Hand County press. (Miller, Dakota [S.D.]) 1882-1893, 1891-06-11
"ACES UP"
South Dakota aud England Attract At.
tention by Gambling Accomplish.
ments OF "Royalty".
A Poker Tale with Senator Pettigrew
an Interested Party, and afre ct
Ing Political Results.
The Reason Pettigrew aud Bailey are
at War-The Senator says he
Has "SwOrn on.
POKER IN POLITICS.
South DakOta's Senator sin it'' as well
as England's Prince.


South Dakota's Senator Sin it'' as well
as England's Prince.
The following article from tie st. Paul
Globe, a democratic sheet. has no weight,
so far as its political representations 90,
but there is some news Of an entertaining
nature in it, which shows the why's and
wherefors OF certain moves political:
The defeat Of Senator Moody and the
overthrow Of the old regime in politics
attracted attention to this state last win
ter, says the Sioux Falls correspondent OF
the New York World, but the extraordi-
nary fact has not before been noted that
the turn over was brought about by
game Of draw poker. Such, however, is
the case, The chief figure in the contest,
and the chief suffeIer afterward, was Sen
ator r. f. Pettigrew, the tall, angular,
bushy bearded western rustler who has
held his position in the politics of this
commonwealth for no other reason tnan
that he has been eminently successful as
"a boomer" The senator is known there
as lawyer without practice, q prohlbi-
ZIONIST who favors the rum traffic, a tariff
reformer in protection ranks, and capt..
alist without dollar.
The game OF poker, which is destined
to make him famous, took place Mt John
Chamberlain's club rooms in Washington.
There were some lively spirits around the
board that evening. Some did not hail
from the west and were supposed to be
poor players, and yet they proved them
selves quite equal to the scheming genius
who imagined he knew more about tho
game than any eastern statesman. Final
ly the man from South Dakota found him
self without money or bank account.
Then 1t was that his mastery mind con.
ceiyed a financial scheme which would
have made Ferdinand Ward turn an en-
vious green. He drew S5, 900 draft on
his friend and political chum, Joseph u.
Bailey Jr., a wealthy banker OF this city.
Even the money so obtained was soon
absorbed in the fascinating play, and
when Mr., Pettigrew hurried home his
pockets were again empty. A few days
later he found to his utter dismay that
payment OF the drGft had been refused 10y
MIR. Bailey. This indignity the genial
senator pretended not to notice, but he
was only initiating Brer Fox.
1t was soon discovered that Mr. Bailey
had political aspirations also, and at the
state convention last fall he wa proml-
nent candidate for treasurer on the repub-
lican ticket. The contest was hot one,
but he received one and half votes more
than were necessary to nominate, to the
surprise of many. for 1t was openly charg-
ed that Pettigrew was eXerting every
power at his command to defeat the man
who refused to cash the famous poker
draft. When it was discovered that Bal
ley's vote was large enough to nominate,
the delegates from Senator Moody's own
county, some Of whom had voted for Bal
ley, announced change to the opposing
candidate, thus defeating Bailey.
This, of course, was pre-. arranged, was
the revenge that Pettigrew wanted. But
Mr.. Bailey was not to be put down 50
easily. He set out to cripple the senator
in every way possible financially, and it is
said by those who knew that he not only
succeeded to a large extent in that partic-
nlar, but he has extended his operations
into politics also with good effect.
The first evidence of determination TO
wrest the senatorship from Pettigrew's
friend, Moody, was made manifest when
several republicans refused to submit to
Caucus dictation. IL was long and Bit
ter fight, but they never weakened to the
end, when a CONT inatIon of democrats
and independents elected Kyle 1t is an
open secret that Moody would have re-
ceiyed the support of enough men out
side Of his own party TO elect him, had he
received full republican vote early in
the session. The man at the back of the
whole plan which resulted in Moody's ex-
tnction was no other than Joseph NJ.
Bailey Jr. His revenge for the stilietto
act at the Mitchell convention was COM
plete, for with the defeat Of Moody large
portion OF Pettigrew's strength went
down, and the senator himself He is as
dead politically as the proverbial "salt
mackerel."
PETTIGREw REPLIES.
N n.