Omaha daily bee., 1888-03-23
POKER PLAYING In DAKOTA,
Over Seven Th busand Dollars and a
Town site at Stake.
A FAIRY TALE FROM EARLY DAYS.
Adjournment DR. the Legislature to
Watch the Game--The Speaker
Deals - Suspension OF
Business.

man as remarkable for his eccentrici-
ties as he was for his physical deformi-
ties. Enos emigrated to Dakota from
the huckleberry districts of Connecticut
and located in the upper Red River val
ley, where he filed and proved up on 800
acres of public land, which was the
ground on which Pembiua now stands
Enos was a prodigy. He had the head
and body of giant, but his legs were
hardly more than q foot long, and he
was unable to travel without the aid of
two short and powerful crutches.
He was shrewd, calculating fellow,
and soon became the recognized leader
among the handful of emigrants who
had taken up their residence in his
neighborhood. AS a political diplomat
he has never had an equal in the terri
tory, and for four consecutive sessions
he has chairman of the council, the
upper branch of the territorial lcgisla-
ture, and the old war horses who
weathered the political battles of early
days i'll the territory, when the old
story and u half shanty in Yankton that
| did humble duty as capitol building,
rang as often with the report of re-
volver as it did with the voice of a law
maker, to-day testify in glowing terms
to the wonderful ability of Enos Stuts-
man as parliamenta tartan. Eight years
ago he was taken suddenly i'll and died.
He was buried in the lonely cemetery
on the hillside, half n mile north of
Pembina. The only monument that
stands to his memory is the county of
| Stutsman, now one of the most prosper
Gus districts in Dakota.
Among his other accomplish ments
| Enos had acquired thorough knowl-
| edge of the game Of draw poker, for
which he had an uncomfortable passion
| and many are the stories told by his ac-
| quaintan of his recklessness IS at the
| card table. He numbered among his
| most intimate friends Judd La Moure, a
| pioneer who owned line of stages
| plying between Grand Forks and Penn
| bina. The advent Of the railroad killed
Judd's coach line finally, and he set
| tied down in a profitable grocery busi-
| ness in Pembina, giving a share of his
! time to local politics. Probably the
| stiffe9t game of poker ever played in the
| territory was the one contested by these
men in '62. The game was played in the
| old Levee hotel in Y,ankton, and lasted
| from 10 o'clock Friday evening till
O'Clock Sunday morning, and at the close
of the game judd Ea Moure had won
| So 500 and the townsite of Pembina. The
| game created publiclinterest and during
its progress the people of the town
visited the rooms and watched the two
men as they fought like bull dogs over
the piles Of red, white and blue chips.
| The legislature WAS in session and as
Stutsman, who was chairman of the
| council, refused to leave the game, that
branch of the legislature adjourned
until the following Monday; and the
| 1,apS yuntpbnl tho RI tho
| finish.
| When the game started Alexander
| Mckenzie, sheriff of Burleigh county,
and Major Edwards, editor of the Fargo
| Argus, were interested in it, but after
few hours tussle with no change in
| their fortunes these men dropped out
and left the battle to Stutsman and La
Moure. Early in the game the formers
luck was wonderfully good, and he
| played with a brilliant recklessness that
| surprised his friends. Later on the
tide turned against him and the chips
began to flow in the direction of La
Moure, who sat with his slouch hat
pulled down over his eyes, closely
watching every move of his opponent.
| Slowly but surely Stutsman's s chips went
over to La Moure's side of the table,
and work what trick or artifice he
would he could not turn them back.
| Matters went this way until past mid
night Saturday, when Stutsman threw
down two tifty-dollar bills on the pile of
chips in the center 'of the table and
called hundred-dollar bet made by
| La Moure. Stutsman held a king full
on queens, and he felt sure that the pot
| was his, but when La MOure threw
| down his cards there were four deuces,
and Stutsman, gritting his teeth, ex-
claimed: "D-n it, Judd, the devil him
self couldn't beat you tonight. I'm
broke; you've got my last dollar"
Cant help it, Slut. 1t came my
way and had to rake it in, - calmly re-
| piled Judd, rs he showed a big roll Of
| Stutsman S money into his pocket.
Stutsman eyed the roll enviously, and
| just as it went out'of sight he struck
| the table with his fist and said:
"Judd, I'll tell you what I'll do.
| You've won $500 Of my money. If
you'll put SO 500 more with it III stake
the townsite of Pembina against it and
will play for it in one lump, to win or
| lose at one deal"
do you mean it?' asked Judd, in
credulously.
"You bet 1 do" replied Stutsman,
emphatically.
"All right, it's n go, said Judd, as he
threw down $1,000 In bills and drew a
check for $1,000 to make up the bal
ance.
MY word is goqa amt it, Judd?"
asked Stutsman, Cooking across the
table. 81
"As good as gold, y replied Judd,
"Then," continueIE Stutsman, ''if |
lose I'll deed you 800 acres of land in
the center of the town Of Pembina."
The men shook harlas. According to
agreement the hand was to be dealt by
e. A. Williams, of Bismarck, speaker of
the house OF representatives., the cards
| to be thrown on the table face up.
When the five carlsbad been dealt each
man was to discard aud draw, the cards
being thrown face up,by the dealer as
before, and when the cards had been
dealt the man holdipgthe highest hand
was to take the pot. e'I
Excitement ran high, and to prevent
any trickery on his part, Williams was
seated in the middle of the table, with
his legs turned under him like Turk,
in the full glare of an oil lamp that was
suspended from the ceiling. The friends
of the two men crowded around the
table and Williams was threatened with