The Murky Business of a Mining Claim
A Seattle businessman publicizes his defense after being accused of a fraudulent mining deal, offering a glimpse into the informal, high-stakes nature of early Pacific Northwest property speculation.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
SEATTLE, Jan. 7, 1892. TO THE EDITOR: As my name appears in your paper of this date in an article under the headlines: 'Lost A Lode—Mr. and Mrs. Murphy Claim to Have Been Swindled Out of a Mining Claim,' I ask you to give room to the following in your next issue: On January 1st, I found in my office a letter from W. S. Montgomery, attorney, which read about as follows: 'Murphy claims the deed given by himself and wife to A. W. Hight was fraudulently obtained, and without consideration, and steps are being taken to set it aside.' To this letter I mailed the following: 'W. S. Montgomery—Dear Sir: I have had no business with Mr. Murphy, and if there is any fraud, I knew nothing of it. I do not think I have seen him for ten days, and certainly have had no conversation with him about the interest in the mine for a much longer time. Hight brought in a deed of Murphy and his wife, deeding the Murphy interest to him. I offered him a certain sum for both interests, which Hight agreed to. I gave Mr. Piles, of Ronald & Piles, the check, to be paid when the papers, title, etc., were satisfactory to him. If I am drawn into the affair, Mr. Piles will look after my interests, so please communicate with him hereafter. If Murphy even thinks that he has been wronged, I regret that he did not speak of it, as I did not care enough about it to have moved in the matter if any one objected. It was a very leisurely transaction, Mr. Piles having the papers several days. Truly yours, H. C. HENRY.'
“If Murphy even thinks that he has been wronged, I regret that he did not speak of it, as I did not care enough about it to have moved in the matter if any one objected.”
This letter exposes the casual, often opaque way that land and mineral rights were traded in Gilded Age Seattle, a precursor to the modern real estate battles that still define the city's growth. The reliance on lawyers to insulate a businessman from a 'swindle' allegation echoes today's complex and often contentious property disputes.
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