Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1911-07-13
HOW JUD LAMOURE WON
TOWNSHIP OF PEMBINA
Famous Poker Game was Played in Yankton i'm
1862 with Enos Stutsman--- Game
Lasted Three Days

claimed "Jud, l tell you what I'll do;
you've won $500 of my money; If
you'll put $500 with it I'll stake the
townsite of Pembina against youA
and play for it in lump to win or
lose in one deal.'
The men shook hands.
According to the agreement the
hand was to be dealt by E A. Williams
of Bismarck, the speaker of the house
of representatives, the cards to be
thrown on the table face up. When
the five cards had been dealt, each
man was to discard and draw, the
cards being thrown up by the dealer as
before, and when the cards had been
dealt the highest hand was to take
the pot.
Excitement ran high, and to pre-.
vent any trickery on his part. Will
Jams was seated in the center of the
table with his legs turned under him
like a 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 Will!
Jams was threatened if he should in
any manner manipulate the cards so
as to give either man an advantage.
Deity Williams shuffled the cards
and squaring them slipped one from
the top of the pack and laid it down
under Juds nose. It was 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 and Jud placed
the ace of diamonds beside his two
deuces, while the jack of spades look
ed up into Stutsman's face. Once
more the dealer laid down the cards,
and Jud claimed the queen of clubs,
while his opponent caught the ace
of spades. Stutsman's face began to
brighten He saw possibility of
catching a flush, but the next card to
him was a heart. However, Jud had
no better hand and held his deuces,
drawing three cards. Stutsmans
friends tried to prevail upon him to
draw four cards to the ace, but ..e
wouldn't listen to them, and discard.
ing the heart he drew one card, hop
ing to fill the flush. The onlookers
were wild when Williams threw three
cards to Jud, They fell face up
the queen of clubs, the jack of dia.
monds, and ten spot of clubs. He had
not bettered his hand, and his oppo-
nent smiled grimly as he saw how
severely fortune must snub him if
she failed to bring him winning hand
for if he paired any of the four cards
he held he must beat Jud's chances
besides. there was possibility of his
filling a flush. Jud had evidently
lost hope and rested his arms on
the table and doggedly watched Will.
Jams as he turned to Stutsman and
slipped a card from the pack. All
stretched their necks to catch sight
of the card. It 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 it though he had
forgotten that it had played havoc
with his finances.
Stutsman kept his word and deed.
ed the 800 acres of land to LaMoure.
Lamoure holds much of that land to-
day, although he has sold arge por-
ton of it and realized many thousand
dollars.
The railroads have since given
Pembina a boom and the land that
was won in 1862 by two deuces is now
worth hundreds of thousands of dol
lars.
Stutsman died in 1880. He was
buried in the lonely cemetery on the
hillside half a mile north of Penn
bina. The only monument to his
memory is the county of Stutsman.