The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-25
INCIDENT OFF EARLY MINNESOTA
DAYS TOLD IN THE NEW
YORK SUN.
A NOTABLE GAME OF POKER,
IN WHICH FOUR KINGS MEANT
ELECTION TO HIGH
OFFICE
LOSER HELD -FOUR QUEENS
BY the Terms of the Bet He Quit
the State ut Earliest OPP
pOrtunity,

Poker has often been called the ma
tional game of America said the gray
haired, middle-aged man in the club
smoking room, to a New York Sun re-
porter, but fancy there are few citi-
zens who fully appreciate how much
influence it has exerted on the desti-
MES Of the nation in one way and an
other. We hear stories now and again
Of the winning and losing Of fortunes,
and sometimes how large estates and
mining properties have been staked on
the chances lying between two hands.
And every lobbyist in the country is
familiar with the old device of losing
large sums in friendly game with a
legislator whose vote is desired on one
side or the other. Such things, natur-
ally enough, sway public interests as
we'll as private to no small extent, but
nave seen a seat in the United States
senate lost on four queens"
"Of course, you are not talking seri-
ously," said one Of the party
But l am" was the answer, "seri-
ously and literally. 1t happened in Min
nesota soon after the war. Political
conditions in that part Of the West
were very different to what they are
now, and in fact all other conditions
We're, too. 1t was at about the begin
ming of the real growth of the North
west. The value Of the wheat fields
had been learned, but the Swedish and
Norwegian immigration was in it's in
fancy, and the lumber industry, that
afterward grew to such enormous pro-
portions, was then making compare
lively few men rich. Minneapolis was q
small town on the south side Of the
river, and ST. Anthony was a town
Of about the same size on the other
side. Now it is all one city.
Il was knocking about late one sum-
1ner at that period, and had made
many friends around ST. Paul and Min
neapclts, some Of whom were state Of
ficials, and I had heard much talk Of
the struggle there was to be in the
next legislature over the election Of q
senator. Two men were In the race,
and as they were both popular the
contest was likely to be a close one
Party questions did not enter in, for
the state was strongly Republican and
no Democrats stood a show. But
which of the Republicans would carry
the legislature was a matter of great
doubt, and 1 saw bets made on the
assure as early as the LIST of Septem-
Der. AS the time Of election drew near
ator was going to govern the nomina-
ton of candidates for the legislature
and as both the senatorial aspirants
were long of head as we'll as long Of
purse they were using all the influence
they had in the county conventions
which were to be held early in October.
Right here was where the Importance or
the lumber Industry came in. The money on
which the lumbermen in the upper counties
lived came to them mostly through Minneapo-
HC Ant {I.aT ootI-y Lori
mate business relations between them and the
business men of those two cities naturally
gave the latter much influence among the
former. There was a rollicking, happy-go-
lucky man in Minneapolis whom everybody
called Doc Martin, for no reason that 1
could discover except that he wasn't doctor.
He was part owner OF a SaWmill, and0Spent
the most of each winter in the woods with
his men. He was credited with being as in
huential as any one there was among the
voters, but he had a rival in another man.
named Gilmartin who was a logger himself
but had for a dozen seasons been foreman
of one gang or another. Martin was rich
man, but Gilmartin was seldom flush, except
ing in the spring, when he had drawn his
winters pay. These two men were known
to be strong partisans, one favoring one of
the would-be senators, and the other the
other, and it was generally thought that they
would both go electoneering when the county
conventions were held.
1.-THE week before that would happen I
was one of party who drove from Mime
apolis to a roadhouse the Fort Smelling
road near the Minnehaha falls, partly for the
enjoyment of the moonlight and partly for
game supper, such as the house was famous
for providing. Martin was one Of the party,
and as there were two or three other high
rollers with US, l made up my mind that it
would be daybreak before we would get
back.
II was right, but before the night was over
we had more excitement than l had eX-
pected. We had had the supper and an
abundance of good wine with it, and were
sitting around the table enjoying some rarely
good punch, when
SOMEBODY PROPOSED POKER.
mo one objected and in few minutes
there were two games in progress, for there
were eleven in the party. Six played at one
table, and Martin and I and three others
were at the other. The game a fairly
stiff one, $40 being The limit, and the cards
ran well enough to build up some heavy pots.
We had all INDUCED freely enough to give
ourselves thoroughly to the enjoyment of the
hour, though we had not been drinking heay-
lily, and there wasn't a man there under the
influence Altogether it was a delightful
occasion. Suddenly the door opened, and
Gilmartin looked in.
I don't want to trough In" boys he
said, but stopped here to get supper on
the way home, and the Landlord told me
you were here, so 1 thought I'd ask you
to drink with me-
''He was greeted heartily, for everybody
knew and liked him, and bumper of
punch was poured out for him forthwith
his invitation being peremptortly laid on
the table Then, as matter Of course, it
was suggested that he take a hand in the
game and he being more than willing, sat at
our table.
We're playing ten-dollar limit, Gill;
said one of the party, who knew that money
was not always plentiful with the big fell
low. But he laughed carelessly and said:
That's all right and he pulled out $50 and
bought chips.
Martin looked at him rather keenly, as
I thought, for instant, and said:
been out to St Paul tonight, CLIP
=" Yes, l have, said Gilmartin, and
was sure that l saw a half-laughEng look Of
defiance on his face he answered 1t
puzzled me at the moment but / understood
the question and answer afterward. Martin,
it seemed, suspected that Gilmartin had per-
fected his arrangements to so eiectioneering,
and that he had the money in his pocket
with which he was expected to do his work.
1t was this that he had asked by implication,
and Gilmartin, understanding him perfectly
and knowing that he could not keep his secret
long from the other, had admitted 1t. AS It
proved, he had $4,000 in greenbacks with him.
''The game went ON without any special
development for perhaps half an hour before
l noticed that Martin was playing against
Gilmartin as heavily as he could and only
trying to hold his own against the rest Of
us. Gilmartin held his end up fairly, and was
not far from even when Martin got his first
too, for Gilmartin thought, as the rest OF us
did, that Martin was blufing when he stood
pat, and contented himself with coming in
without a raise every time It came his bet
until the rest of us had dropped out. Then
he raised Gilmartin the limit. Gilmartin had
a jack-high flush and was confident so they
had 1t back and forth until Gimartn called
and gave up $500 to an ace flush.
"That was the heaviest pot for a long
time, but presently the two got together
again and Gilmartin lost $500 more. Then he
grew a little nervous, and Martin grew
cooler Then Gilmartin became angry, though
he 1nT1tr al ir1cn If n1A w oil r