The Bitter Boyer Estate Feud
A sweeping court order freezes the assets and property of the late Sarah E. Boyer, dividing revenue among competing heirs and bringing a prominent family dispute into the light.
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.
By an order issued this morning by Judge Brents of the superior court in the suit of Charles S. Boyer et al vs. Eugene H. Boyer, another turn in the affairs of the case occurred. The order requires the defendant to deposit with the clerk of the court all mortgages, promissory notes, and shares of stock against Charles S. Boyer and Franklin D. Boyer, along with 181 shares of the Walla Walla Irrigation company and other property belonging to Sarah E. Boyer at the time of her death on April 18, 1903. The defendant is restrained from disposing of any property described in the complaint except upon order of the court. It was further ordered that Arthur F. Boyer, Annie I. Norten, J. E. Boyer, and Sarah I. Boyer receive one-half of the revenues from the Coppei farm, Dry Creek farms, Fairfield farm in Garfield county, Knoxwai farm, and property in Waitsburg, as well as 13/14 of the revenues from the Mill Creek farm. The remaining portions are to be received by the defendant upon his execution of a $10,000 bond.
“The defendant is also restrained and enjoined disposing of any of the property described in the complaint except upon order of the court.”
Estate disputes involving large swaths of agricultural land in the Walla Walla Valley were common in the early 20th century as family holdings became complex. Today, this litigation mirrors modern conflicts over land trusts and intergenerational wealth preservation in the region.
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