The Widow and the Will of Paul Drasdo
A Seattle restaurant owner dies leaving behind a contested estate, a cafe on Second Avenue, and a will that offers his potential widow exactly one dollar.
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.
Dora March Drasdo, who claims to be the true and lawful wife of Paul Drasdo, the Second Avenue restaurant man who was found dead in his rooms at the Occidental Hotel some weeks ago, does not intend to let his estate go to the heirs mentioned in his will without a struggle. She has filed a petition in the probate department of the superior court stating that she is the only true widow of the deceased and the sole heir at law. She relates that after his death, W. H. Moore was appointed administrator, but later, a purported will named Frank Jobst and Ernest Drasdo as executors. She further alleges that the household furniture, which was hers by right, was taken from her by Drasdo prior to his death. According to her calculation, the estate consists of the Vienna Cafe on Second Avenue, $8,000 in railroad bonds, and $12,000 in cash. The will, which was filed for probate, will be contested by the widow; in it, Drasdo stated specifically that he had no wife, but that if anyone was able to prove to the satisfaction of the court she was his wife, she was to receive the sum of $1.
“In the will, Drasdo stated specifically that he had no wife, but that if anyone was able to prove to the satisfaction of the courts she was his wife, she was to receive the sum of $1.”
Estate litigation often highlights the precarious nature of domestic recognition in the early 20th century. Today, probate battles still frequently center on the intersection of informal partnerships and formal legal documentation, mirroring the uncertainty faced by spouses whose status was contested by executors of an estate.
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