ANNIVERSARY SALE ON

The Butte Miner, Butte, 1924-03-19, p.6

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headlineHeadline
articleThe article as printed
name as printed"J. Murphy, for a number of years con-"
James Joseph "James J." Murphy

Summary

Sub-head: "Murphy-Softley Company Is Four Years Old." Murphy-Softley fourth-anniversary sale, week of March 17-22, 1924 (Monday through Saturday night). Mr. Murphy (JJM) is quoted directly: "We are pleased with the progress made during the four years of business and are attempting to show our appreciation by giving the ladies of Butte and vicinity some substantial reductions in seasonable merchandise." "Four years ago Murphy-Softley took over the establishment then known as 'Green's,' and since that time James J. Murphy, for a number of years connected with Hennessy's, has been its directing head. Business from the start was good and each succeeding year has shown a marked increase until at the present time the Murphy-Softley company is known throughout the city and state as one of Montana's most fashionable and exclusive ladies' shops." "Mr. Murphy reports that the ladies of the city are responding generously to the anniversary sale offerings, and he anticipates a big volume of business for the remainder of the week." ARCHIVE SIGNIFICANCE. (a) JJM described as "directing head" of Murphy-Softley four years in — confirms his role is now fully principal, not figurehead. (b) Notable that Softley himself is not mentioned by name in this 1924 article — by March 1924, JJM is being positioned as the public face. (One of the "Softley_left_the_partnership" inbox PDFs may document Softley's exit, which would explain the change.) (c) The "fashionable and exclusive ladies' shops" framing positions the store in the high end of Butte department-store trade by 1924 — important context for the Murphy-Softley arc, which would otherwise just look like a 1920–28 mid-tier women's ready-to-wear store.

In its time

Prohibition1920–1933

Narrative

The Murphy-Softley company marks its fourth anniversary with a six-day store-wide sale running from Monday through Saturday night. James J. Murphy, formerly with Hennessy's, has directed the business since it took over the establishment formerly known as "Green's" four years earlier, and it is now described as one of Montana's most fashionable and exclusive ladies' shops. [the firm's name is printed "Murphy-Soltley" in the original]

“We are pleased with the progress made during the four years of business and are attempting to show our appreciation by giving the ladies of Butte and vicinity some substantial reductions in seasonable merchandise”
“there are styles and prices to suit every condition, and the friendly atmosphere tends to make every shopper feel at home”

AI-generated (claude-opus-5). Verify against the transcription before quoting.

People

James Joseph "James J." Murphy (b. 1883 Ardgroom; d. 1938 LA)(as printed: James J. Murphy)
role: directing head quoted · family confidence: 95 certain

Places

Butte, Montana (primary)

Themes

Story threads

Source type

news_item, business_notice

Related sources

Transcription

transcription: complete · confidence high

# ANNIVERSARY SALE ON ## Murphy-Softley Company Is Four Years Old. *The Butte Miner, Wednesday, March 19, 1924, p. 6.* This week the Murphy-Softley company is celebrating its fourth anniversary, and in honor of the event a sale for six days, which commenced Monday will be continued throughout the week until Saturday night. The anniversary sale, according to Mr. Murphy, is store-wide and includes everything in stock. "We are pleased with the progress made during the four years of business and are attempting to show our appreciation by giving the ladies of Butte and vicinity some substantial reductions in seasonable merchandise," he said. Four years ago Murphy-Softley took over the establishment then known as "Green's," and since that time James J. Murphy, for a number of years connected with Hennessy'sButte: companies, unions & placesHennessy’sfounded 1886The D. J. Hennessy Mercantile Company, Butte’s leading department store. Its 1898 building at Granite and Main also housed the Anaconda company’s offices on the top floor.More in Key terms →, has been its directing head. Business from the start was good and each succeeding year has shown a marked increase until at the present time the Murphy-Softley company is known throughout the city and state as one of Montana's most fashionable and exclusive ladies' shops. Elegantly appointed and with a corps of courteous and efficient salespeople this store enjoys a wide patronage among all classes for there are styles and prices to suit every condition, and the friendly atmosphere tends to make every shopper feel at home. Mr. Murphy reports that the ladies of the city are responding generously to the anniversary sale offerings, and he anticipates a big volume of business for the remainder of the week. ## Correction from the dossier pass (26 Sept 2026, Opus agent clips-c2, read from the image) Printed "Murphy-Soltley" (misprint); "James J. Murphy ... has been its directing head", and he is quoted. The machine transcription silently corrected the misprint.

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 1924 article does not mention Softley by name. Check the "Softley_left_the_partnership_to_pursue_show_polish_invention" PDF in the inbox — possible Softley exit date that would explain the JJM-as-sole-public-face framing.