The Heiress, the Invalid, and the Absent Executor
A nineteen-year-old Snoqualmie woman fights a legal battle against a powerful executor who left her destitute and in debt despite a $100,000 family estate.
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.
A petition was filed yesterday in the probate department of the superior court by Alice Borst, one of the heirs of Jeremiah W. Borst, which puts in issue whether a decedent may by his will absolutely prohibit the intervention of courts in the handling of his estate. Jeremiah W. Borst was a wealthy rancher who lived on the Snoqualmie river and was at one time a county commissioner. He died on August 10, 1890, leaving five children and an estate valued at $100,000. He named Judge R. Andrews, a friend, as executor without bond, providing that the court should have no power to interfere. Alice Borst, 19, who has been an invalid for many years, filed the petition through her attorneys, Fairfield Cross. She states she was left one-fifth of the estate—amounting to $20,000—yet she is now without a home, subsisting on the charity of strangers. She is currently in debt for board and necessities and is unable to work due to her physical condition. She claims she has written to the executor, Andrews, for assistance but has received no reply. When she called on him at his residence, he refused her aid and told her to 'rustle' for her living. Her brother William is also in need; he is currently at Falls City, reportedly poorly clad and barefooted. Alice charges that Andrews has been unfaithful to his trust and prays for a citation to hold him accountable, the appointment of a guardian for her minor siblings, and an injunction against the sale of estate assets.
“She has applied to the executor, Andrews, for assistance, and has written him letters stating her wants, but he has failed to make her any reply. Finally, being in absolute want, she called on him at his residence in this city and asked for assistance, but he refused.”
This 1892 case echoes contemporary legal battles in Washington regarding the responsibilities of fiduciaries and the vulnerability of heirs living in poverty. It also highlights the historical erasure and dispossession of Indigenous families from their land and inheritance in the early years of Washington statehood.
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