Century of Butte Stories

The Centerville ghost

By John Astle

Belief in ghosts and spirits hasn't change much over the past century. Ghosts are as popular today as they
were in 1900. The story of the Centerville Ghost, which terrified north Butte for over a week in early March,
1901, is familiar to many residents, but it won't be found in any of the recent books about ghosts in Montana.
That's because the Centerville Ghost was a hoax and true believers can't abide hoaxes.

The ‘spirit of Centerville’ made its first appearance at midnight on Saturday, March 9, 1901, on East Summit
below the Mountain Con mine. It disappeared into an abandoned house when approached by local residents.

A group of tough Walkerville kids decided to wait for the ghost near the haunted house the next night,
Sunday. The ghost appeared promptly at midnight, stepped out in full view of the brave lads, then ran down
the hill shrieking and screaming. Only two of the boys remained for further investigation.

When the ghost returned to the dilapidated house, the two trembling boys followed. But when they didn't join
the rest of the group after a reasonable time, their buddies stormed the place to rescue them.

On entering the house they found the two boys lying on the floor unconscious. When revived, they said that
when they entered the house the ghost was there and it raised its veil to reveal a horrible face with eyes like
two luminous balls of burning sulfur. Then, with an unearthly shriek it struck both of them, knocking them to
the floor.

The following night, Monday, March 11, two men were walking home and just as they reached the footbridge
over the railroad tracks near the power house in Centerville, the mysterious figure in black blocked their path.
It uttered a series of "soul-piercing shrieks" and disappeared under the bridge and down the gulch. One of the
men told some friends he recognized the face of the ghost as a woman who died in Centerville a year earlier.

About 20 minutes later, the mysterious phantom appeared before a well-known Walkerville resident who was
walking home with his wife and baby. The man tried to grab the spook but could not get close enough, as the
figure would jump from side to side. The man and his wife started to run and the woman fell with her baby in
the middle of the street. The ghost stopped in its pursuit and helped the woman to her feet, picked up the
baby and placed it in her arms, then disappeared in the direction of the Blaine School.

According to newspaper reports, the following night the ghost "held high carnival on North Montana Street."
A young lady, who had just got off the Centerville trolley car at the Montana Street crossing, was accosted
by the ghost. It grabbed her, put its hand over her mouth, and carried her along the tracks towards Main
Street. When they reached the Pauline ore house, the ghost found a rope and tied the young lady to a post
and sat down. The ghost commenced to chase a few people in the area, then returned to its captive, sat down
and smoked a cigarette.

The ghost then untied her, picked her up and carried her up the tracks and tied her to a fence. She was found
at 4 a.m., by a blacksmith on his way home from one of the mines. She was almost frozen and weak from fright.
She told her rescuer that after the ghost left her it went over and walked up the stairs by Murphy's saloon and
disappeared.

A group of men went in search of the ghost the next night, Wednesday, the 13th. The party was composed of
Tom Walsh, Mike Collane, Jack Murphy, and two newspaper reporters. They started the hunt on the BA&P
tracks a few feet east of the pumping station on North Main. It was 12:45. When the ghost appeared, Collane
order it to halt.

According to news' reports, "The ghost lit up and its eyes were as large as balls of fire. The face itself was
luminous and had a bluish-yellow cast, intensely sepulchral, and when it stretched out its hands they became
luminous, too, and appeared transparent."

The men fired two shots at the ghost with no effect. It disappeared "like a steak of lightning." A thorough
search of the area failed to reveal anything. That was the last time the ghost was seen.

Years later, it was revealed in Copper Camp, the WPA book about Butte, that the Centerville ghost was a
hoax. "In 1930, at a political gathering in Hibernian Hall in Centerville, an ‘expose’ of the affair was made. Joe
Duffy, a Butte laundryman, noted for his pranks," told all.

Duffy and two friends, who were newspaper reporters, set it up. Duffy started the rumor in Centerville and
played it up for several days. As the story traveled, each teller embellished it. At this point the reporters
stepped in with stories, both in the Miner and the Standard. The rest, according to Duffy was merely, "the
power of suggestion."

According to Duffy, the two ‘Irishmen’ who were with the reporters the final night were a couple of saloon
"hangers-on" just getting over a terrific hangover. The guns they had were loaded with blanks.