The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-07-14
How Jud LaMoure Won
the Townsite Of Pembina
Famous Poker Game Was Played in 1852 IN YankCn With
EnoS Stutsman IN Which the Final Stakes Were Worm
a Fortune-Game Lasted Three Days

was to be dealt by =. A. Williams, OF
bismarck. the speaker Of the house OF
representatives, the cards to be thrown
on the table face up. When the nve
cards had been dealt, each man was TO
discard and draw, the cards being
thrown UP by the dealer as before, and
when the highest card had been dealt
the highest hand was to take the pot.
Excitement ran high, and to prevent
any trickery on his part Williams was
seated In the center OF the table with
his legs turned under him like Turk,
in the full glare of the oil lamp that
was suspended from the ceiling. The
friends of the two men crowded around
the table, and Williams was threaten
ed if he should in any manner manip-
ulate the cards so as to give either
man any advantage. Deity Williams
shuffled the cards and squartng them
slipped one from the top of the pack
and laid 1t down under Jud's nose. 1t
was a deuce. Stutsman caught the
queen of spades. The next card came
off and Jud caught another deuce. The
four spot of spades turned up under
Stutsman's nose and his brow wrinkled
little. Again the cards fell aad Jud
placed the ace of diamonds beside his
two dueces, while the jack of spades
looked into Stutsman's face. Once
more ire dealer laid down the cards,
and Jud claimed the queen Of clubs,
while his opponent caught the ace OF
spades. Stutsmans face began to
brighten. He saw a possibility Of
catching = flush. bu' tbs next CARD to
him was hearr. However, Jud had
no better hand and held his deuces,
drawing three cards. Stutsman's
friends tried to prevail upon him to
draw four cards 20 the ace, hut he
wouldn't listen to them, and discard
ing the heart, he drew one card, hoping
| f1ll the flush. she onl0okers were
wild when Villa ms threw three cards
to- JCd. They fell face up-the queen
If Gibbs, the lack % Siamonds and ten
spot OF clubs. He had not bettered his
hand. and his op) Dnent smiled gritnly
as be saw how severely f1-tune must
saao him now il she failed to bring
hirp a winning hand: for If he paired
any Of the four cards he held he must
bels Jud's chance, besides there was
possibility of his filling a flush. Jud
had evidently lost hope, and he rested
his arms on the table and doggedly
watched Williams as he turned to
Stutsnan and slipped card from the
pack. All stretched their necks to
catch sight Of the card. 1t was the
eight spot of clubs. The game was
over. Jud had won, and as he showed
his hand over the table to Stutsman
the latter grasped it and shook 1t as
though he had forgotten it had played
havoc with his finances.
Stutsman kept his word and decided
the 500 acres Of land to LaMoure. La
Moure holds much of that land today,
although he sold a large portion of 1t
and realized many thousands Of doll
lars.
The. railroads have since given Penn
bina boom, and the land that was
won in 1862 by two deuces is now
worth hudreds of thousands of dollars.
lars.
Stutsman died in 1880. He was bur-
led in the lonely cemetary on the hill
side half mile north of Pembina.
The only monument to his memory is
1.-THE county Of Stutsman.