The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-29
From the Chicago Herald.

= Al CO CCI5 u T CuLSs
From the Chicago Herald.
Nearly every newspaper reader in this
country remembers "Spoopendyke,"
whose disagreements with his better half
were the subject of some highly hum
orous papers, which were widely pub
lished some years ago, Not everyone
knows, however that the stories of the
domestic misfortunes of "Spoopendyke"
were written by Stanley Huntley, one of
the brightest of newspaper men, who
| poured forth the trials of a troubled heart
| when he wrote the farfamed sketches
For Huntley was sadly mismated.
| The best of those "Spoopeudyke"
| papers were written at Bismarck on the
! upper Missouri river. 1t was in the boom
| days when the Northern Pacific was
under construction and Custer was in his
| glory on the frontier that Huntley wan
| dered into Bismarck, in an aimless
way, took fancy to the wild frontier
town and founded the Tribune, still
| in existence and power in
| North Dakota journalism Bismarck was
wild town-a sort of hades on Wheels
as Cheyenne was once nicknamed; and
| Huntley quickly demonstrated his ability
| to set the pace for the town, while at
| the same time he turned out one of the
| brightest newspapers in the far west
! He made many friends and his news
paper venture met with fair financial and
| great political success. Incidentally
! Huntley made record as a poker player
! in a territory which has seen more good
! poker and more high poker played then
! any other section of the union.
RULED BY DENNY's WILL.
Huntley's boon companion, and the
| only one who could manage him when he
was on 'highroarer," which was at
| frequent intervals, was one Dennis
! Hannifan Hannifan was Familiarity
called Denny" and has been
handed down to fame without nom de
! plume in the ''Spoopendyk e" papers
| Many were the political deals and poker
| games these two played successfully to-
| gether.
! Well there came time when the rigor-
! Gus climate of the far northwest and the
! hard, wild frontier life had told on Hun
! tley, and seeds of consumption were
| planted in his system. He realized that
! his span of life was nearly run and that his
| few remaining days could only be enioyed
! to the utmost in a softer climate, where
| he should live quiet life. He deter
! IllQeu 10 sell out. L nc tribune HHO OGVel-
| oped into a valuable property and the
| serious question was to find some one who
| could pay spot cash for it and pay any
thing like the real value of tbesheet Hunt
| ley thought of MAJOR A. w. Edwards Of
| Fargo. then owner of the
| Argus and politician Of
| the Red River Valley. Ed
wards was formerly an insurance man in
! Chicago He had settled in Fargo, built
| IVY, Ia Of Pod
Valley, and like a true Chicagoan was
endeavoring to corral the entire political
situation of the then great territory.
Huntley telegraphed Edwards that
| the Tribune was for sale and if he
wanted it to bring some money and come
over to Bismarck on the next train. Ed
wards made up his mind that he wanted
! the paper and with $1,000 or $1,000 in his
pocket he started on the night train for
Bismarck
Before Edwards could reach Bismarck
the Lounsberry brothers, of Bismarck,
and a number of local politicians raised
the money to buy the Tribune and keep
its ownership at home. Then Huntley
started out and squared up all his out
standing Indebtedness, after which he
and Denny Hannifan conducted Bismarck
through as wild a nights orgy as the
town ever saw in its extremely checkered
career.
HUNTLEY ISSUES A CHALLENGE.
When at noon the next day Major Ed
wards alighted at the depot, which was
railroad headquarters, principal hotel
poStohiCe and town loating place he met
Huntley and learned that the coveted
Tribune was in the hands of his rivals
The majors face showed his disappoint-
ment and Huntley said II am sorry for
you, major, but was offered big cash
price, take it or leave it, and l dared not
refuse. will give you revenge, however,
! viii play POKER with you, major"
This was n challenge to mortal combat
from the greatest poker player of the Mis-
souri, river to the acknowledged king Of
the five cards game Of the Red River
Valley Edwards loved poker, loves it yet
He would rather play poker than eat
1t took precedence of all business,
even outranked political ambi-
tion, and smilingly. willingly he accepted
Huntley's challenge.
game was made, and in the parlor
of the depot hotel known far
and wide as the Sheridan House. the
Huntley, Edwards, Denny Hannifan
Alex Mackenzie, now the big political
boss, and Handsome" Eustis. a son of
the present minister to France. II was
the greatest game ever played in Bis
marck and promises to be historic game
in frontier annals for ages to come
Stakes were high and big hands were the
rule. Thousands changed hands like pen
MES in a Clark street crap game. Cards
We're dealt at 2 p m, on Wednesday,
and, without adjournment, the players
were still at it at daylight Thursday
morning. Then Mackenzie dropped out
even, and an hour later Hannifan quit
with 81, 500 velvet after a savagely con
tested jack pot, in which each man drew
three cards and all showed down fours,
9dIhe two great players were now alone
face to face Business was generally
suspended in Bismarck that morning and
everybody who could find room to stand
in the Sheridan House parlor was watch
ing the game. High public of Gals. army
officers from Fort Abraham Lincoln,
ranch owners, big railroad officials and
their contractors-the best men of Bis
marck, eagerly. breathlessly stood
around that table and watched game