The Secret Deposition in the Yesler Will Scandal
A cousin of the late Henry Yesler breaks her silence on alleged threats and bribery surrounding his contested will.
The story, cleaned up
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Mrs. Morgans, a cousin of the late Henry Yesler, provided a deposition regarding the suspicious circumstances surrounding the destruction of Yesler’s will. She described receiving a letter from her sister, Mrs. Gagle, and her niece, Minnie, dated February 8, 1893, which contained a brazen offer: if Morgans remained silent about the burned will, she would receive $5,000. Mrs. Morgans testified that she turned the letter over to lawyers Preston, Carr & Preston in Seattle. Despite intense pressure, including threats of prosecution for perjury from Mrs. Yesler’s lawyer, Mr. White, and attempts to suppress her testimony, Mrs. Morgans insisted on the truth. She described a tense meeting in Seattle where Mrs. Gagle inadvertently admitted to burning a letter about the will. Mrs. Morgans, who suffers from heart disease, stated firmly, 'If Mr. Yesler had left a will, as I knew he did, I would not remain silent for a million dollars.' She departed for the East shortly after providing her testimony, citing health concerns, but vowed to return for the criminal trials.
“If Mr. Yesler had left a will, as I knew he did, I would not remain silent for a million dollars. I thought too much of him to allow them to wrong him in that way.”
This legal saga over Henry Yesler’s estate highlights the immense influence of the Yesler family on Seattle’s early development. Disputes over wills and inheritance were common ways wealthy dynastic fortunes were fought over in the 1890s, echoing the intense legal battles that still frequently surround Seattle’s high-value real estate assets today.
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