TWO MENTAL UNFORTUNATES
The Anaconda Standard, Anaconda, 1908-01-08, p.9
Page image
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headlineHeadline
articleThe article as printed
name as printed"Pat Murphy, a native of Cork, and"
name as printed"Pat Murphy, a native of Cork, and"
name as printed"yesterday. Murphy was sent to the"
name as printed"wife of Murphy made the complaint"
name as printed"paralytic for 11 years and Mrs. Murphy"
name as printed"Renick concluded that Murphy was not"
name as printed"Barney Boyle, a native of Kildare, Ire-"
Summary
Anaconda Standard's next-day account of the 7 January 1908 hearing in Judge Donlan's court — the third of three papers (Butte Daily Post 7 Jan, Butte Miner 8 Jan). Sub-head: "One is sent to the asylum and the other to the county poor-house." Pairs Pat Murphy's case with that of Barney Boyle, a native of Kildare, sent to Warm Springs the same day. Both examined by physician commissions on charges of insanity. > Pat Murphy, a native of Cork, and Barney Boyle, a native of > Kildare, Ireland, were examined by commissions of physicians > on charges of insanity yesterday. Murphy was sent to the > county poor house and Boyle to the state asylum at Warm > Springs. ## WHAT THIS ACCOUNT ADDS 1. **"Pat Murphy, a native of Cork"** — the other two accounts say nothing of his origin. Matches the family's documented Beara / Ardgroom origin. 2. **"The wife of Murphy made the complaint against him"**; he had been "a partial paralytic for 11 years" and **"Mrs. Murphy has been supporting him"** — Ellen was the household's breadwinner; paralysis since c. 1897. 3. **"She said he had threatened the children with harm and had threatened to burn the house."** (The Daily Post has the children teasing him.) 4. Formerly a bartender; "drank a great deal. When drunk he had fits." 5. Drs. Schwartz and Renick found him "not a fit subject for the asylum" but recommended the poorhouse, "which would **relieve the family of his care and burden**." ## THE THREE ACCOUNTS - **Butte Daily Post (7 Jan, p. 6)**: longest; Maggie = niece; Mary Sullivan = sister; age 50; came to Montana 20 years ago; 11 years an invalid; mine-accident head injury; two strokes - **Butte Miner (8 Jan, p. 12)**: shorter; Maggie = sister; Mrs. Ellen Murphy named as complainant - **Anaconda Standard (8 Jan, p. 9)**: native of Cork; Ellen supporting him; threatened the children; poor farm as relief of the family's burden Two months later (March 1908) a second commission sent Pat to Warm Springs, where he died in April 1912.
In its time
Narrative
Pat Murphy, a native of Cork, and Barney Boyle, a native of Kildare, were examined by commissions of physicians on insanity charges; Boyle was committed to the state asylum at Warm Springs and Murphy sent to the county poor house. Murphy's wife made the complaint, saying that after 11 years of supporting her partially paralytic husband she could no longer care for him, as he had grown cross and irritable and had threatened the children and to burn the house. Drs. Schwartz and Renick found Murphy unfit for the asylum but recommended the poorhouse to relieve the family of his care. [clip edge cuts off the closing paragraph on Boyle]
- “He was formerly a bartender and drank a great deal. When drunk he had fits.”
- “relieve the family of his care and burden”
- “Boyle was also a 'booze fighter' in his time”
AI-generated (claude-opus-5). Verify against the transcription before quoting.
People
- Patrick "Pat" J. Murphy (Cork-born bartender / shoemaker; d. 1912 Warm Springs MT)(as printed: Pat Murphy)role: subject · family confidence: 100 certain
- Ellen (Lyne) Murphy (b. Ardgroom; m. Patrick Murphy 1881; d. Butte 1935)(as printed: Mrs. Murphy / The wife of Murphy)role: complainant wife · family confidence: 100 certain
- Barney Boyle (Kildare, 1908)(as printed: Barney Boyle)role: subject secondary · family confidence: 0 not family
Native of Kildare, Ireland. Sent to Warm Springs the same day as Pat Murphy was sent to the poorhouse. Recorded because his case is paired with Pat's in the print and because the pairing tells us something about Butte's Irish-American mental- health landscape in the period.
- Judge Michael Donlan (Butte; heard the 1908 insanity complaints against Patrick J. Murphy)(as printed: Judge Donlan)role: presiding judge boyle commitment · family confidence: 0 not family
Also mentioned
- Dr. Schwartz · examining_physician
- Dr. Renick · examining_physician
Places
- Butte, Montana (primary)
- Silver Bow County, Montana (primary)
- Warm Springs, Montana (secondary)
- Anaconda, Montana (source)
- County Cork (context)
- County Kildare (context)
Themes
Story threads
Tags
Source type
news_item, court_report
Related sources
- 1908-01-07 — The Butte Daily Post, p.6 — JOHN BARLEYCORN IS VERY BUSY MAN
- 1908-01-08 — The Butte Miner, p.12 — PAT MURPHY FOUND TO BE SICK AND NOT INSANE
- 1908-03-23 — The Daily Inter Mountain, p.10 — PATRICK J. MURPHY IS FOUND INSANE
- 1908-03-23 — Montana State Hospital admission records — Patient P. J. Murphy — Patrick J. Murphy asylum admission record — Warm Springs MT, 23 March 1908, age 52, bartender, 8 children only 3 living
- 1908-03-24 — The Anaconda Standard, p.9 — IS SENT TO THE ASYLUM
Transcription
Dotted underlines mark key terms on first mention — hover or tab to one for a reference note. The wording is the source’s own.
Open questions
- The "11 years a paralytic" datum anchors the onset of his decline at c. 1897. Worth a focused pull at that date for any earlier Pat Murphy / accident / stroke / bartending injury coverage in the 1897 Butte papers.
- Barney Boyle of Kildare — does he recur in any later Butte coverage? If so the Cork-and-Kildare-together pairing on the 1908 court calendar is a small but real data point about Butte's Irish-immigrant mental-health pipeline.