The Irish standard., 1901-08-24
An Interesting Description Of
the City Of Butte and
Its Inhabitants.
Our Travelling Correspondent is
Cautiously Treated by
the Hibernians.
Versatile Genius Whom He Met
Spending His Days at
a Military Post.
Special Correspondence Irish Standard.

In my last letter, which l wrote
from Portland, Ore, l think 1 threat
ened you with another from some city
in Montana, and it falls to the lot Of
Butte, the greatest Of all.
Now hope you will bear with me
patiently whilst l say in all sincerity
a few good words for Butte and it's
people little later in this letter, but
lest l may dgress and forget let me
60 back to where l left off at Port
land, Ore, and give ut least Il birds
eye description of the vast trip from
there to here over the n. T.. railroad
and other modes of conveyances in a
tative.
met Mr.. Ed O'Brien, of the Stand
ard, again at Spokane, and he took
the old and familiar so-called Hope"
route towards NIissoula, whilst l took
the wild and romantic mountainous
route called Couer dAlene. At the
that name and situated at the head
of the lake, l stopped off and met and
made some new friends for the Irish
Standard in no less persons than DR..
P. J. Scallon, a well-to-do and good
physician and good friend of Ireland,
and his brother, DR.. Scallon, Of Wis
consin, who was visiting here at the
time and who was formerly a partner
of DR.. Scallon, of Hancock, Mich.
They have relative here in Butte,
who has stepped into the late Marcus
Days shOes-no better known man in
Butte, and who subscribed for our
paper.
At Couer d'Alene l also met Cap
tain J. J. O'Brien, John Donovan. Jos.
l.. Brisinski, w. D. Mcmillan, n for
mer Minneapolitan, and proprietor of
fine hotel, as well as lots of pine
land, and last. but not least by any
means, a genuine gentleman by the
name of Il. Il. O'Reilly. a living re,
hinder Of the days that are gone. This
man is a curiosity in that he is Mt
once Il very fine musician, school
teacher, and for almost half century
correspondent for several Eastern
newspapers all in the past. a manu-
featuring jcweler, having learned that
trade in New York when q boy over
from Ireland, where he was born. He
Is now spending his days in the quiet
U. S. garrison of TT. Sherman at
Couer d'Alene. and writing Il book.
He showed me the manuscript and he
has ndited one thousand pages up to
date. He is now our correspondent
for Idaho.
Next place after crossing the long
and healthy Spring lake in the midst
of the mountains in lovely N. +.
steamer, the incest ride Oh earth, we
strike Harrison. From there we take
o. II. 4 N. for the now world-adver-
tised Wardner, Idaho, very long,
narrow, winding lane or gulch village
full of people and evidently full Of
business. Here we met our old sub
scribers and good friends, X. J. Han
ley, Ed Boulger, M. ]. Carter WIN.
Schaeffer. Kelly and Albinola and Phil
O'Rourke, who kindly showed us
around.
Next we visited that lovely place
called Wallace, Idaho, and then sped
along around and around the noun
tains like a string around spinning
top, until after three hours riding on
a fast train you can see the village
you left behind in the morning, and
Imagine you could throw stone down
on it from the train window. Then at
last, 5000 feet high, the parting of THE
ways begins and at the great divide
the line Of Montana and Idaho. The
balance Of the ride is down hill all
the way to picturesque Nlissoula. from
whence we took our way ITO Butte via
Garrison, and here we are in the great
est and most world-renowned mining
camp and city on all the globe.
Butte has population now of not
less than 10000 souls. 1t has every
thing that any up-to-date city il
America has, except too much grass
on the sidewalks or too much bicycles
on the streets. No poorhouses, NJ
boards of control, no laboring MAJ
working for less than So per day, ant
no man idle who wants to work, ant
If he don't work he can't live lon.
here. tell you gambling and all it!
Accomplishments are things of the pas
here, and thereby hangs a tale. Som,
are pleased, some not. but it is SAT,
to say the majority are we'll pleased
Butte has four Catholic churches ant
they are well patronized and ATTENDED
to by Reverends Desiere. Harrington
English, McGlenn, Batens, Ryan, Cal
lahan, Stack and several other goo,
priests that we did not happen t,
meet. Here is st. James hospital,
splendid institution, superintendent b,
Mother Irene and all her able assist
ants and doctors, including an oil,
friend Of that institution, Timoth.
COughlin; and there Is the larres
school Of the kind we ever saw-St
Patrick's high school. By the way
Father Callaghan is building new
large and commodious stone and be1c,