The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-09
BIG BET on CRIBBAGE.
Novel Game of Cards With Town
Site for the stake.

site Tor the stake.
From the Chicago Times-Herald.
Shortly before the Northern Pacific Rail
road Company sold to the old ST. Paul,
Minneapolis and Manitoba Company its
branch lines in North Dakota, north of its
main line, there was a dispute between
number Of real estate men as to whether
the town site of Good Hope should be To-
Gated on the Goose river or three miles
from that sedgy stream near where Port
land now is The dispute started in Cassel-
ton, was carried to Arthur, thence 10 New
berg and Grand Forks and one afternoon
resolved itself into the proposition that the
disputing factions should settle the matter
by game of cribbage. Each side was to
choose its best players, and whichever side
won the victory was 10 be abided by. 1t
may be stated that cribbage is game
idolized on the frontier and understood as
it is not In the effete East In this partieu-
ular party of real estate spectators no
cribbage board was to be found, so with
out ceremony 121 holes were followed out
on the prairie, wagon stakes were selected
for pegs and two trusted men-one from
each side-were selected to move these
pegs a $ the cards were played. Such
royal game of crbbage, under a summer
sun, with the music of the swaying pampa
grass in the ears, was never played before
The titles of the two factions were River
Site and Prairie Site. The man who
played for the river men was named Sund-
berg. a bracing young Norwegian. His
opponent was called Ellis, and afterward
lost his life in a flood at the Kalama river
crossing. Each man had learned the game
in a mining camp that place where i'm
agination never dwells and cold calculation
Is the spirit of life.
The deck Of cards thrown out, the speota-
tors stood up, the players sat asquat;
Stretc hing far out on the prairie's level
was The double row of reg holes, scooped
from the vilgn SOD, On the cut of the
cards Ell won the deal and crib. The
Prairie Site faction chez ed, but threat
enjug gesture coward his pistol by depu-
ty sheriff who favored the River site caus-
| ed demons ratlons to cease.
Ellis thrs out six cards to his opponent
took his own hand, the two-card discard
was made by each, the Grip formed and
| Sundberg led with a tray. Ellis covered
this with ten spot leaving his opponent
10 add a deuce and make the first fifteen
| two. Isabori0usly the first p7g was moved
two holes. Nothing sensational occurred
after this ard when the first hand and
crib was counted, Ellis had twelve points
and Sundberg 10.
Now it was Sundberg's crib and dead.
When he had finished his discard he held
! in his hand two seVens and two eish, S. On
! the tuTn-up OF he crib a six appear ed. He
! therefore held in his hand at least twenty
points. ELS op3ned the hand with lead
| of a six spot dangerous move some times.
| Sund berg covered it with an eight, Ellis
slipped in a seven, secured a run of three
| and scored three points. Sundberg paired
and scored two. Ellis played a tray, made
| S1-lwo and counted Two more points. At
the end Of his hand the score stood Sund-
berg Is ana Ellis 3d. This was very high
I ~ -, x4rbf daal
was on, various side bets were made. The
wagers ran in horses, pisto 5, acres of
land hunting outfits ard cattle. There
was a man from McCaueyvilFe that bet
six mich cows Sundberg would quit win
ner a least ten poin $ ahead of Ellis.
On the third handling of the cards, and
they were honestly dealt, Ellis held four
five spots and the turn-up Of the crib was
a ten SPOT. When the cards were played
Efis was 81 and Sundberg AZ points. The
deputy sherff's' Indian horse drew his la
riat pin at this juncture and made across
the prairie. The game was held until he
could be pursued, overtaken and then he
kicked several times in the side to teach
him better manners. The deputy also, to
show his possession of the animal, shot
it through the left ear and the game went
on.
The sun was making the Western sky
look as if the heavens were afire when the
| score pegs of the two players stood at liz
each, and there were but nine points TO
be played for one or the other to be the
winner Sundberg held the crib and deal
a situation not altogether to his liking. FL
lis was certain TO have the first count,
After the discard Sundberg held in his
hand a nine spot, a deuce seven and
ten--as nasty a combination as any crib
| bage player ever cares to hold. Ellis, sin
gularly enough, held also a nine, a deuce,
a seven and a ten. Such things happen
in cribbage once every ten million years.
The card turn-up was a five spot. Ellis
| led his deuce and it was paired by Sund-
berg, who thus made two points. Ellis
then led his ten, and that was paired by
Sundberg. who mgsie two more points
The next card of Ellis was seven, giving
him 3l-two, and two points. Sundberg led
with his seven and Ellis added a nine to
it. Sundberg paired the nine and gained
a count for last card which made his
eight points in all or total of 120. Ellis
counted his hand and found that it held In
points just 2. Sundberg counted and held
in his hand points. which gave him the
game and located the site Of Good Hope on
the banks Of the River Goose.
II is immaterial to the story that in the
end the town of Good Hope was never
laid out For long time, though, In the
tales Of the Territory, this game OF crib
bage held a place. The peg holes were in
sight for many a day and were often point
ed ont to "tenderfeet" from the East come
to see the banana belt, The man from Nc
Cauleyvilo lost his mich cows ana am
other man from Abercrombie walked to
Arthur without his horse. Some land
changed hands and considerable money.
IN al there were involved in the outcome
OF The game about thousand dollars
worth Of wagers. ] think Il was Col Pat