Complimentary Benefit.

# Transcription — The Butte Weekly Miner, 1884-10-18, p.1 **Source**: The Butte Weekly Miner (Butte, Montana), Saturday 18 October 1884, p.1. **Status**: Complete (for the Kelly testimonial item); corrected against the page scan 21 Oct 2026. **Method**: Cleaned from OCR against the page image. The page carries multiple items in adjacent columns; only the Complimentary Benefit correspondence and the related Local News follow-up are transcribed here. Other items on the page (Meeting of Colored Citizens, Base Ball, etc.) are logged in page_metadata.yaml as peripheral_items. Two signer surnames are damaged in the print: the first letter of "[L]arabie" is broken, and the middle letters of "Glidden" are worn (read at 8x, 21 Oct 2026). --- **Complimentary Benefit.** The following correspondence explains itself: *Mr. John Kelly, Butte, Montana:* DEAR SIR:—We the undersigned citizens of Butte and vicinity, entertaining a high appreciation of your rare musical accomplishments and of yourself as a gentleman, and being desirous of hearing you in one of your vocal and instrumental entertainments before you leave the city, respectfully request you to name the evening on which we can tender you a benefit as a testimonial of and a deserved tribute to your worth as a man and to your genius as a musician. Hoping to hear a favorable response to our request at an early date we remain yours respectfully, etc. BUTTE, M. T., Oct. 15, 1884. NAMES. NAMES. H Barn[e]tt Dr J P Tiernan Henry Jacobs Con Murphy G W Beal Daniel Searles C C [L]arabie Lee Mantle J B Gl[i]dden H L Frank F W Caplice H C Bodley Leyson & Turck H C Olmstead J R Clark Jno J Tooey A W Orton N J Bielenberg Geo F Marsh H Eustice H B Smith John Caplice J M Foster Dr Robert Grix G W Newkirk A C Bishop Perry H Beal D J Welsh Rod D Leggat And 150 others. --- BUTTE, M. T., Oct. 15, 1884. To Messrs. J.R. Clark, John Capli[c]e, D. J. Welch, Rod Leggat, Lee Mantle, H. L. Frank, H. Barnett, G. W. Beal and others. GENTLEMEN.—Your note of this date in which you kindly tender me a benefit is received. In reply I would state that on Saturday evening the 18th inst., and at Renshaw Opera House I will be pleased to meet you and at which time and place, assisted by Mrs. Kelly, I will render a series of selections which I feel assured will meet your approbation. Thanking you, gentlemen, for the very complimentary manner in which you express your appreciation of my efforts to entertain the public, I remain yours at command, JOHN KELLY. --- (From the Local News column, same page.) [We are?] pleased to state that at the earnest solicitation of many of our citizens Mr. John Kelly has consented to give one of his rare musical entertainments in Butte next Saturday evening. Mr. Kelly will be assisted by Mrs. Kelly who is one of the most accomplished organists and pianist in the East. The entertainment promises to be largely attended and those who are so fortunate as to be present will hear choice selections rendered as only true artists can render them. *[Text checked against the page scan at 3x (signer names at 8x), 21 Oct 2026, starting from the tile-by-tile page reading of 20-21 Oct 2026. The first line of the Local News paragraph (column 7) is printed only in its lower half; "We are" is read from the lower strokes.]*