Description: Wrestler Joe Carroll Marsh Original Cabinet Card by Solberg Circa 1905 (Frank Gotch) On offer is an original cabinet card of wrestler and manager of Frank Gotch, Joe Carroll Marsh aka J. C. Marsh. It is circa 1905 and is in very good condition, clean, no bends or creases, with minor wear on upper right corner. A sharp posed image of J. C. Marsh with his dog. It is hallmarked from the Solberg studio of Decorah, Iowa. Name Joe Carroll Marsh is handwritten on the back. It measures 6 1/2 inches X 4 1/4 inches. This original cabinet photo is from the estate of Joe Carroll Marsh aka J.C. Marsh. This will be shipped via USPS PRIORITY MAIL with extra cardboard to prevent bending and damage. Thank you for dropping by! Before and after the Yukon trip, both Gotch and his manager Joe Carroll, who was then using the name Ole Marsh, were members of Farmer Burns’ troupe. While there are some indications that Gotch was simply a happy-go-lucky farm kid out on a lark, Carroll, perhaps with Burns’ arrangement, was pulling what was known as the “badger game.” In this oft-used pro wrestling scam of that era, Carroll would show up in a gold rush boomtown such as Dawson City in the Yukon Territory and proclaim himself “the champion of the Yukon.” He would then orchestrate a series of challenge and “grudge” matches between himself and other wrestlers, in this case Col. J.H. McLaughlin and Gotch. McLaughlin had been a pro wrestler since the post- Civil War period and claimed the world collar and elbow championship since 1870. Gotch meanwhile was the “ringer.” His cover was that of “Frank Kennedy” of Springfield, Missouri, and he was a Filipino-American War veteran prospecting for gold. Following several matches that drew big crowds and generated lots of wagering, Carroll and Gotch left the Yukon Territory, and in February 1902 they appeared in Omaha for a series of bouts involving Farmer Burns and a pair of “Terrible Turks.” Later that same year, Gotch was back wrestling in the Pacific Northwest as “Frank Kennedy.” At this time, it is unknown if he made it back up to Dawson City, but during 1903-1904 he was in Bellingham, Washington, where he held a US championship match with Tom Jenkins. While in the Pacific Northwest, Carroll served as Gotch’s manager. But, after Gotch went on to defeat American champion Tom Jenkins, world champion George Hackenschmidt, and all other challengers, he and Carroll parted ways. Carroll remained in the Seattle area, where he wrestled, promoted, and managed wrestlers such as Dr. B. F. Roller and Bert Warner. However, in 1910 Carroll was arrested, tried, and convicted as part of the Maybray Gang, a nationwide group of swindlers led by John C. Maybray that scammed at least $2,000,000 over a two-year period by fixing wrestling and boxing contests as well as horse and foot races. In this organization, Carroll’s role was that of a “steerer.” In other words, it was his job to locate suckers and steer them to bet on a contest. Carroll would assure the “mark” of the result and then fleece him out of his wager. After serving a prison sentence in Leavenworth, Carroll returned to the wrestling business and as J.C. Marsh barnstormed the country, first with Marin Plestina and then with Jack Sherry.
Price: 99.99 USD
Location: Staten Island, New York
End Time: 2024-11-29T23:52:37.000Z
Shipping Cost: 9.99 USD
Product Images
Item Specifics
All returns accepted: ReturnsNotAccepted
Brand: Champion
League: NWA CAPITOL WWWF
Sport: Wrestling
Size: One Size
Color: Brown
Product: Original Cabinet card
Wrestler: Frank Gotch Benjamin Roller Marin Plestina
