Century of Butte Stories

St. Patrick's Day Riot in 1918

By John Astle

(Stories celebrating the millennium and featuring stories from Butte's newspapers during the past 100 years.)

Butte Mayor William H. Maloney refused a parade permit to a Butte Irish organization, the Pearse-Connolly Club, for the St. Patrick's Day parade scheduled Sunday, March 17, 1918. The parade was held, a riot ensued, and 54 men were arrested for "plotting against the U.S. Government." They were held on $10,000 bond each.

The Pearse-Connolly Club was named after two Irish patriots, Padraic Pearse, a writer, and James Connolly, a Socialist, who were killed during the 1916 Easter Rising. The Butte club was thought by many to be connected with the Socialist Party and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).

During the years of 1912 to 1921, it was a time of unrest' in Butte, to say the least. With the beginning of the rustling card in 1912, to the destruction of the Miners' Union Hall in 1914, to the Speculator Mine Disaster and the hanging of IWW organizer Frank Little with the resulting strike in 1917, to the strikes and lockouts in 1918 and 1919, to the shooting of miners picketing on the Anaconda Road in 1920, there was little peace and quiet in the Mining City. Federal troops were in the city for many of those years. As usual during times of crisis, individual and civil rights took a back seat.

Captain Omar Bradley, who was in charge of the Fourteenth Infantry stationed in Butte, had given his approval for the St. Patrick's Day parade, "after it was explained to him that the Pearse-Connolly Club wanted to hold the celebration to show its respect for the patron saint of Ireland and also publicly show its allegiance to the United States." Bradley's permission was soon withdrawn.

Supposedly a subversive' letter arrived in Butte early in March which indicated that the parade would be an "uprising against England and might have world-wide importance and be aimed at a severance of active participation in [World War I] on the part of America."

The letter, in code, was deciphered by a member of the Secret Service Department in Washington, D.C. Much of the letter could not be deciphered, but one sentence, clearly interpreted, gave officers their "clew." It read: "Soldiers of the Irish Republic will not forget the sacrifices which Ireland's martyrs have made." The words Belfast, Chicago, and Seattle appeared in the letter, but no connected translation of the remainder of the letter could be made.

Mayor Maloney issued his order on March 14, "forbidding the parade, and further, to make this order permanent during the period of the present war, with the exception of strictly patriotic parades and demonstrations." He ordered the chief of police to use whatever force necessary to make his order effective.

Democratic Governor Sam V. Stewart and the newly-created Montana Council of Defense, also issued an order which read in part, ". . . no parades, processions, or other public demonstrations, funerals excepted, may be held on any of the streets, highways, or public places in Montana, without written permission of the governor . . ."

Three members of the defense council, Charles J. Kelly, president of the Daly Bank; Charles D. Greenfield, Helena correspondent for the Butte Miner; and Mortimer M. Donoghue, president of the Montana State Federation of Labor, were from Butte.

According to news reports, both the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH), and the Robert Emmet Literary Association (RELA), canceled their customary annual parade, but had a "social and solemn observance of the day."

Sunday, March 17, was quiet enough until about 4 o'clock. The parade started on North Main Street. Police officers, sheriff's deputies, and federal troops began arresting the marchers. Riots erupted throughout the neighborhood and continued until midnight.

Thousands of onlookers were attracted to the area but were kept moving by soldiers whose rifles were loaded and fixed with bayonets. Many of the curious, who were told not to "dally," were goaded along at bayonet point. The troops were on duty until 12:30 a.m. and guarded the streets in two-hour shifts.

At one point a mob careened out of a saloon and attacked a soldier. When the crowd surged around him he fired a shot into the air and began scattering them with his bayonet.

Martial law prevailed until the saloons were closed and the streets cleared. Captain Bradley suggested all North Main Street saloons be closed, but later reconsidered when it was pointed out that this would force the rioters to other parts of the city, making policing more difficult.

"We have no part in the policing of Butte," Captain Bradley said, "but when my men are ordered to do a thing, I believe they will do it. We got orders to assist the police in quelling a riot and had no alternative but to quell it. I am glad nobody was seriously hurt, but I would rather have seen a lot of people hurt than to feel that my boys fell down on the job. I am proud of every boy in my command."

IWW cards were found on five of the men arrested. Local officials believed, that the "Haywood men had a prominent part in inciting the resistance to the law." (Bill Haywood, officer in the Western Federation of Miners and IWW, was acquitted in 1907 of the murder of Frank Steunenberg, former governor of Idaho. Because of his opposition to World War I he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1919. He forfeited bail and fled to Russia).

But, it also was thought by officials that the majority of the 54 men arrested were innocuous' and would subsequently be released.

Those held for government investigation were: Steve Murphy, Barney McBride, James Nesdler, Jim Rogan, Con Ryan, Phil McGinn, Frank Buckley, John Harrington, Charles O'Leary, Grover Smith, Tom Ryan, John Morgan, Hugh Rohan, Dennis Callahan, Owen Tierney, John Curran, Tom Gallagher, Pat J. Doherty, James McCafferty, Alexander Kelson, Jack Murphy, Michael McNelis, Patrick Doherty, John McKenna, Neal Campbell, John McKay, Pat Doran, Dan I. Connors, Archie Blue;

Also, John Burns, John McCarther, Dan Brennan, Dan Dwyer, John Caddigan, Patrick Kerrigan, Pat Bassonatte, Bernard Young, Mike Piggott, Mike Sullivan, Jerry Sullivan, Flurry Sullivan, William Maloney, Pat Boyle, Mike Stanton, Steve Kang, Pat O'Brien, Martin Joyce, Andy Hennigan, Mike McLaughlin, Eugene McCarthy, Matt Howse, Dan McGee, Pete Kenney, and John Conroy.

According to world news reports, St. Patrick's Day 1918 showed nothing out of the ordinary, except in Butte, Montana; Belfast, Ireland; St. Maries, Idaho, and a few other isolated places.