discrepancy in these figures, but they have been copied literally from the inscription on the tomb.
Judge Richard H. Clark has given us an excellent pen picture of Wylly Barron. Says he, in an interview which appeared at the time of the latter's death: "I possess no personal acquaintance with Wylly Barron, but he was often seen at the watering-places and in the principal cities of Georgia. He was among the most distinguished looking men in his prime I ever saw. Tall and slender, he appeared to be more than six feet high, and carried himself like a prince. His hair was black, his complexion of the typical brunette kind, which suggested Spanish or Italian blood. He dressed elegantly, gave strict observance to the minutest details of fashion, and adorned himself with ornaments, including diamonds and other precious gems. His whole make-up was impressive—even picturesque. It is said that he would never permit minors to play at his tables, nor young men known to have large amounts in trust, like cashiers and tellers. Byron writes of the Corsair as having one virtue linked with a thousand crimes. May not that be changed, so that a man, though a gambler, may have a thousand virtues linked to one crime. The best of human nature may be only lower than the angels; and the worst only a little above the devils; and between the two there is an infinite variety."
The New York Times
March 8, 1893, Wednesday
AUGUSTA, Ga., March 7. -- "Wiley Barron, eighty-six years old, the best-known or the ante-war gamblers of the South, who was well known on the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New-Orleans, is lying dangerously ill at his home in this city. A few days ago he was playing with a dog at his home and fell. The shock broke some of the bones in his hip. He was born in Elbert County, went to Milledgeville, and thence drifted to Augusta, and afterward spent several years in the West. For many years before and after the war he and the late Peter Creitz ran a magnificent gambling establishment in this city. The establishment was fitted out with every luxury that the mind of a man could invent. Barron and Creitz were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and immense sums of money were won and lost in their place. Finally, they fell out and never again spoke, but neither was ever heard to say a thing unkind of the other.
Many a young fellow who lost money at Batton's would complain to the proprietor, and always get his money back on the condition that he would never gamble again.
Before Barron branched out into gambling he was bookkeeper for a cotton firm. At the expiration of the year he balanced his books, cash and turned them over to the proprietor. The latter offered him more money to stay, but Barron said: "No I am going unto a business in which I have no right to handle any body's money but my own."
An evidence of Barron's great wealth still stands in the city cemetery-a magnificent mausoleum which cost more than $10,0000."
Columbus Daily Enquirer
Sun.Dec. 22, 1894.p2
Gambler. Resident of Augusta for 55 years. Lived at Mill & Broad Sts.
"A marble vault in the Augusta Cemetery, which cost thousands of dollars to erect, has been waiting thirty years for its eccentric occupant. On Thursday, the doors of the vault were opened, and within were deposited the remains of Wiley Barron, aged eighty-eight years. Barron was for many years the most noted and the wealthiest gambler in Georgia. He was a man of culture and refinement, a during his prosperous days lived sumptuously. When he was possessed of his thousands, he had this vault erected to receive his remains when he should die. He was once a member of the Georgia legislature, and a great admirer of Alexander H. Stephens. His last years were spent in adversity."
Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Under the code duello ...By Lucian Lamar Knight:
"One of the most conspicuous objects in the cemetery is the immense square vault of granite, in which lie entombed the ashes of the noted gambler, Wvlly BarRon, who owned and operated in Augusta for years an establishment which was famous throughout the land. It was a sort of Monte Carlo, at which some of the wealthiest ante-bellum planters of the old regime were often seen. In spite of certain grave faults, he was a man of chivalrous manners and of high ideals, belonging to a peculiar type which has long since passed away, called "the gentleman gambler." On more than one occasion he is said to have refunded the money lost at his tables, especially where the loser was an inexperienced youth. He lived to be an octogenarian, but lost the bulk of his fortune long before his death. The vault was probably built by him in the height of prosperity, for when the end came he is said to have been penniless. The inscription over the door of the vault is as follows:
"Farewell, vain world, I have enough of thee
And now am careless what thou sayest of me;
Thy smiles I court not nor thy frowns I fear;
My cares are past, my head lies quiet here.
What faults you know in me take care to shun
And look at home, enough there's to be done.''
Then follows this record:
W. W. BARRON. Born in Elbert Co., Oct. 8, 1807.
Died Dec. 19, 1884. Aged 88 years.
There is some discrepancy in these figures, but they have been copied literally from the inscription on the tomb.
Judge Richard H. Clark has given us an excellent pen picture of Wylly Barron. Says he, in an interview which appeared at the time of the latter's death: "I possess no personal acquaintance with Wylly Barron, but he was often seen at the watering-places and in the principal cities of Georgia. He was among the most distinguished looking men in his prime I ever saw. Tall and slender, he appeared to be more than six feet high, and carried himself like a prince. His hair was black, his complexion of the typical brunette kind, which suggested Spanish or Italian blood. He dressed elegantly, gave strict observance to the minutest details of fashion, and adorned himself with ornaments, including diamonds and other precious gems. His whole make-up was impressive—even picturesque. It is said that he would never permit minors to play at his tables, nor young men known to have large amounts in trust, like cashiers and tellers. Byron writes of the Corsair as having one virtue linked with a thousand crimes. May not that be changed, so that a man, though a gambler, may have a thousand virtues linked to one crime. The best of human nature may be only lower than the angels; and the worst only a little above the devils; and between the two there is an infinite variety."
March 8, 1893, Wednesday
AUGUSTA, Ga., March 7. -- "Wiley Barron, eighty-six years old, the best-known or the ante-war gamblers of the South, who was well known on the Mississippi River from St. Louis to New-Orleans, is lying dangerously ill at his home in this city. A few days ago he was playing with a dog at his home and fell. The shock broke some of the bones in his hip. He was born in Elbert County, went to Milledgeville, and thence drifted to Augusta, and afterward spent several years in the West. For many years before and after the war he and the late Peter Creitz ran a magnificent gambling establishment in this city. The establishment was fitted out with every luxury that the mind of a man could invent. Barron and Creitz were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and immense sums of money were won and lost in their place. Finally, they fell out and never again spoke, but neither was ever heard to say a thing unkind of the other.
Many a young fellow who lost money at Batton's would complain to the proprietor, and always get his money back on the condition that he would never gamble again.
Before Barron branched out into gambling he was bookkeeper for a cotton firm. At the expiration of the year he balanced his books, cash and turned them over to the proprietor. The latter offered him more money to stay, but Barron said: "No I am going unto a business in which I have no right to handle any body's money but my own."
An evidence of Barron's great wealth still stands in the city cemetery-a magnificent mausoleum which cost more than $10,0000."
Columbus Daily Enquirer
Sun.Dec. 22, 1894.p2
Gambler. Resident of Augusta for 55 years. Lived at Mill & Broad Sts.
"A marble vault in the Augusta Cemetery, which cost thousands of dollars to erect, has been waiting thirty years for its eccentric occupant. On Thursday, the doors of the vault were opened, and within were deposited the remains of Wiley Barron, aged eighty-eight years. Barron was for many years the most noted and the wealthiest gambler in Georgia. He was a man of culture and refinement, a during his prosperous days lived sumptuously. When he was possessed of his thousands, he had this vault erected to receive his remains when he should die. He was once a member of the Georgia legislature, and a great admirer of Alexander H. Stephens. His last years were spent in adversity."
Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials, and Legends ...: Under the code duello ...By Lucian Lamar Knight:
"One of the most conspicuous objects in the cemetery is the immense square vault of granite, in which lie entombed the ashes of the noted gambler, Wvlly BarRon, who owned and operated in Augusta for years an establishment which was famous throughout the land. It was a sort of Monte Carlo, at which some of the wealthiest ante-bellum planters of the old regime were often seen. In spite of certain grave faults, he was a man of chivalrous manners and of high ideals, belonging to a peculiar type which has long since passed away, called "the gentleman gambler." On more than one occasion he is said to have refunded the money lost at his tables, especially where the loser was an inexperienced youth. He lived to be an octogenarian, but lost the bulk of his fortune long before his death. The vault was probably built by him in the height of prosperity, for when the end came he is said to have been penniless. The inscription over the door of the vault is as follows:
"Farewell, vain world, I have enough of thee
And now am careless what thou sayest of me;
Thy smiles I court not nor thy frowns I fear;
My cares are past, my head lies quiet here.
What faults you know in me take care to shun
And look at home, enough there's to be done.''
Then follows this record:
W. W. BARRON. Born in Elbert Co., Oct. 8, 1807.
Died Dec. 19, 1884. Aged 88 years.
There is some discrepancy in these figures, but they have been copied literally from the inscription on the tomb.
Judge Richard H. Clark has given us an excellent pen picture of Wylly Barron. Says he, in an interview which appeared at the time of the latter's death: "I possess no personal acquaintance with Wylly Barron, but he was often seen at the watering-places and in the principal cities of Georgia. He was among the most distinguished looking men in his prime I ever saw. Tall and slender, he appeared to be more than six feet high, and carried himself like a prince. His hair was black, his complexion of the typical brunette kind, which suggested Spanish or Italian blood. He dressed elegantly, gave strict observance to the minutest details of fashion, and adorned himself with ornaments, including diamonds and other precious gems. His whole make-up was impressive—even picturesque. It is said that he would never permit minors to play at his tables, nor young men known to have large amounts in trust, like cashiers and tellers. Byron writes of the Corsair as having one virtue linked with a thousand crimes. May not that be changed, so that a man, though a gambler, may have a thousand virtues linked to one crime. The best of human nature may be only lower than the angels; and the worst only a little above the devils; and between the two there is an infinite variety."
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