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About Wescolite (Dillon, Mont) 1949-2009 | View This Issue
Wescolite (Dillon, Mont), 01 Nov. 2001, located at <http://montananewspapers.org/lccn/Wescolite/2001-11-01/ed-1/seq-2/>, image provided by MONTANA NEWSPAPERS, Montana Historical Society, Helena, Montana.
Wescolite - November 1,2001 Page 2 GHOSTS OF T H E METLEH HOTEL BUILDING - It was a muggy evening, late at night in May o f 2001. There were no lights o n in the tall tow er o f the Metlen Hotel. Emily Spry, a young, attractive b runette and three o f h e r friends sat o n the floor in the tow er room. With legs crossed, they sat in a close circle around the Ouija Board. Dim candles w ere spaced be tween each girl, casting dark shadows o n the wall and the bottom of the w indow frames behind their backs. Stretching o u t their arms and hands to follow the racing p o inter on the board, the letters were plainly marked-in rapid succes sion u n til they spelled o u t this message: “I d o n ’t w ant you here.” Even though several windows were open, the room was stuffy as it had b e en closed u p all day, as it usually was. The p o in te d marker raced across the board again, spelling out another sentence. “Get o u t o r I will h u rt you!” Then suddenly, w ithout warn ing all the candles flickered and w ent out. The room was black. The windows slammed down. Emily and h e r friends sat silent, frozen in fear. In the dark, their hands left the Ouija Board. Before they could make a move- just as quickly as the candles were snuffed out- they flickered back on and the windows flew o pen again. “I’m o u t o f here,” o ne o f the girls h o llered and the all b ounded through the d o o r and down the stairs. Back at the b ar on the ground floor, some o f the girls sat quietly, others chattering, all o f them w ith By Maryanne Davis Silve faces turned white. Emily’s boy friend quizzed them. “So w h at happened?” Though some may scoff at the very thought o f ghosts being a reality, they would have to admit, there are things that h a p p en in the unseen world that n one o f us can explain. In today’s world, the question seems n o t to b e ‘Are there ghosts?’ But ‘W here do the ghosts hang out?’ The Metlen has its share o f mysterious occupants. Emily Spry w e n t to work at the Metlen last spring, first as a maid, then as a bartender. She has b een witness to many unexplainable incidents there. Plus she is n o t alone. Over the years, the stories are the same from p eople who have lived and worked at the old hotel, though most are n o t as willing to share their story as Spry. “Sometimes the jukebox will just start playing w h en no one has touched it o r p u t any money in. Not only that, it, plays songs that( aren’t even on there!” Apparently an art student from Bozeman killed himself in the tow er many years ago, o r so the story goes. Some w o n d er if this generates some o f the animosity of the g host in that area o f the building. Spry had intended to set up h e r living quarters in the tow er u ntil the incident w ith the Ouija Board o ccurred. She has not b een back u p there since. “But I am n o t afraid o f the ghosts,” Spry said. “I am used to them now. The one in the tow er is mean, b u t the o th ers are okay. I even have one that helps clean up. I’ll be closing down the b ar and cleaning u p late at night. There will b e a lot o f b o ttles around, like over in the comer, sitting o n the windowsill. I go over, p ick u p a few, then w h e n I return, the rest are all p icked up.” For those who might make fun or scoff at Spry’s experiences, they might remember she is not the only one w ho has seen glimpses o f ghosts and heard their noises. “W hen I worked as a maid, the mainte nance man and I were walk ing down the hall on the 3rd floor. We heard the sound o f a strong wind blowing and felt a draft coming from u n d er the door o f one o f the rooms. We opened the door and it was totally still inside, n o t even a breeze. There w ere no win dows o p en and n o cracks in the wall. It was strange.” According to Spry, the sound o f children playing and running u p and down the stairs is n o t uncommon. “I’m used to it,” she says. “It doesn’t scare me.” The woman in the w h ite dress is probably the most mysterious g host at the Metlen. A b a rtender who worked there years ago told about the evening h e was working w h e n the lady ap peared. It was a q u iet night and she sat and talked to h im J for several h o u rs and d id n ’t even have a drink. W hen it was time to close d own he said, “I’m sorry, b u t I have to ask you to leave, because I have to d o s e the bar.” He said she got u p and moved smoothly o u t the side d o o r (which is n o w b o arded up). That is w h e n h e n o ticed she didn’t have any feet. “She just sort o f floated,” h e said. “I have seen glimpses o f the woman,” Spry said,“Some people have even seen h e r dancing.” One evening a b a rtender was alone washing dishes in the back bar. She saw the lady in the w h ite dress. It startled the b a rtender so, she d ropped the dish she was holding and glanced down for a second. W hen she looked back u p , the lady was gone. “Usually w h a t I see are glimpses o f h e r o u t o f the com e r o f my eye, o r in the continued page 3 “Sometimes the juke box will just start play ing when no one has touched it or put any money in. Not only that, it plays songs that aren’t even on there!” TOLERANCE WHEN Thursday November 8, 11 am-12 p m WHERE Small Auditorium, Main Hall WHAT Panel o f Experts talk on our current world affairs, the war and what is going on with it, and US involvement in terrorist happenings. tWÊSÇpÜTE; ï? \ f s - Staff J M v is e f r îy :y Y -‘ Adrlanne A d d e rléyC ! Managing Editor ; ' Jessica Downey : Layout & Design Kathryn Nielsen * \ Suzanne Wilson : .■ Staff ’ •>.. / Robert Blèvin : „ Kristina Burnaby . Bradi Choquette > David Collins i ■ Kart.Corbitt ;■ . Ùàrìièi Dixòn Krista Harrington Suzanne Hodges navis Kirby : < - t Sdori Lake ? ; KellyMarshail Ronald Nelson Krystal Roberts C p a n e l Rdcquerhore Marya nne Silve - y i ' Cory Snow ; : 4 1 Jackalynn Snow .<• : : David Storiehocker Gretta Walter Jason Wedel ; Zach Weinzetl McKay Young
